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[106pete]

It all started yesterday, decided to tow my new trailer full of rouble to the tip. Soon as I started the car felt like its was missing and under powered and a funky fummy smell.

All the way it spluttered and under powered and even smoked, possibly blueish but not sure, so having today off I decided to check 

The oil level had dropped to min, it was 3/4 last week before a 600 mile trip but it doesn't normally use any!

I'm guessing cool pack still so removed all the bits and checked style of plug on coil pack. I thought I'll take the risk and drive 4 miles up to eurocarparts and it went absolutely fine, no missing no smoke! Gave it some stick and no issue.

Don't know what todo now, shall I risk it and leave the coil pack? Or go through the pain in the butt job of changing it just to find it's the headgasket?

Cars a 3l petrol 74k and never over heated but as we know I smacked up the front a few weeks ago so a head gasket isn't worth replacing!!

[05omegav6]

Are the fans working as they should?

I suspect your car is starting to show signs of being abused, and therefore not surprised at objecting to towing...

Any idea of how much the trailer weighed?

[106pete]

Trailer was at a guess 1.2t, but it started playing up the second it started in the morning, I didn't tow till after it warmed up. Fans are working fine

Just been out again and gave it a good test and it's perfect again. Didn't miss a beat and pulled as normal.

Could I have just been lucky and been a bad connection on coil pack plug? They didn't look dirty!

[zirk]

What's the coolant level up to, any mayo in oil, the oil is going somewhere, be it best case dripping on the road or being burnt off.

I would check oil / coolant level and keep driving for a while and see what's going on, also plan a compression test at some point soon.

If its a miss fire starting to happen that will get worse before getting better, what was the spark plug condition telling you anything.

I would have preferred to hear 'I top the oil up to full from 3/4 before doing a 500 mile trip' if I'm honest.

[106pete]

Took it out again another 10 miles with no problem at all, like you say I'll have to keep driving it until something does become apparent.

When I say it was 3/4 full that is on a slight slope away from the dipstick so could have been full but there is nothing wrong running a car on the minimum line, it all works the same.

There's no contamination of any fluids and haven't noticed any leaks.

I'll report back in a week unless something else brakes inbetween 

[zirk]

Took it out again another 10 miles with no problem at all, like you say I'll have to keep driving it until something does become apparent.

When I say it was 3/4 full that is on a slight slope away from the dipstick so could have been full  but  there is nothing wrong running a car on the minimum line, it all works the same.

There's no contamination of any fluids and haven't noticed any leaks.

I'll report back in a week unless something else brakes inbetween 

Could have been full or could have been half empty on a slope.

  so one day you could be stuck in traffic on a sharp hill with the bare minimum of oil in your car.

I hear of some people saying they only top up Oil when the Dash Oil Warning light comes on, truth is its probably too late by then.

[sjc]

Blocked breathers?

[05omegav6]

Nothing to suggest there's anything actually wrong with it...

Misfire under heavy load... ie pulling a trailer of unknown weight points to a dispack/failing leads... what does the paperclip test show,if anything?

[106pete]

Haven't don't the paper clip test yet, i will but guessing it'll just say unknown miss fire, btw the miss fire wasn't only under load, it was constant. Thinking about it she cut out once on idle aswell.

[zirk]

Haven't don't the paper clip test yet, i will but guessing it'll just say unknown miss fire, btw the miss fire wasn't only under load, it was constant. Thinking about it she cut out once on idle aswell.

As Al says worth doing a Code Read, electrical miss fire wont throw a Code on a 3.0 though.