Website design By BotEap.comIgnition Coil Test Preparation The first thing to do is always take the necessary precautions. When working near or around a running engine, extreme care must be taken. You should be on the lookout for any loose clothing. If you have long hair, you should be careful not to let it come into contact with any part of your car’s engine and its moving parts.

Website design By BotEap.comTesting your car’s ignition coil is one of the rather easier tasks to perform. It is not that complex nor does it require any special tools or equipment. One thing to keep in mind is that your ignition system produces a large amount of electricity. If something goes wrong, the result could be very dangerous. Proceed with caution.

Website design By BotEap.comIf your coil has already been removed from your vehicle and you need more specific data on your coil, you can perform what is called a bench test. Set up the bench test by removing a spark plug wire from your spark plug. Then remove the spark plug with a socket wrench. Now you want to reconnect that spark plug to the spark plug wire. Do this very carefully; you don’t want anything to fall into the empty spark plug gap or you’ll have a problem.

Website design By BotEap.comIgnition Coil Test – The Bench Test – Take a pair of insulated pliers. Hold the spark plug wire with insulated pliers. Now, you need a ground point, so find one around your motor. You want a place that is easy to access and has exposed metal. You could even use the car’s engine for this.

Website design By BotEap.comHold the spark plug wire with your insulated pliers and contact your chosen ground point with the threaded portion of your spark plug. Have someone start your car engine and pay attention to the spark plug gap. You’re looking for a bright blue spark to jump across the gap: electricity. If you can see this blue spark clearly, even in daylight, then your spark plug is working fine.

Website design By BotEap.comIgnition Coil Test – The Multimeter Test There are a number of other tests you can perform for your ignition coil. However, if you want precise information on the condition of your ignition coil, you should carry out a test with a multimeter. This test is much more accurate in determining whether or not you need to replace the coil. It is considered the only proper test for a coil.

Website design By BotEap.comYou can rely to some degree on the bright blue spark you see on your bench test, but if that spark is somewhat weak and your eyes can’t tell, using this spark plug can cause your vehicle to run rough or improper, which is latest. thing you want

Website design By BotEap.comRelease inside the ignition coil for a moment. The ignition coil contains two coils of wire that are on top of each other. We refer to these coils as windings. There is a primary winding, the first lead, and a secondary winding, the second lead. The primary winding collects the electricity to create the spark. The secondary winding sends it to the distributor. It is possible for any of these windings to malfunction and cause your vehicle’s ignition coil to fail. Sometimes an ignition coil can fail completely, meaning it produces absolutely no spark.

Website design By BotEap.comA multimeter test is performed with the ignition coil completely disconnected. This gauge provides numbers to help you determine the condition of the coil, much more reliable than a visual assessment. There are different types of digital multimeters and they can be found online or at your local auto repair store.

Website design By BotEap.comOf course, to use the multimeter, you’ll need to know the resistance specifications of your ignition coil. If you don’t know what they are, check your vehicle’s service or repair manual for that information.

Website design By BotEap.comwinding test

Website design By BotEap.comTo test the primary winding of your ignition coil:

Website design By BotEap.comAs mentioned above, the primary winding of the ignition coil first collects electricity or voltage from the car’s battery. Have you found the resistance specification for your coil? You will need it before performing the multimeter test. If you don’t have them, take a moment to locate your service or repair manual for that information.

Website design By BotEap.comOnce you have found the resistance specifications, locate your digital multimeter. If you have a traditional round coil, you’ll need to use your multimeter and place the leads on the small outer poles of your coil. If you have one of the newer enclosed units, place the wires on the indicated or marked poles of your coil.

Website design By BotEap.comObserve the reading you get on the multimeter. If the multimeter reads within range according to the specification in your service manual, then your primary winding is working fine and you can move on to checking the secondary winding. If you find that the reading is even slightly out of range, you should replace the coil.

Website design By BotEap.comTo test your ignition coil’s secondary winding: Your ignition coil’s secondary winding sends spark to your distributor and then to the spark plugs. A weak or no spark is an indication that the coil needs to be replaced.

Website design By BotEap.comTo test the secondary winding of the ignition coil, connect the probes to the 12V outer pole and the center pole of the ignition coil. The center post is where the main wire that connects to the distributor is located. Again, check the reading to make sure it is within the specified range as listed in your car’s service manual. If your coil falls within that range, all is well. If the reading falls even slightly outside of the specified range, then you should replace your coil. Remember that a bad ignition coil will cause your engine to run poorly and can cause other problems as well.