Hum, if that fits down the bore then that would be handy for stopping a DIYer tilting the normal sparkplug socket too much and snapping the plug. One other "need" is a torque wrench with a "decent" length of handle so that you can quietly increase the torque until the plug unscrews - if you use a short handled wrench you might end up trying to shock the plug free - and end up snapping it.

Since I got the socket stuck in the recess I gave up using any short socket for plugs(I don't think short socket with extension is recommended for deep seated spark plugs). This will be better, but I didn't use it so I don't know if it is thin enough: http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_163003_categoryId_255216_langId_-1?cm_sp=Intelligent_Offer-_-Product_Details_Zone_1-_-Blank&iozone=PDPz1 , but I used the other one with no problems. Mostly I used the indication on the spark plug box to tighten up and my previous experience in changing spark plugs.

For information, the normal sparkplug socket I have used on one of these engines is 21.85mm in diameter, I have now bought the Laser one listed above and it is 21.55mm in diameter - so, it should fit fine (I was passing by so HAD to buy one - honest!).

I sort of agree with you about using the directions on the NGK box - but seeing as I like to play safe with aluminium heads, I tend to use a "low range" torque (ratcheting) wrench, its useful for lots of other low torque jobs anyway. Advice usually includes a "touch" of high temperature anti-sieze paste on the threads.

Hi folks, just got back in from changing the spark plug. I bought an extraction tool for £2 in Trago Mills (this one: http://www.alltradetools.com/catalog/1900-1933-large/010327-13-16-t-handle-spark-plug-wrench.jpg ) and could change the spark plug in two seconds. This is the old one: http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/141/img2012012101366.jpg/

I screwed the new one back in and started the engine but the misfiring still persists the engine started shaking and sounded like a tractor...

What's next? :(

Hi folks, just got back in from changing the spark plug. I bought an extraction tool for £2 in Trago Mills (this one: http://www.alltradetools.com/catalog/1900-1933-large/010327-13-16-t-handle-spark-plug-wrench.jpg ) and could change the spark plug in two seconds. This is the old one: http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/141/img2012012101366.jpg/

I screwed the new one back in and started the engine but the misfiring still persists the engine started shaking and sounded like a tractor...

What's next? :(

What spark plugs are currently in the engine....as that champion one looks the wrong code no for your engine......what is your engine code anyway BBY or BBZ????

It's BBZ. I haven't checked the other plugs, but all the other cylinders work fine. The engine code says "misfire in cyliner 1". Hope i've fiddling with the right one though, the first one from the left, that's cylinder nr 1, isn't it?

What spark plugs are currently in the engine....as that champion one looks the wrong code no for your engine......what is your engine code anyway BBY or BBZ????

Hi folks, just got back in from changing the spark plug. I bought an extraction tool for £2 in Trago Mills (this one: http://www.alltradetools.com/catalog/1900-1933-large/010327-13-16-t-handle-spark-plug-wrench.jpg ) and could change the spark plug in two seconds. This is the old one: http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/141/img2012012101366.jpg/

I screwed the new one back in and started the engine but the misfiring still persists the engine started shaking and sounded like a tractor...

What's next? :(

Code for NGK spark plug

1.4 4 AME,AQW,ATZ 03/00 BKUR5ET-10

1.4 4 DOHC AUA,AUB,BBY,BBZ 03/00 BKUR6ET-10

1.4 4 AUTO TRANSMISSION BBY 03/0005/04 PZFR5D-11

1.4 4 BKY 05/04 ZFR5P-G

1.4 4 AZF 03/0003/03 PFR6Q

yepp, BKUR6ET-10 is the code of the new NGK spark plug I bought and put newly in....

Code for NGK spark plug

1.4 4 AME,AQW,ATZ 03/00 BKUR5ET-10

1.4 4 DOHC AUA,AUB,BBY,BBZ 03/00 BKUR6ET-10

1.4 4 AUTO TRANSMISSION BBY 03/0005/04 PZFR5D-11

1.4 4 BKY 05/04 ZFR5P-G

1.4 4 AZF 03/0003/03 PFR6Q

You say car sounds like a tractor, is that now or now AND before you replaced that plug.

Champion plugs, hum! Better to stick with what VAG use and that is NGK - I'd expect that you bought a pack of 4-off,so maybe change them all.

Maybe you are trying to see if you can fix the existing fault first?

Sorry to say that next move should be to make sure that the new coil is "sitting" fully down level with the other (yes cylinder "1" is the most LHS one - ie nearest the O/S front wheel and "front end" of engine. After that you need to swop the coils from cylinder "1" and "2" and see if the problem moves.

