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Typical failure mode of a DIC is that the engine won't run. Basically, no spark. Sometimes they give warning, in terms of engine missing, either at idle or higher rpm.
The DI consists of a circuit board with electronics, and 4 (or 3 for the V6) oil-filled coils. If the coil leaks oil, it may start to work intermittently, causing a miss. If it fails completely, the engine will miss, acting like one cylinder isn't firing - which it isn't. Shortly the bad coil will take out the circuit board, and the whole thing shuts down. If the fault occurs on the circuit board first, it may shut the whole thing down without the tell-tale missing.
Although it's not a perfect test, every time I have the DI off to gap/replace spark plugs, I inspect it. Flip it over, and remove the plastic cover - a few (8?) torx screws. I hold it up to the light and check the coils for oil level - they should be about 90% full. There should be no signs of oil leaking or burning. Make sure the springs between the coil end and spark plug are seated well. Some dielectric grease on the spark plug boots can't hurt. Make sure the DI is well seated, because a bad connection between the spring and spark plug can kill the DI.
Also, make sure you use only the specified NGK plugs, gapped properly. As plugs age, the gap increases. A large gap can damage the DI.
The 4 cyinder DI costs around $290 from a place like eEuroparts. The V6 has two DIs, and they go for about $330 each. If a V6 DI fails, only one fails, so you don't need to replace both. The engine still won't run (or at least not happily with only 3 cylinders firing)
Replacing the DI is definately DIY - if you can replace the spark plugs, you've already removed the DI to gain access.
Anecdotally, folks say the V6 seems less prone to DI failure. It just may be that there are fewer V6's out there.
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