Test an ignition coil

The load current will be greater than the spark plug test current. You can also test an ignition coil with a spark tester.

While ignition coils are generally very sturdy and reliable over time due to heat vibrations and faulty insulation they can become damaged.

Test an ignition coil. Youll want to start by checking for signs of bad ignition coils and then follow up that diagnosis by testing the coils with a multimeter. Ignition coils take energy from the battery usually 12 volts and convert it to a high enough voltage 50000 volts or more to create a spark. Performing an Ignition Coil Resistance Test Bench Test 1.

Remove the ignition coil from the vehicle. The test above isnt the only way to determine whether the ignition coil. Find the resistance specifications for your ignition coil.

Every vehicles ignition coil has its own unique. Heres How To Diagnose and Test An Ignition Coil Park your car on an even surface turn your car off and allow it to cool down. Use your OBD II scanner tool to determine the cylinder with the issue.

Remove the ignition coil. While youre here its a good idea to inspect the spark plugs for damage. Testing the ignition coil and the spark plug Connect the tester between the spark plug boot and the spark plug.

Then start the engine and watch the tester. Most people think you can check a small engines ignition system by removing the spark plug and grounding it while cranking the engine and watching for a spark. You can also test an ignition coil with a spark tester.

The tool is installed inline with the ignition coil to determine if the coil is producing a spark. If all of the ignition coils arent delivering spark the issue is likely with the control side primary side of the ignition system rather than a single ignition coil. An absence of spark from just ONE ignition coil points to a bad coil.

This video describes a simple and easy one man procedure to test if your coil is firing properly. A reading over the specification signals that the ignition coil is open which would also indicate a need to replace the coil. Test the secondary circuit of the ignition coil.

Connect your multimeter to the positive terminal or pin of your coil and to the high output terminal that goes to the spark plug. Bench Testing Your Cars Ignition Coil The Makeup of the Coil. Ignition coils are made up of two coils of wire situated on top of each other.

Before Removing the Coil. To begin youll need the resistance specifications for your specific coil in order to perform. To test the ignition coil connect the ohmmeters two test leads to the coils primary terminals and -.

Most coils should read between 04 and 2 ohms. Zero resistance would indicate a shorted coil while a high resistance reading would indicate an open coil. Testing the coil is the first step in troubleshooting the system and will tell you without question if the coil is functioning as it was designed.

The procedure is the same no matter what type of car you drive–the only difference is the location and type of coil you have to work with. Testing the resistance across several terminals on your ignition coil is the only safe and accurate way to tell if the coils is damaged or not. Measuring the primary and secondary resistance requires an ohmmeter and a digital readout is best if you have access to one.

There are two kinds of test available to test your ignition coil and they are spark plug test and bench test. You can choose to do one of these tests or both just depends on your preferences. But before you do any test it is important to take certain precautions.

While ignition coils are generally very sturdy and reliable over time due to heat vibrations and faulty insulation they can become damaged. There are two ways to test the ignition coil of your vehicle. The spark plug test and the bench test.

While the spark plug test is effective the bench test is more thorough. Testing an ignition coil simply involves removing it from its place on the engine valve cover and attaching a spark tester to it. Then the engine is cranked to see if the spark tester sparks.

If the spark tester sparks then you can conclude that the ignition coil is OK not defective. The ignition system is a sensitive part of your vehicle and we will never recommend pulling off a plug wire or the coils high voltage output wire to test for a spark without taking any safety measures. There is a risk of severe electric shock and you may damage the ignition coil completely.

Connect the positive and negative leads of your multimeter to the positive and negative terminals of your ignition coil. On some coils the terminals will be explicitly marked positive and. How to test ignition coils on high voltage systems is somewhat more difficult.

This equipment is often mounted in a box for ease of testing. Start by disconnecting the power source and using an ohmmeter to check for continuity. The load current will be greater than the spark plug test current.

The best guess is that this current level is the.