Okay, here we go again: swapped spark plugs and ignition coil around between cylinder 1 and 2 and no change, cylinder 1 is still misfiring... interesting though that in cylinder 2 I have found the same Champion plug which seems to work just fine.

tractor the sound of the car is now and before I replaced the plug/coil. I mean it's not that bad, maybe a tractor is a bit of an exaggeration but when I start the engine I can instantly hear/feel that it is misfiring as even the throttle pedal is pulsating/vibrating.

In sum, it's defo not the spark plug/ignition coil, what else could it be? What about that socket of wires that connects to the igniton coil? Where does that go to and what is the function of that? Could that be the source of the misfire problem? I'm am completely clueless where to look next...

You say car sounds like a tractor, is that now or now AND before you replaced that plug.

Champion plugs, hum! Better to stick with what VAG use and that is NGK - I'd expect that you bought a pack of 4-off,so maybe change them all.

Maybe you are trying to see if you can fix the existing fault first?

Sorry to say that next move should be to make sure that the new coil is "sitting" fully down level with the other (yes cylinder "1" is the most LHS one - ie nearest the O/S front wheel and "front end" of engine. After that you need to swop the coils from cylinder "1" and "2" and see if the problem moves.

ALL FOUR spark plugs should be the same when you change/swap.......never just swap one......and those champion ones look like the wrong code no for your car.....so take them all out and fit FOUR of the NGK ones.....then clean all the electrical connections to the spark plug leads/connectors etc with some wd40 and wipe them dry.......thats just the starting point!!

assuming this all has been done what's next?

ALL FOUR spark plugs should be the same when you change/swap.......never just swap one......and those champion ones look like the wrong code no for your car.....so take them all out and fit FOUR of the NGK ones.....then clean all the electrical connections to the spark plug leads/connectors etc with some wd40 and wipe them dry.......thats just the starting point!!

Besides knowing the state of the fuel filter/injectors etc.........duff coil pack???........swap them around and see if the fault code moves when you move the coil packs eg from cyl 1 to 3 or 4...... ....you have a fauly code reader???......if not then take it to a VAG specialist as who ever fitted the champion plugs didn't know about those engines!!!!!!!....I can't even find a recommend plug on champions site for that engine (bby or bbz).....but if you go into Halfrauds they list a plug!!...(they really don't have a clue in there).....

well, like I said in an earlier post, I've swapped both plugs and pencil coils around and still no improvement on the 1st cylinder...

Besides knowing the state of the fuel filter/injectors etc.........duff coil pack???........swap them around and see if the fault code moves when you move the coil packs eg from cyl 1 to 3 or 4...... ....you have a fauly code reader???......if not then take it to a VAG specialist as who ever fitted the champion plugs didn't know about those engines!!!!!!!....I can't even find a recommend plug on champions site for that engine (bby or bbz).....but if you go into Halfrauds they list a plug!!...(they really don't have a clue in there).....

Unless you have a didgital multimeter, a good fault code reader etc and time to fully check resisitances in the wiring etc and reset/clear codes etc then take to a dealers as trying to do a complex diagnosis with out seeing is very difficult!...........

I still hope you have taken out ALL of the Champion spark plugs and fitted the correct NGK ones.....

have already ordered them! and I do have a good multimeter and a code reader.

Unless you have a didgital multimeter, a good fault code reader etc and time to fully check resisitances in the wiring etc and reset/clear codes etc then take to a dealers as trying to do a complex diagnosis with out seeing is very difficult!...........

I still hope you have taken out ALL of the Champion spark plugs and fitted the correct NGK ones.....

Good........so just do a full check of th wiring to the coil packs...clear the codes.....fitt the new correct plugs....drive the car...see it does the same.......thats all I can say....other than that its a duff coil pack.....but if move it to a differnt cyclinder then the code should move with it (clear the codes between doing this)........if it doesn't move then most be the wiring...or something else...then take to a dealership.......

Right, now that you have done the obvious things and had no luck, maybe its time to consider that you are the second person I "seen" reporting this problem - ie 1.4 16V Fabia/Polo/Ibiza misfiring on cylinder 1 - and the last person had a garage look at it and they were confused. So, there are either two unlucky people or you have posted this issue on two forums, or twice on this forum! I'll check around and see what I find, but as far as I know, there was no hard facts coming back from if and what fixed the other car.

Shopping at Trago Mills eh, I remember being in there when on holiday in Cornwall a long time ago (it was a wet day!).

