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[New POD]

Car is a 3.2 MV6 auto with a mega 176K on the clock.
Recent service history shows a Cam belt at 161K, Breathers cleaned out at 168K, oil and filter, and air filter changed at 173k.
There is an oil leak at the back of the engine.

So on Saturday the aim was to drive 440 miles to Cardiff and back at the speed limits, and with cruise control on for 430 of those miles.   

Car starts a bit rough, but within a couple of miles it seems okay, perhaps a little unpowered, but on the motorway, at 70 mph it's okay.  All is fine until we get to the M50 which has a few inclines and I become aware it's running on less cylinders than GM designed it too.  I cure this by sticking it it sport mode to avoid the mega 2500 rpm flat spot.
At Monmouth it's struggling to idle at the traffic lights, so I put it in Neutral and give it a rev. Clearly misfiring.
I continue to Cardiff.  Park car, get pay and display ticket, and decide to move car 30 yards closer to my daughters student house.  Car runs on all six.

Drive to Penarth for Chips, then Back to Miseryside, with no issues.  Fuel consumption averages 33.8 mpg for 455 miles.

I ignore the car until Tuesday Morning, when I drive to Derby some 110 miles away.

Again rough running to start with, and once on the motorway, it's clearly misfiring. Stop on hard shoulder. Turn it off. count to 10, restart. Runs fine for 55 miles, until stoke.  Restart and it's all fine for the last 40 miles.
 All fine this evening to drive the 15 miles to my digs.

Now. I have some new plugs to fit - from main dealer (but postponed because torx fasteners and lack of suitable tools and life then getting in the way), so if there's oil in the plug cavities I'll find out then. Plan is to do that when (and If I get home) at the weekend.

I don't have a code reader, although  my brother in law has one he's used on my old mk4 astra, but I would have expected an emissions warning light if the coil packs were failing. Plus I'd expect it NOT to be intermittent.  (The Mk4 astra 1.6 I had threw up a warning light when the coil pack was failing)

Anyway.  Anything else to look at? 

also anyone near Derby or Nottingham (My digs are next to Ratcliff on Soar Power Station) that might fancy laughing at it one evening)

[Lazydocker]

Do the pedal trick

[Webby the Bear]

My guess will be the plug wells will be full of oil. But it's a guess. Whip the coils off and have a look 

[New POD]

Do the pedal trick

Okay, tell me MORE, PM me a link on a how to. Will it work on a 3.2 ?

[New POD]

My guess will be the plug wells will be full of oil. But it's a guess. Whip the coils off and have a look 

Having spent 2 hours this afternoon, at work searching relevant posts on OOF, I'm sure that's a possibility. Stupidly, I've left all my tools at home, and need to buy torx sockets, but IF i get home, on Friday, that is my first job (as I have new plugs I should be fitting them anyway. (They are in the boot)

[Webby the Bear]

My guess will be the plug wells will be full of oil. But it's a guess. Whip the coils off and have a look 

Having spent 2 hours this afternoon, at work searching relevant posts on OOF, I'm sure that's a possibility. Stupidly, I've left all my tools at home, and need to buy torx sockets, but IF i get home, on Friday, that is my first job (as I have new plugs I should be fitting them anyway. (They are in the boot)

If you find the oil there.....

I would take the coils out, blast them with brake cleaner and leave them somewhere to dry. Then suck the oil out with a syringe (if they're that bad they can literally be full of oil). Then whip plugs out, let small remnants drain, clean plug wells, fit new plugs. If you then find it's still missing my GUESS would be the oil has boiled one of your coils. So may need to replace one or more (see the pedal trick for affected cylinders)

Hth.

[Lazydocker]

Brake and accelerator to the floor, turn ignition on and count the flashes

BTW, my money's on oil contamination too

[New POD]

Brake and accelerator to the floor, turn ignition on and count the flashes

BTW, my money's on oil contamination too

Can you link to what the flashes mean ?

[cam.in.head]

when did it last have a fuel filter ? .ive known them to clog up and when you switch off the clog drops and lets some fuel through for a bit

[New POD]

when did it last have a fuel filter ? .ive known them to clog up and when you switch off the clog drops and lets some fuel through for a bit

Ah. No idea. I will get one of them too.

[Lazydocker]

Don't randomly change parts!

Post the results of the pedal trick up but the codes are in the maintenance guides section.

[Fraggles Rock]

At that sort of mileage, I wouldn't rule out the loom breaking down... I believe there have been a handful of cars with wiring degradation, especially where the loom passes around the back of the plenum on the 246 side. 

176k is nothing on that engine though, provided it's been looked after.

[Marks DTM Calib]

Feel free to drive a few miles up the A453 to me if you need a hand but, not available until Friday evening at the moment.

[New POD]

So, I, attempted to read the flashes, but they are too fast, so I used Brother in Laws code reader.

P0170
P0300
P0302
P0304
P0306
P0420
P0430
P0650 (only on two pedal trick)

So I replaced the fuel filter and Spark plugs as I could find no evidence in last 60k of either being done in the service history.

Spark plugs on the drivers side were dry but breaked. No oil in plug cavities.

On the other side. What joy. When I eventually got the coil pack off the rear plug cavity was half full of oil, and mayo.
the other 2 had oil in too.
The coil pack looks nasty - there is clearly rust in the 'plates', and the plastic is showing signs of cracking.
Plugs were as bad as the other side.
Cleaned it all up with brake cleaner and put it back together.
I make no excuse. I need the car tomorrow.

Erased fault codes and took it for a drive. It's the best it's been since I got it last October some 13,000 miles ago.
Got back after 5 mile run, and it has no fault codes.

Plan now is to obtain 2 new (or better) coil packs and a cam cover gasket and read up on taking the cam covers off.

It all makes me want a mk2 cavalier. So much simpler. 

[Webby the Bear]

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