Really rough idle problem...

[phoenity]

I took my Sunfire into the dealership with a rough idle problem and it would also hesitate when accelerating and I didn't have much power.

They did some diagnostics and said I needed new spark plugs and a new fuel filter. They said those helped but didn't fix the problem completely so they checked some more. At the end of that day they said that the coils and ignition control module had shorted out and needed to be replaced. I asked how much...they said $800 so I opted to do it myself. Parts for under $100 and a few hours spent.

So after replacing the coils and icm I started it back up...same old problem and it was running worse than it was after I got it back from the dealer. The check engine light is also flashing rather than solid and I think I've read here that it's a misfire.

My question is could this problem be caused by not hooking up the plug wires in the correct sequence? I just want to make sure because it was my impression that it wouldn't start at all if they weren't in the right order.

I will be taking it to a different Pontiac dealer Monday unless it turns out that I didn't hook up the wires correctly.

[richtazz]

Hooking the plug wires up wrong will cause a misfire, but its highly unlikely that they were wrong to begin with. The cylinders on your car are numbered 1-2-3-4 going from passenger side to drivers side, and on the module they should be in the following order: 1 and 4 on one coil, and 2 and 3 on the other

[phoenity]

Originally Posted by richtazz

Hooking the plug wires up wrong will cause a misfire, but its highly unlikely that they were wrong to begin with. The cylinders on your car are numbered 1-2-3-4 going from passenger side to drivers side, and on the module they should be in the following order: 1 and 4 on one coil, and 2 and 3 on the other

Right but when I replaced the coil which is on the back of the block where I cannot see I had to put on the wires by feeling with my hand. When I started it up and actually ran worse than it did when I replaced the part that the dealer said was broken, and the CEL was flashing meaning misfire...I always assume the easiest solutions first as either the new part is broken, or I hooked up the wires incorrectly. I'll check later.

[lt1xlr8]

hey very similar problem let me know what you find out
my dealership no help