Golf 118 TSI Engine - Revised Spark Plug issued

[RW1]

I don't know if you guys know but at the end of September (2011), VW have revised the 1.4TSi 118Kw Spark Plug.

101 905 626 has now been replaced on the 118Kw 1.4TSi engine by 03C 905 601A.
Its on the European ETKA as of the end of September against the Scirocco 1.4TSi 118Kw engine, engine code CAVD.

No direct info as the 101 905 626 plug is not part marked by NGK with their own plug number (NGK list plug PZFR6R on their own list as the NGK replacement).

The change is the gap setting as far as I can tell.

Personally I have solve the misfire issue on mine by narrowing the plug gap from 0.92mm (36 thou) as set by NGK and supplied to VW at the factory to 28 thou (0.71mm). The plugs have gone from looking hot and scorched to a normal plug colour as you would expect in any correctly set mixture/timed engine. The engine runs very smooth and the DSG is seamless plus it holds gears better at the lower rpm end, rather than change down a gear.

(NB: You have to be very careful re-gapping fine wire spark plugs that have very small diameter platinum or iridium alloy electrodes. Feeler gauges or wire gauges should be used with gentle care when testing the gap by comparing with the feeler gauage. Otherwise the central electrode tip will be damaged.).

[Dimbles]

Thanks for posting

[hentaiboy]

Spark plug gapping fixes DSG woes...yeah right

[RW1]

Spark plug gapping fixes DSG woes...yeah right

Woes! Don't have any of the gear change issues on here (at the moment!). The post above I made refers to the way a fully serviceable DSG operates v engine rpm. .
Less disturbance on the torque sensor means the DSG doesn't make the change gear unnecessarily such as on hill inclines.

Try the adjustment!

[Brian]

Woes! Don't have any of the gear change issues on here (at the moment!). The post above I made refers to the way a fully serviceable DSG operates v engine rpm. .
Less disturbance on the torque sensor means the DSG doesn't make the change gear unnecessarily such as on hill inclines.

Try the adjustment!

Thank you, my friend for politely putting the OP in his place. I doubt that he would know a spark plug if he sat on one! I for one will try this minor mod to see the rewards of your endeavors. Sometimes the basics of car mechanics can do wonders. Takes me back (lots) of years to when we used to fiddle with plug and points gap to achieve optimum performance from our hacks. Well done old mate!
Brian

[RW1]

You will need VW coil puller tool T10094A or similar. The "A" has been missed off in the post link below. The coil packs are a good tight fit and and on top of that, they have thick damp proofing insulation grease applied which all adds up to a very stiff extraction. Prising the coil pack head could damage the electical internals in the coil pack top.

This post of mine which has been "borrowed" politely by a forum member I moderate on for his own shows the T10094A in the top right corner of the orange tray. Volkswagen Club Malaysia, VW Golf GTi, TSi, Polo, Passat, EOS, Scirocco, Tiguan, Touareg, Golf R, Scirocco R (My own forum won't show photos without being logged in.) Two pronged affair with a T-bar handle. The rest are the tools I use to take out the plugs. The two screw bolts are the Torx bolts that hold the oil breather pipe in place and need removing together with two electrical connections between cylinders 1 & 2 to get at No.1 coil pack and extract it (how its done in the workshop manual.).

Be warned, No1 Coil pack is awkward and you need 3 hands or prop the oil breather up a few centimetres with a small block of wood. Practice by starting with No.4, then 3 in that direction.

So hopefully this all reads across to the Golf 6's 1.4TSi 160PS 118Kw as its the same engine as the Scirocco.

VW have just advised a dealership in the UK to fit plugs 101 905 626A from a Passat 1.4TSi 160PS twin charger for a Scirocco 1.4TSi 160PS. Different again from the change originally posted above....

The dealer had pulled this engine apart several times with new original plugs sets (101 905 626) several times (some lasting only a few hundred miles), coil packs, pump etc. The workshop manual gap setting on plug 101 905 626A in the Passat 1.4 is 0.5mm - 0.6mm! The repair took place on Friday (14thOct) - Monday(17thOct), so its not known yet if the plugs will last this time round.

So hopefully this all reads across to the Golf 6's 1.4TSi 160PS 118Kw as its the same engine as the Scirocco.

