Italian Tune Up

[Not a Diesel!!!]

I have noticed recently when I put my foot down I get a stutter at 4-5k revs.

It seems to be more under hard throttle with sport button pushed. Although have only experienced 2-3 times.

Now the car is a Megane 275. 6 years old. 22k miles. Just had service about 2 months/3k ago with Cambelt plugs everything. And is running best economy every on a run easily over 40mpg. Had a big trip to Scotland 2 months ago. Only done 500 miles since then.

But I do hardly any miles. Typically 200 miles in a month and then a couple of big runs in the year. So fuel gets to 3-4 weeks old before I fill half a tank ( Sains Super so 97 Ron/E5). May sit 4-5 days then be used for school run in very heavy traffic. Say 3 miles taking 30 mins. With Stop/Start potentially kicking in. In between I may move about on my drive. Start. Move. Stop.

I looked on line and it says things like thermostat, points, fuel filter.

Does it just need driven hard? Multiple pulls to hard revs.

Which is tricky as roads so congested and usually have my family in car . Even when I get full throttle in 2nd. By the time I am in third & am braking for traffic. Last couple of times I have went for I drive I used my Wifes New MX5 as I want to give that some beans.

 

[Brigsy]

Misfire isnt usually cured by a good flog out, if anything be careful with turbo cars as a misfire might be hurting it on boost.

Prob a plug or coil on its way. Id guess its still on original plugs at that mileage.

 

[R3k1355]

Best start looking for a new engine now if you think kicking it's head in will magically fix the car.

 

[Touring_Rob]

Best start looking for a new engine now if you think kicking it's head in will magically fix the car.

Tbf that is why he's asking and not just doing.

 

[Martin_172]

as mentioned above a misfire is never really cured by a good run. As Brigsy said, if plugs have never been done, its a great place to start as its not going to cause any harm and isn't going to brake the bank. - Coils are also common on these engines, I had a tiny intermittent misfire on my 197, almost subtle enough you hardly noticed it, just at part throttle and a set of coils cured it. - Beru ones from autodoc were the same as OE and cheap as chips at the time!

 

[aldo_87]

My Megane 250 was stuttering for a very short period of time after a cold start. Would rectify itself after a minute or so of driving. Fresh set of Beru coils sorted it. They were about £13 a coil last time I checked.

As above, fresh plugs to start, then coils. Half an hours work for the lot.

 

[Paulie031]

I have noticed recently when I put my foot down I get a stutter at 4-5k revs.

It seems to be more under hard throttle with sport button pushed. Although have only experienced 2-3 times.

Now the car is a Megane 275. 6 years old. 22k miles. Just had service about 2 months/3k ago with Cambelt plugs everything. And is running best economy every on a run easily over 40mpg. Had a big trip to Scotland 2 months ago. Only done 500 miles since then.

But I do hardly any miles. Typically 200 miles in a month and then a couple of big runs in the year. So fuel gets to 3-4 weeks old before I fill half a tank ( Sains Super so 97 Ron/E5). May sit 4-5 days then be used for school run in very heavy traffic. Say 3 miles taking 30 mins. With Stop/Start potentially kicking in. In between I may move about on my drive. Start. Move. Stop.

I looked on line and it says things like thermostat, points, fuel filter.

Does it just need driven hard? Multiple pulls to hard revs.

Which is tricky as roads so congested and usually have my family in car . Even when I get full throttle in 2nd. By the time I am in third & am braking for traffic. Last couple of times I have went for I drive I used my Wifes New MX5 as I want to give that some beans.

Looks like he's done the plugs, coils or fueling but don't rule out a duff new plug either.

 

[R3k1355]

I always check the plug gap for turbo'd cars, even on ones that are listed as pre-gapped.

Check the paperwork for the service too, see if a fuel filter was done.
The last 'big' service I had done didn't include simple stuff, like a pollen filter (which was minging) so it's worth going back over to check what you've been billed for.

 

[Brigsy]

If its been in for main dealer service id check whats been done as above have seen some services do not include plugs, or could be incorrectly gapped or just duff.

Id get diagnostics on it and have a look at live data. Itll have logged the misfire as from memory our old 250 cup had misfires logged and the data was quite comprehensive. Itll give you an idea if coolant temp was low or whatever. Might even be an injector as seen them do similar on mk2 assumed lean afr.

 

[Martin_172]

Also something I never expected, a tech at my old work checked the gap on every plug he fitted one week and more than 50% of them were wrong straight out the box!

 

[Not a Diesel!!!]

Right then after a few months of tiny hic-up every couple of weeks. Finally started misfiring badly about a week ago. Threw up a fault code on misfire on cylinder 2.

So took to local mechanic not one that serviced it last. Had a cracked plug.

They were suggesting to me that they don't think the plugs were changed 3k/6months ago and were missed at last service because of browning on the ceramic part (says they were in service book & receipt) . Don't know what people think? Actual electrodes look pretty good even the duff plug. I do a lot of short journeys sitting in traffic idling not sure if that will prematurely make the ceramic look old?

So
3k miles/6months
or
21k/78months?

Should have put a poll.

 

[R3k1355]

You can't say for certain if they were changed last. Have you checked the other stuff that was supposedly done?

 

[alistairolsen]

Those weren't new 3k ago IMHO.

That said, they also shouldn't have needed changed on a 22k car, from the electrode shape they're iridium or platinum or similar long life plug - Google reckons ILFR7X8G which fits with the picture. Change interval on a stock car should be 40k+ miles.

 

[Not a Diesel!!!]

You can't say for certain if they were changed last. Have you checked the other stuff that was supposedly done?

To be honest I am not that Mechanically minded. And I am changing stuff so much earlier than service intervals (miles) that most of the time it probably don't look worn.

 

[Not a Diesel!!!]

Those weren't new 3k ago IMHO.

That said, they also shouldn't have needed changed on a 22k car, from the electrode shape they're iridium or platinum or similar long life plug - Google reckons ILFR7X8G which fits with the picture. Change interval on a stock car should be 40k+ miles.

Plug number matches the OEM ones on RPD. But that could be either way either originals or replacement set. No date makers?

Option 1 - They did not change & I started having problems on an untouched plug at 20k that did not need changing for another 20k. On a standard car that is driven gently.
Option 2 - They did changed them and there was one duff plug either manufacturing fault or dropped that started giving me problems after 2 months, 1500 miles.

Actually Option 2 seems more plausible. Life experience taught me that things these days usually break straight away or last way longer than they are meant to.

......and option 2 makes me feel like I have not been stitched up.

 

[Touring_Rob]

I pulled plugs out of mine due to a misfire - they were 6 months old but only 2k and they looked worse than that - good chance they were indeed changed.

Of they were fitted by a weapon its not that difficult to crack the ceramic, or if the mechanic dropped one on a hard floor before installing etc.

So is your misfire all sorted now?

 

[Not a Diesel!!!]

I pulled plugs out of mine due to a misfire - they were 6 months old but only 2k and they looked worse than that - good chance they were indeed changed.

Of they were fitted by a weapon its not that difficult to crack the ceramic, or if the mechanic dropped one on a hard floor before installing etc.

So is your misfire all sorted now?

Thanks for that. Not many people pulling plugs at low miles to comment.

Seems to be running sweet. Although intermittent misfire that I started this post with was really intermittent so if that was something else may still rear its head.

I got them to put on new coils at the same time as the plugs. Wanted it all fresh. Same labour a little more cost for coils. But car is a keeper unless I work out out to afford an M2 CS.

It has also been lumpy on cold idle fluctuating up and down 100rpm. Spot on now idles completely flat.