Re: 164LS coil failure?

[Bernie Bennett <bennetts77833@domain.elided>]

Paul:
   Um, me too! But I don't think it's the coils. I have an sport auto 
transmission '94 version. Upon hard accelleration, it would stumble. 
Just intermittently, not repeatable. Then it began to idle, roughly and 
a bit of rotten eggs smell. Turned out one of the cam sprockets had 
loosened up (according to my tech). Fixing that eliminated engine shake; 
but there was still something with the idle.
   Last time in they looked at the sensors for the timing, throttle 
position and who knows what else, maybe the kickdown cable. Car now runs 
better than it has in years. Seems almost as eager to run as our '91 L. 
Gas mileage is back up a little. Other things that had been tried were 
changing fuel injectors (seemed to work for the fiirst hour but then 
stumble was back, original injectors (except one bad one were put back 
in)); spark plugs (same temporary effect). Another person I have heard 
of is rumored to have had the valves & cams changed. (That did not solve 
the problem either.)
   Where are you located? Do you have an experienced quad cam tech?
   I've had coil failures in the distant past, big time. I don't think 
this problem is it. They were shorting out, going up in a puff of acrid 
smoke and melting and cracking. That was due to the wiring harness 
having been damaged and two coil wires touching/shorting.  I have also 
heard pinching the coil wires with the coil cover can damage/short them 
with similar results.; but the coils are supposed to be very reliable 
otherwise.

If you get any good input, please let me know.
Best Wishes,
Bernie Bennett
Brenham, TX


> I am experiencing an intermittent "stumble" or "miss" usually at highway
> speeds on my 164LS - I think it may be one of the coils starting to fail.
> Does anyone know how I diagnose this exactly and if so how to determine
> which of the six coils is going bad?
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