[RW1]

Finally got hold of the 1.4TSi 160PS revised spark plug listed as a part on EKTA since 28th September - 03C 905 601A.

03C 905 601A is a NGK plug. Its like the original, has a Laser Platinuim needle tip plug. It appears to be the same plug but there is not NGK part number on the rim, just VW's like the original 101 905 626 plug. The length of the insulator and electrodes are identical suggesting its the same heat setting. But one diffference that I can see....... its preset to 0.8mm (31thou-ish), not 0.9mm.

Always worth a try but the plugs ain't cheap (£53 in UK for a set of 4) and resetting the gap of the originals has to be carefully done because of the narrow tip of the centre electrode and possible damage.

As you are not really meant to adjust fine wire plugs, VW look as though they have revised the gap for the CAV* engine code, the 1.4TSi 160PS version. This means the factory and dealers can fit without any pre-setting. When replacing at the dealers, they don't do any gap setting. That has been confirmed last week.

So that confirms the original setting I have been using at 0.79mm (31 thou) since Septemebr 2010 until September 2011. I'll stick with my 0.74mm (29thou) as the engine is now superb!

[Sawed Off]

Please pardon my ignorance - what is the service issue they are trying to fix with this new plug? After all the pistons that got burnt from running lean, I'm wondering if VW are still tweaking the fix.

[RW1]

Please pardon my ignorance - what is the service issue they are trying to fix with this new plug? After all the pistons that got burnt from running lean, I'm wondering if VW are still tweaking the fix.

In correctly gapped spark plugs and out of workshop specification when fitted new at the factory or as a spare part. Leads to continual misfiring.

[RW1]

Please pardon my ignorance - what is the service issue they are trying to fix with this new plug? After all the pistons that got burnt from running lean, I'm wondering if VW are still tweaking the fix.

They've been tweaking the "fix" since the original 24s4 was released. There are at least 2 or 3 VW ECU map changes since it was released in here in Australia, depending which gearbox, 2 on manual, 3 on DSG. The latest releases were around the end of September 2011. The latest VW map version numbers being 1676 for manual and 9660 for DSG. (Original 24s4 maps were 5859/5860.)

These releases are still addressing specific misfiring issues in engines and only get loaded if the owner reports a misfire problem or the engine ECU has not yet been updated with 24s4. In Europe/UK and other markets, the 24s4 workshop campaign was/is not rigorously enforced by dealers like VW Australia did, merely if the car turns up at the dealers. And unlike Australia, the worldwide 24s4 campaign did not start until 6 months later on 28th September 2010. In December 2010 (Wk48/2010), they up-issued the 24s4 map and susequently in August 2011 (Wk35/2011) with another tweak for DSG only in late September 2011 . So when a car visits the dealers for service and 24s4 is implemented, they get the latest issue map thats is available. New production just follows whatever is the current release issue. So the latest newly delivered Golf 6's will have the latest VW maps if examined with VCDS. Something like 1676 (Man.) / 9660 (DSG).

--------

The issue with the plugs is they are incorrectly gapped. They are outside the workshop specification when fitted new at the factory or supplied as a spare part. The thin wire electrode tip type of spark plug fitted shouldn't really be re-gapped like single electrode standard plugs of old where the electode tip is thick. If you are not careful doing it, the fine metal tip gets damaged. That said, I did mine 14 moths ago with no problem since and the plugs were out last week to check how they were working and they still look OK.

By supplying with a revised gap, the technicians don't have to manually gap the plugs before fitting, therefore avoiding possible damage to the fine wire tip. Hence why I wrote in the 1st post above to be done with care! Plugs are fit from the "box" as far as VW are concerned. NGK have done the gapping at their own factory.

VW also supply a third plug variant for the VW Passat which is fitted with the 1.4TSi 160PS. That plug in the workshop manual carries a gap setting of 0.5mm -0.60mm.

The existing plugs as supplied by NGK until September 2011 have a 0.9mm - 0.92mm gap which leads to continual misfiring (Part No. 101 905 626) . What might be described as a "murmuring" misfire, doesn't shake the engine or put the engine warning light on in the dash dial. Incomplete combustion results as the spark is not strong enough to properly ignite the cylinder mixture charge. Plus with a weaker spark, the supercharger/turbo boost/swirl will tend to blow out the spark. (The alternative to closing a gap down on a plug in these circumstances is to fit a more powerful coil.)