First a brief history is required. The car was parked at a Chicago dealer for four months+. Battery went dead and was replaced after 4 months in Chicago. The gas gauge showed one quarter tank. Car transported to St Louis, gas tank filled and driven 19 miles home and parked. Upon checking oil at home it appeared as if the oil had been overfilled...1 quarter inch above the Max line. Now, the questions. When started the engine idles rough staggering between 500 to 1000 rpm. An OBD shows "multiple miss fires" and a host of issues probably associated with the deceased battery in Chicago. If there is gas in the oil wouldn't that indicate that there is perhaps a coil pack issue allowing raw unfired gas into the cylinders? It would make sense that the culprit is the coil pack(s) since a failed injector would not continue to pump fuel would it? I've "interviewed" 3 shops in St Louis and only one proposed the faulty coil pack theory. Obviously the car can not be driven right now and must be trailered to the shop. Thank goodness I added tow insurance on this one! And yes the dipstick does sort of smell like gas.

As a follow up, what brand/type of coil packs are recommended? My closest service facility is about 75 miles away and I'm trying to weed out the pretenders first in order to get this right the first time. Thanks in advance for any insights.

 

Sorry 2 read this!
If the injector is leaking, it will drip fuel as long as the fuel system has some pressure, regardless of a good or bad coil.
wj

 

Good point. Would that cause the volume of gas, however, that appears to have developed? BTW, how do the lugs nuts look?

 

If the oil level isn't really higher I would try adding techron or Red Line fuel treatment for one tank full and drive it.
nuts are great, started polishing them...thanks.
WJ

 

Yeah, I thought about that briefly, but IF there is gas in the oil driving the car could be catastrophic. BTW, that is a disturbing visual image. Polishing your .....!!

 

You made me chuckle, 'Lug Nuts'
wj

 

Open up the oil pan drain plug and watch for water/antifreeze. You MAY have a blown head gasket.
Also, put about 20 psi of air into the crankcase using whatever method you want (PCV hose?) and open the coolant caps. Look and listen for any noise/disturbance in the tank or fluid.

 

You can test for gasses in the coolant with a combustion leak tester kit

 

I don't have one of those. So, therefore, I'd spend zero dollars and do other stuff.

 

Cee Jay, I've checked the oil and see no evidence of antifreeze. With prior head gasket issues with other cars I've always been able to see the "chocolate milkshake" either on the dipstick or in the radiator/expansion tank and I see none of that here, but you are correct that a blown head gasket would duplicate some of the symptoms I'm seeing. The car stalled twice at stop signs on the drive home BEFORE I filled the tank with the best fuel I could find figuring that the trip from Chicago to St Louis with only a quarter tank may have caused condensation within the tank due to the big temperature change. Can anyone recommend a quality coil pack replacement as I try to narrow the miss fire cause down?

 

Swap the existing "faulty" coils around, see if the fault moves.

 

Nice of you to appreciate the advice, thanks.