What is ignition coil
Ignition coil is an important part of the engine and a part of the ignition system. The ignition coil functions as an induction coil that converts the vehicle’s 12 volts into the several thousand that are required to jump the spark plug gap and ignite the engine’s air-fuel mixture. Some ignition systems will use one coil to provide the spark for all of the cylinders, however most newer designs use an individual coil for each cylinder.
Any problems with ignition coil can quickly lead to engine performance issues. Usually a faulty ignition coil will produce a few symptoms that alert the driver of a potential issue.
Symptoms of a Bad or Failing Ignition Coil
1.The engine caught fire and the speed was seriously reduced
One of the most common symptoms associated with a faulty ignition coil is engine performance issues. As the ignition coils are among the ignition system's most vital components, an issue can cause spark to be compromised, which can quickly lead to performance issues. Faulty coils may cause the vehicle to experience misfires, a rough idle, a loss in power ande acceleration, and a reduction in gas mileage. In some cases the performance issues may even result in the vehicle stalling.
2.vehicle is not starting
The failure of ignition coil can also cause the vehicle to be unable to start normally. For vehicles using a single ignition coil as the spark source of all cylinders, the fault coil will affect the operation of the whole engine. If the coil fails completely, it will keep the engine in a state of no spark, which will cause the engine to fail to start.
How to test the ignition coil for damage
Using a voltmeter to test the resistance of the ignition coil can detect whether the ignition coil is damaged
Step 1
Disconnect the wires from the positive and negative terminals on the coil. These terminals are connected to the primary circuit. The primary circuit is connected to the battery and creates a charge.
Step 2
Disconnect the spark plug lead from the coil tower. The coil tower is connected to the secondary circuit. The secondary circuit sends the electrical charge from the coil, to the distributor where the voltage is then sent on to the spark plugs to fire the engine. Do not test the coil with any of these wires connected to the coil.
Step 3
Turn on the volt meter. Turn the dial on the face of the meter to OHMS, not AC or DC voltage. You are testing resistance, not amps or current. If your meter has one, look at the screen. If an upside down horseshoe appears, the meter is ready to read OHMS -- resistance. For an outboard motor, turn the meter dial to 200. Other options include 2,000, 20,000 and greater. These values are too high.
Step 4
Test the primary circuit. Place one probe from the amp meter on the positive terminal and the other probe on the other terminal. It is irrelevant which probe touches which terminal because you are testing a circuit. The values of an outboard motor must fall between .02 and .04. If your OHMS do not fall within that range, your coil is bad.
Test the secondary circuit. Place the negative probe -- usually black -- on the negative terminal. Place the positive probe -- usually red -- on the coil tower. The amp meter must read between 8 and 11. If the OHMS of the secondary circuit do not fall within this range, your coil is bad.
PS:The value does not necessarily conform to all products, please refer to the value given by the seller or the manufacturer
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