Random misfires and coolant warnings 2001 Beetle

[WeeZFan69]

Hey guys, I know I'm very uneducated on the New Beetles and any 2.0 8V engine VW has ever made. I have really only been stuck with mk2's VR6s and 1.8Ts. Whats killing me is this is my girlfriends car so I really do not drive it, but she tells me there is days when she starts the car up for the first time in the morning and the coolant warning light is flashing red. Also the car misfires on cylinders 2 and 3 for sometimes a few minutes at a time and will go away for days. I am beginning to worry with misfires and a coolant warning that the headgasket may be on its way out, but something just doesn't seem right it seems like an electrical issues. I just need some tips on what tests to do first, I already replaced the coolant temp sensor cause it was cheap, and it seemed okay for a few days until she started it for the first time in the day and it was misfiring and flashing the red coolant warning. Again this a 2001 New beetle 2.0 8 valve AVH engine code. Thanks guys, and I apologize for not searching I don't have a lot of time to spend on the computer with work and school.

Forgot to mention car almost has 170k miles

[Rockerchick]

How's the coolant level? Have the spark plugs and wires been replaced? My bet is on the coilpack though for the misfires.

[WeeZFan69]

Sorry, forgot to mention plugs and wires were done a couple months ago, I also flushed the cooling system and refilled with coolant. I will probably throw in a new set because those are a somewhat cheap starting point. I was also thinking definatly coil but what would cause the flashig red coolant light. Im also wondering could this problem be caused by something simple as bad ground wires? What would make the coolant warning light flash red when the car first starts up and is cold? Since the sensor is new.

[Rockerchick]

Flashing red is low coolant. Make sure its for sure above the min line. If its close, it can think its low.

No need to put in new plugs if they've been replaced. Get a new coil.

[WeeZFan69]

Flashing red is low coolant. Make sure its for sure above the min line. If its close, it can think its low.

No need to put in new plugs if they've been replaced. Get a new coil.

Flashing red is low coolant? What is flashing blue then or there is no flashing blue its a constant blue coolant light. I wish this car had a temp gauge

And yes it may be low if any air pockets have gotten out of the system, but I'm also wondering I guess there is a sensor in the expansion tank that can go bad?

So you think these two issues are completely separate and do not have an effect on one or the other.

[Rockerchick]

Yes, completely separate. And yes, flashing red is low coolant. Solid red is overheating. Flashing blue is a problem with the coolant temp sensor. Solid blue is normal at startup. That is just to let you know the car is cold. Once the light goes out, the engine is up to temp.

[blksabbath]

Bad grounding can do it, so can a cracked coil.
See if you can watch it run whiles its misfiring. If its the coil, then you'll see tiny blue arcs.

good luck