Edited 21 January, 201214 yr by rum4mo

Does anyone know where those wires connecting to the ignition coil go and what their function is? cheers

Right, now that you have done the obvious things and had no luck, maybe its time to consider that you are the second person I "seen" reporting this problem - ie 1.4 16V Fabia/Polo/Ibiza misfiring on cylinder 1 - and the last person had a garage look at it and they were confused. So, there are either two unlucky people or you have posted this issue on two forums, or twice on this forum! I'll check around and see what I find, but as far as I know, there was no hard facts coming back from if and what fixed the other car.

Shopping at Trago Mills eh, I remember being in there when on holiday in Cornwall a long time ago (it was a wet day!).

Wiring to pencil coils, there will be, at least, a main +12V supply line, a main 0V return line, a lowish level trigger line and a lowish level trigger return line. That is the minimum it wil need to run each coil. I'd expect, in addition to that there will be some form of "health feedback" or "BIT" functionality to talk back and report problems to the engine's ECU. Now, as regards my comment about bumping into some thing some where about "cylinder 1 misfiring" - what I had found accidentally was a report about a 1.4 engine in a new beetle, and in that case, the final fix was to clean up or modify "injector 1" earth wiring - so that means that the root cause for the reported "cylinder 1 misfiring" was an injector missing pulses. The actual case being on a forum recently was for a 1.2 3 cylinder engine in an Ibiza - in desperation the mechanic was clutching to the fact that some of the coil wiring to that cylinder looked a bit ropey, I've asked what the final outcome was, but as yet I've not had a reply (I hope its not the normal "please help me" then the poster disappears until the next problem turns up!

hmmm... problem is there is no step-by-step guide anywhere which I could follow to sort out this misfiring issue. I've searched high and low, had a look at the Haynes book but other than changing the plug/pencil coil I couldn't find anything. Couldn't even find how to test the HT leads with a multimeter or any other way.

Wiring to pencil coils, there will be, at least, a main +12V supply line, a main 0V return line, a lowish level trigger line and a lowish level trigger return line. That is the minimum it wil need to run each coil. I'd expect, in addition to that there will be some form of "health feedback" or "BIT" functionality to talk back and report problems to the engine's ECU. Now, as regards my comment about bumping into some thing some where about "cylinder 1 misfiring" - what I had found accidentally was a report about a 1.4 engine in a new beetle, and in that case, the final fix was to clean up or modify "injector 1" earth wiring - so that means that the root cause for the reported "cylinder 1 misfiring" was an injector missing pulses. The actual case being on a forum recently was for a 1.2 3 cylinder engine in an Ibiza - in desperation the mechanic was clutching to the fact that some of the coil wiring to that cylinder looked a bit ropey, I've asked what the final outcome was, but as yet I've not had a reply (I hope its not the normal "please help me" then the poster disappears until the next problem turns up!

Wait a minute there, there are no "HT leads" where you have individual pencil coils (HT only exists on the O/P which is connected to the plug)- only low voltage level feeds/returns etc. Please don't go "looking back" up the wiring to the individual with a DIYer's DMM - you should only use a proper professional high input impedance meter like a Fluke etc. If I were you, I would carefully examine the section of coil wiring that is contained within the plastic cable tray, only after finding nothing wrong (visually) should you move back along the wiring system.

Edited 22 January, 201214 yr by rum4mo

Never fear teflon is here...

right, first thing I would do is clear the fault codes, then swap round the wiring plugs from injector 1 + 2 ( you might have to unclip the loom from the fuel rail to do it, thn fire it up and see what happens, then read the fault codes again...

Hi all, after a busy week I got round to test the wiring on the ignition coil of the first cylinder. What I did was to take out the ignition coil and put it a spare spark plug and checked whether they were igniting at all. The missus sat behind the steering wheel and started the engine and I could clearly see the sparks at the end of the spark plug. This means ignition is fine so I've decided to move on to injection and check the fuel injector. Any ideas how I can do that?

Never fear teflon is here...

right, first thing I would do is clear the fault codes, then swap round the wiring plugs from injector 1 + 2 ( you might have to unclip the loom from the fuel rail to do it, thn fire it up and see what happens, then read the fault codes again...

Fantastic news! I finally managed to remove the fuel injectors and swapped 1 and 2 over to see if 1 works at all and guess what the engine started without a fault! I guess fuel injector nr 1 must have been clogged up and now works fine! Thank you for your all kind help! cheers

Hi all, after a busy week I got round to test the wiring on the ignition coil of the first cylinder. What I did was to take out the ignition coil and put it a spare spark plug and checked whether they were igniting at all. The missus sat behind the steering wheel and started the engine and I could clearly see the sparks at the end of the spark plug. This means ignition is fine so I've decided to move on to injection and check the fuel injector. Any ideas how I can do that?

I've got q few spare injectors for those engines, so if you ever need them give me a shout