B5 Audi 1.8T – 2.0T Coil Packs
I’ve had my 2001 Audi A4 1.8T for 18 years as of this writing. In that time, I have replaced all of the ignition coil packs multiple times over. The frustrating thing is that I will have just replaced one and it seems I’ll have an misfire code on another cylinder (P0301, P0302, P0303, P0304). Under extreme load, the check engine light would blink and the car would stutter. I’ve limped along like this for years, grabbing cheap replacement coil packs at the local parts stores only for them to quickly fail. The fact that they stock this part is indicative of how frequently they fail. The GIAC Stage 1 ECU tune on the car likely contributes to the quick failure.
Enter the 2.0T coil packs.
Bosch Part 0221604800
I came across a thread on one of the Audi forums speaking of being able to convert to the newer coil packs found on the 2.0TSI engines. At first, I thought this might be a cosmetic conversion because red always looks cooler and faster. No, as it turns out, these are engineered differently. They are plug and play and will drop right into where the original coil packs were. They were around $20 apiece when I bought them from FCP Euro https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/audi-vw-ignition-coil-bosch-06e905115. FCP Euro is different from other vendors as they honor a lifetime replacement warranty, even on electrical parts like these!
The primary difference with the newer coil packs, other than color, is that they stand a bit taller off the valve cover. This will prevent one from putting on the plastic engine cover. Additionally, the dust seal will not extend down as far into the hole as the factory one did. This is where this really minor mod comes in. The rubber boot from the donor coil can be cut with a sharp blade and slid down and off the coil shaft. It slides right up the replacement coil and butts up with the red 2.0T coil shaft dust boot. That is it! Plug it in and finally experience coil pack reliability. I would recommend changing the spark plugs when you make the coil pack change if they’re due. I run copper NGK BKR7E plugs as that’s what’s recommended for my tune. Enjoy!
