Symptoms of a Faulty Ignition Coil Pack and how to test them?
In gasoline and gas engines, the fuel mixture must be ignited. It is best to withstand the task of igniting electrical devices such as spark plugs. However, the operating voltage in them reaches several thousands of volts. This is where the coil is required, as it can convert 12 volts from the battery to 50,000 volts. In this case, the coil, despite its apparent simplicity, suffers severely from external influences. For this reason, it is changed on an average every 70 thousand kilometers. Here we are discussing how to test a Faulty ignition coil?
More information related to ignition coil
On the use of the law of self-induction based on very electrical devices. The infamous ignition coil contains the following elements:
- The outer layer is made of thick copper wire with a primary winding 0.8 mm diameter. Number of turns: 250-400 pieces;
- Inner layer secondary winding, by thin copper wire with a diameter of 0.1 mm. Number of turns: 19-25 thousand pieces;
- Special transformer steel core, which is an excellent available ferromagnet.
- Switching devices, namely, high and low voltage terminals, are also separately identified. The other is brought to the battery and metal part of the car, almost always in the frame.
It works like this: the current from the selected source (in a car it is a generator or battery) initially serves as the primary winding, building an electromagnetic field. When the circuit is open, a self-induction effect is observed: in the secondary winding, when the current strength changes (when it decreases to zero), a pulse of electromotive force is induced. Being unscientific expressed, the secondary winding turns “winding”, causing a sharp change in current in the primary winding. The value of the EMF depends on the number of turns and the density of their windings. As a result, from many volts, you can get tens of thousands of volts, which are required by the ignition system.
The working coil in the contact ignition system provides the following output characteristics:
– Maximum secondary voltage 18 … 20 kV;
– Rate of increase of secondary voltage 200 … 250 V / of;
– The total duration of spark discharge stages is 1.1 … 1.5 ms;
– Energy of spark discharge is 15 … 20 mJ.
Ignition coil for electronic ignition system
In contact-transistor and transistor ignition systems, the primary current of the coil is interrupted not by the mechanical interpreter’s contacts, but by the power transistor. In this case, the primary current I1 can be increased to 10 … 11A. This led to the need to create special ignition coils with low values of resistance and induction of primary winding and large change ratios (see table).
Symptoms Of A Faulty Ignition Coil
If you have any problem with Coils, then you can usually take about than some time. There are few steps take to classified if the issue is coming on with your coil,
1. Engine stalling
A vehicle that stops suddenly while on the move and then starts automatically, making it incredibly difficult and troublesome to drive – and not to mention dangerous. If one or more ignition coils start to fail under your hood, it can stop the car. Your coil will send an irregular spark to the spark plug. The electrical charge provided will be uneven and prevent the engine from running at a consistent and smooth rate. Engine stalling is a symptom of a faulty or faulty coil pack.
2. Low fuel economy
The faulty ignition coil has a significantly indicated poor fuel economy. If your vehicle is already receiving a low mileage, it may mean that the ignition coil is damaged.
Sometimes the ignition coil does not give enough energy to the spark plug in your car, so your vehicle has to use extra fuel. This is the only way the vehicle can burn. If your car is carrying very bad gas and is much less than normal, you may have a faulty ignition coil.
You will make sure that your car can drive normally, then take your car for a short test drive. If you are unsure of the normal miles per gallon, check your dashboard for the odometer and calculate the miles you have run, and the average gallon you usually get per gallon.
If you sometimes have trouble starting the engine, you can assume that there is a battery problem. Sometimes, however, the ignition coils are real. If your vehicle has a one-plug system instead of a wasted spark system, it can cause serious problems. If some ignition coils are damaged or faulty, the car may run, but it will not be able to start smoothly or easily.
3. Engine Jerking, Rough idling, Poor Power
Symptoms of a faulty ignition coil are engine roughness, jerking, and hesitation when accelerating. If you feel that your vehicle is losing some energy while driving.
4. Contemporary ideas
If you experience your car becoming inoperative unexpectedly, there may be a faulty coil pack or ignition coil to give you trouble. Also, may give less power while driving your car, a sure sign that there is something wrong with your ignition system.
If your vehicle is experiencing one or more of these problems, then it is time to test your ignition coils. Find the multimeter and your toolbox and your ignition coil.
