2013 Legacy 3.6R occasionally shakes when Idling

[darkstar107]

As the title says, I'm having some issues with my 2013 3.6R shaking when Idling it is not a contant shake and only happens occasionally; It'll shake for half a second then stop for between 2-10 seconds and then shake again. Check engine light has never come on since I owned the vehicle.

 

I recently changed my spark plugs so that's not the issue. When I pulled out the spark plugs though, I had 2 ignition coils that had the metal layers on the end starting to peel off. I'm on a budget right now though and don't want to buy parts that aren't needed. Do you think the ignition coils could be causing the issue even without the CEL coming on?

 

Edit: I just did a mode 6 scan with my OBDII reader and it is seeing misfires on cylinder 4 which is one of the ones that has the metal layers peeling apart so I'm just going to replace the 2 coils.

Edited August 2, 2020 by darkstar107

[Scubaboo]

On the right track I think. If you want to verify before spending you could swap the coils around first to see if the misfire moves with it.

[YeuEmMaiMai]

ok i have been through this and this is what you do. Intermittent = electrical issue, not mechanical one

 

start engine when COLD

 

quickly go around and wiggle each coil connector until you find the one that causes the car to stumble

 

delaminating coils should be replaced. you can get them for about $70 each on rockauto for NGK OEM ones.

 

At 146K I did all 6 and it was just under $400 after discount

[darkstar107]

ok i have been through this and this is what you do. Intermittent = electrical issue, not mechanical one

 

start engine when COLD

 

quickly go around and wiggle each coil connector until you find the one that causes the car to stumble

 

delaminating coils should be replaced. you can get them for about $70 each on rockauto for NGK OEM ones.

 

At 146K I did all 6 and it was just under $400 after discount

 

I ordered 2 coil packs to replace the delaminating ones from Rock Auto(love that site) on Sunday and received them this evening. I just finished installing them and took it for a test drive. The car felt more responsive. I drove around, stopped for a few minutes a couple times the stopped for about 10 mins when I got back to my driveway and there was no more shaking. Fingers crossed that the issue is resolved.

 

The coil pack that was connected to the cylinder that was misfiring had a couple layers of metal fall off it when I took the bolt off, so it was getting pretty bad.