Coil packs- any real difference between brands?

[JayG]

Looks like I need to replace some of my coil packs
In searching, I have fond them from $40 to $80
Any real difference between brands?

Not trying to be super cheap, just don't like to leave $$ on the table

[tommy583]

You should know you can only use official Porsche coil packs. Just kidding. They seem all the same to me. Did you end up spraying water on them?

[JayG]

Yes and no misfires

[tommy583]

Then I would do some further diagnosis before spending money on new coil packs. Unless you are sure that is the problem. You could always get some nice used ones from Woody. He will probably sell you six for the price of one new one.

[JayG]

I decided to bite the bullet and just bought some Beru ones from Warehouse33auto.com with the Rennlist discount they were ~$36 each including freight!

[thstone]

I used Beru coil packs on my Boxster and 996 and they worked great.

[Toplad]

How do you test coil packs?
Mine are original and have done 100k, but the car drives smooth enough, mpg is a bit low circ 21mpg

[thstone]

Originally Posted by Toplad

How do you test coil packs?
Mine are original and have done 100k, but the car drives smooth enough, mpg is a bit low circ 21mpg

A coil pack can be tested via resistance using a multimeter. However, most people just drive them until they get a misfire and then replace them along with the spark plugs.

[Steve Tinker]

Originally Posted by Toplad

How do you test coil packs?
Mine are original and have done 100k, but the car drives smooth enough, mpg is a bit low circ 21mpg

1) Inspect (very) closely under a good light source the coil pack's insulation for cracks - sometimes they can be hairline and difficult to see.

2) If in doubt, connect an ohmmeter across pins 1 & 3 and check resistance. They should be 0.3 - 0.7 ohms @ 20 deg. C. Anything out of this band should be replaced.

[Smallblock454]

Hi

i'm not shure if a coil pack is bad if the housing has cracks. I replaced my coil packs prevently, because 2 of 6 had really bad cracks and 3 had worn insulators. Didn't have had any misfire or DTC. Have to say that i never drove my Box in rain.

Used BERU coil packs, because the OEM ones are also BERU. My OEM part number was 996 602 102 00. BERU number on the OEM ones was 0 040 100 021. BERU part number had changed to 0040.100.036 ZS 036

Regards
Markus

[Steve Tinker]

The reason I advised Toplad to inspect the insulation of his coil packs is because he lives in the north of England where the atrocious weather patterns can quickly turn a small crack into a misfire.
When the insulation is compromised, it doesn't take much moisture to cause all or some the LV or HV to track to the chassis before getting to the spark plug. The voltage leakage may not even be enough to cause the engine to miss, but enough to lower the spark density giving poor fuel economy which the OP complained of.

[Toplad]

Originally Posted by Steve Tinker

1) Inspect (very) closely under a good light source the coil pack's insulation for cracks - sometimes they can be hairline and difficult to see.

2) If in doubt, connect an ohmmeter across pins 1 & 3 and check resistance. They should be 0.3 - 0.7 ohms @ 20 deg. C. Anything out of this band should be replaced.

Thanks Steve

I'm going to do both of these checks. Just the sort of knowledge I was after.
I find it hard to believe people change things like coil packs with out a proper reason or testing
Cheer's

[Gelbster]

Being a thrifty Northerner(?) you may be able to hack-repair an otherwise good coil pack with a harline crack. In theory you dry out the coil pack ,clean it so you can identify the cracks and seal with epoxy. There is a Youtube video but....
" Good used" may be an oxymoron in the case of coil packs from a breaker? Try EBay U.K.?
If water has penetrated the cracks, here is what happens:
http://rennlist.com/forums/996-forum/902647-just-replaced-the-coils.html

[xzl6b1]

Had a misfire, that progressively got worse. O'Reilly auto parts used a Bosch scan tool, and found that the #6 coil was bad.

I removed all 6 coils. all coils were within spec (pin 1-3 resistance primary winding).
Replaced #6 with a Beru to correct the misfire.

If a scan tool is not available, the best test is to remove the allen screws that secure each coil, engine running, pull each coil out and listen for a change in engine speed/sound. Replace the coil and repeat for the remaining coils to determine the bad coil(s).

This tests both the primary and secondary windings.

[JayG]

Originally Posted by xzl6b1

Had a misfire, that progressively got worse. O'Reilly auto parts used a Bosch scan tool, and found that the #6 coil was bad.

I removed all 6 coils. all coils were within spec (pin 1-3 resistance primary winding).
Replaced #6 with a Beru to correct the misfire.

If a scan tool is not available, the best test is to remove the allen screws that secure each coil, engine running, pull each coil out and listen for a change in engine speed/sound. Replace the coil and repeat for the remaining coils to determine the bad coil(s).

This tests both the primary and secondary windings.

Uh, unless I am missing something, pulling the coil will result in that spark plug not firing

[Steve Tinker]

I certainly wouldn't disconnect a plug HT coil pack with the engine running - especially one that's bolted onto the cylinder head and me on my back under it.
Maybe on an older car where you can short out the plug lead with a screwdriver to determine which plug wasn't firing correctly, but on a flat 6 engine with 25,000 volts, I don't think so....

[xzl6b1]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZPiD7nv9Bw

Pretty easy and safe,

[BRAN]

What about these?

Plasma Direct Ignition Coil Pack (PACK OF 6) Porsche 996/997 & Boxster 986/987 & Cayman

"...The spark amperage is increased by 100%, allowing the spark to reach many more molecules, which therefore accelerates the ignition and combustion processes. This is extremely important in forced induction applications, but also improves the performance of normally aspirated engines.
The Plasma Direct will increase horsepower and torque throughout the entire RPM range, as well as reducing fuel consumption. Even engines with legendary smoothness will be further refined with the Plasma Direct upgrade. Plasma Direct coils are OBD II compliant. ..."

Good stuff (i mean technically, not talking about value for money)?

[JayG]

Originally Posted by BRAN

What about these?

Plasma Direct Ignition Coil Pack (PACK OF 6) Porsche 996/997 & Boxster 986/987 & Cayman

"...The spark amperage is increased by 100%, allowing the spark to reach many more molecules, which therefore accelerates the ignition and combustion processes. This is extremely important in forced induction applications, but also improves the performance of normally aspirated engines.
The Plasma Direct will increase horsepower and torque throughout the entire RPM range, as well as reducing fuel consumption. Even engines with legendary smoothness will be further refined with the Plasma Direct upgrade. Plasma Direct coils are OBD II compliant. ..."

Good stuff (i mean technically, not talking about value for money)?

$1500 for coil packs. Yeah, right

[clickman]

Pelican sells two replacement Beru coils:

996-602-101-01-INT $40
997-602-107-02-M47 $38

Porsche Boxster (1997-2004) - Ignition - Page 2

The latter notes: New style coil. Longer hold down bolts are included.

Has anyone tried these? Any problem with the apparently bigger size?
Any performance / longevity etc improvement with the newer style coil?