5. Engine Hard Starting
Symptoms of faulty ignition are a difficult one to start the engine, especially when your car uses a single coil. If the engine lacks some energy while running, it means that the engine is cranking without sparks inside the cylinder.
6. Check Engine Light On
Sometimes the check engine light in your dash turns on. This Scanning for error codes The easiest way to solve a coil problem is to check the engine, grab your scan tool, or contact a repair shop.
Causes of coil failure:
The most common reason may be that incorrect spark plugs are used, which are not provided for use in this engine, low-quality spark plugs. Candles are not designed for use in engines that can serve as a breakdown of the insulator that will bring the coil down over time, as well as overheating the coil. It can also be a fusion of the catalytic converter in the inlet.
How to identify a faulty ignition coil?
At the moment when the engine trait is required to take off the ignition coil in turn, if you turn off a working coil, the dips will increase, and if you turn off a faulty ignition coil, you Will not observe any changes.
Measurement of the resistance of the winding between the contact and the outlet of the candle. Resistance on a faulty coil will be very different, as well as when removing candles, pay special attention to the candles because the candle on the faulty ignition coil will be wet and black.
Check engine – an error that may indicate a cylinder that does not ignite or does not function correctly.
How to test Faulty Ignition Coil?
The question arises: “How to check the ignition coil?”. A multimeter … This is probably the cheapest method.
Let us see how to ring the ignition coil with a multimeter. It is necessary to examine the resistance of the primary and secondary windings one by one. It does not hurt to check the resistance between the terminals of the winding and the terminals. The resistance of the primary winding should be from 0.3 to 2 ohms, secondary – from 6 to 15 kΩ. The resistance between the windings and the case leads must be toward infinity. If the values of the measured resistances deviate from the described limits, the inter turning circuit is possible, if the resistance of the winding goes to infinity – this is a sure sign of a coil breaking in a coil.
1. Safety first
First of all, let your vehicle cool down, and put it on the emergency brake. Now open the hood and disconnect the negative battery cable. You may need to use a wrench or screwdriver depending on your vehicle. Get your master’s permission to do this test.
2. Remove the Ignition Coils
Firstly You check that using a set of transitional conductors, oscillations of the primary and secondary windings are taken for all cylinders at the same time (for example, in the case of BMW cars). If there is no such kit, it is possible to make an auxiliary cable from the candle cap, which is connected between the spark plug and the coil after removing the coil. The oscilloscope indicators are saved, and the operation is performed in a similar way to the other cylinders, after which all data is compared.
3. Check The Spark Plugs Too
The spark plug is an important part and it is beneficial to check periodically, if there are oil deposits or a black layer around the spark plug tip then the society should know that the engine is burning in less than the right time.
Ignition coil prevention
First, it is the use of correct candles, as it is the neglect of this rule that is the main reason for the failure of ignition coils. Over time, the coil lugs crack and the candle starts piercing, which actually causes the coil to fail, causing the engine to build up and power loss, and this also appears, in this case, Wrapping with insulation for example lugs can be revived but it is better to replace them. Good quality spark plugs but incorrectly selected for potassium number i. Hot and Cold Candles.
Body type of car:
Even if it was installed it would pick up the coil with non-standard equipment. Or you can simply remove the coil and ask the dealer to choose the same or similar equivalent.
A significant number of OEM coils are actually produced by firms that will be listed. This does not mean that taking the root is meaningless. Rather, you take advantage of time, almost immediately picking up the part you need, setting it up, and getting back on the road.
What if no spark comes out of the ignition coil?
You climbed into the car, normal movement replaced the ignition key in the lock, the starter diligently turned on the engine’s flywheel … and the engine did not start. What to do? Initially assume that everything is normal with the fuel supply. Then the reason is trivial – there is no spark. Before we run for a multimeter, determine if it is a coil.
If everything is in order, you can try replacing the coil with a good one. Witchcraft with an oscilloscope, I think you can leave the service station.
How much does It cost?
The difference depends on the brand of the car. For example, for the VAZ-1118 you can buy it for 900 rubles. The price of one coil for CHEVROLET Aveo starts at 6 thousand rubles. Rare models, such as the WF72 ignition coil for Porsche, can cost up to $ 300 and can only be delivered on order.
