3 Signs You Have a Faulty Ignition Coil

Many drivers assume the spark plugs provide the power for combustion. The plugs only provide 12 volts of electricity, which isn’t enough to ignite the fuel-air mix. The ignition coil attached to each plug provides the electrical boost for combustion. As your Lincoln dealer, we’d like to advise you on the signs you have a faulty ignition coil we need to fix.

Your Ignition Coils Are Worn

On average, ignition coils are replaced every 100,000 miles. Coils can also become damaged and worn due to other engine problems and may need earlier replacement. A coil’s job is to boost the 12 volts from the spark plug. The coil provides more than 30,000 volts, which is channeled into its plug to ignite the fuel-air mix.

Age or damage will reduce the power generated by a coil, and these factors can even cause a coil to fail. If the coil doesn’t provide enough power to the spark plug, you’ll experience misfiring. The lack of sufficient power means most of the fuel in a cylinder won’t ignite. This fuel is wasted and forced out of the engine. When we replace the damaged coils, combustion will operate normally again.

You Have an Oil Leak

The ignition coil is surrounded by oil inside a sealed casing. This oil helps to lubricate the coil and control its internal temperature. The battery sends an electrical charge to the coil, which massively amplifies this charge and pushes it into the spark plug. The charged spark plugs will then have enough power to ignite the fuel-air mixture in its cylinder

As a coil gets older, it becomes less efficient at providing the electrical boost its attached spark plug requires. The coil develops resistance to the electricity supplied by the battery, and this causes the coil to heat up. As the coil gets hotter, the oil around it can boil. The boiling oil can crack the casing. If you see splatters of oil on the ground, you could have a damaged coil.

You Have Rough Starts

When the starter motor cranks your engine, it provides the mechanical power that starts the engine. The fuel and air will mix in the intake manifold and are injected into the cylinders. When the mixture is compressed, the battery should send the charge to the plugs to ignite it. If you’re experiencing rough starts, you could have malfunctioning coils.

Damaged coils won’t pass on enough power for the plugs to ignite the fuel-air mix. If this happens, it will cause misfiring or even stall. Our technicians will investigate and repair the cause of the problem.

If you suspect you have a damaged ignition coil, call us at Bayway Lincoln.

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