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How to properly remove stickers from your car
You just bought a used car and the previous owner put not one, not two, but six bumper stickers on the rear bumper and trunk lid. These stickers are ugly and do not reflect your outlook on life. Therefore, it is imperative to remove these stickers from your new car. When they are stuck on the bumper, on the glass, or inside the car, the following measures should be taken. How to remove them If you're lucky, removing a sticker from your car will be easy. Simply peel off one corner until the bumper sticker starts to peel off. Peel off all four corners and the sticker should be off in a matter of minutes.Unfortunately, not all bumper stickers are so easy to remove. The ravages of sun, air, dust and even time mean that it's nearly impossible to make progress without using one or more alternative methods.One common method for removing bumper stickers is to use a hair dryer. Set the hair dryer to "high" and slowly move it back and forth over the sticker. The heat will loosen the sticker for quick removal.Another method is to boil water and apply it directly to the sticker. Wait at least a minute for the water to penetrate and then begin topeel the sticker off your car. Vinegar is another method and is preferable, especially if you don't want to deal with hot liquids. You can spray the vinegar directly onto the bumper sticker or soak a cloth in vinegar and apply it directly. Wait five minutes and the sticker will be ready to go. Stickers on glass Stickers that are attached to glass, such as your rear windshield or windows, require a different approach. One of the easiest ways to remove stickers from car glass is to brush or spray cooking oil onto the sticker and leave it on for one to two hours. Once the oil has penetrated, the sticker will peel right off.You can also use a utility knife or razor to remove any residue, but be careful not to scratch the glass. Car interior But what if the sticker is on the dashboard or glove box? Some people do put stickers in weird places! Removing stickers from the interior of your car can be a difficult challenge.In most cases, dashboards are made of plastic, rubber, or other non-leather materials. You need to be extra careful, as the wrong solution can damage or discolor the surface. A soapy mixture of water and dishwashing liquid that remains on the sticker may be enough. Make sure to leave enough time for it to penetrate before peeling and removing.As for leather, be very careful here. Parts that cannot be peeled off with your fingers may come off with the detergent mixture. After removing the residue, apply leather conditioner generously to the affected area.
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Where is my car battery?
You can’t leave your driveway without a battery. Since the average battery life is three to five years, you’ll have to deal with a bad or faulty battery at least a few times. Let’s say you need to start it one morning. You pop the hood and… what? It’s not there? “Where is my car battery?” is an important question, and the answer may surprise you. Leading the way The most common battery placement is indeed under the hood, but it's not the only option. When designing a new car, manufacturers take a variety of factors into consideration when placing the battery. First, with the technological advancements in our cars today, there's sometimes simply not enough room for traditional placement. They also consider overall weight distribution. The battery may not be the heaviest component, but it's not light as a feather either, and every little bit counts in order to balance the weight for optimal performance and control. Placement may also take temperature into consideration. Between the engine and the exhaust manifold, it can get pretty hot under the hood, and heat is the enemy of long battery life. Positive reinforcement So where is it located? Honestly, it could be anywhere. Sometimes the battery is still in the front of the car, but buried in the ground. It could be under the wheel, under the floor, in the rear, or even in the trunk. To be sure, consult your owner's manual. Luckily, if you only need a jumper cable, the manufacturer has probably designed an easily accessible jumper connection point, possibly under the hood (again, check your manual for the best information). Of course, if the battery is bad, you may need to remove the wheel or pull up the panel, but that shouldn't be too difficult. Remember to disconnect the negative battery cable first before connecting the cable to the jump start box to avoid disrupting the electronic system. Negative consequences There are a few things to note about battery placement, especially if you want to move your battery around or add auxiliary equipment. First, be aware that your battery is confined in a battery box or strapped to a battery tray. These leak-proof containers are necessary in case the battery starts to sweat or otherwise leak electrolyte or acid. It protects nearby components and is an environmental regulation. It is secured in place to minimize vibration – again protecting from damage, but also helping to prolong the battery’s life. The battery must also be placed in a well-ventilated area. If a battery gets hot, overcharges, or starts to corrode and release reactive gases on its surface, it is at risk of exploding, especially if the gases accumulate without ventilation. This rarely happens, but if it does, you don’t want to leave it in the back seat of your car.Finally, if you’re wondering “Where’s my car battery?” and can’t find it under the hood, don’t panic, it’s nearby. Better to read the manual now and know the exact location before an emergency search.
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Car Exhaust System Rust Prevention
Even if you park in a garage, your car is continuously exposed to moisture. The vehicle’s body is painted and treated to prevent rust and corrosion, but your car exhaust system is not only the most exposed but isn’t very well-protected. As you drive, exhaust pipes and the muffler are constantly hit with water, salt, and other debris that can damage and rust it. Here are a few ways to prevent corrosion and keep your exhaust system working for a long time. Wash Here it is if you’ve ever wondered what that undercarriage feature is at the car wash. By rinsing the underside of the car, you remove salt and other corrosive debris that can build up over time and rot away the metal components of the exhaust system. Even if you don’t want to hit the car wash all the time, you can use your garden hose and an attachment to reach underneath the car and do it yourself once or twice a month. Paint Shop This may sound like it’s only for hot-rod guys, but you can, in fact, paint or powder coat your exhaust system. A coating of high-temperature paint or a powder coating can help protect the surfaces of the exhaust system and keep moisture and debris from damaging them. A local exhaust or body shop can apply this special paint or coating for you, and the result is an exhaust system that’s virtually weatherproof. Go High End Aftermarket exhaust systems not only improve the look, sound and performance of your vehicle, but they also help it last longer. Many popular exhaust systems are made of stainless steel. While stainless steel isn’t 100 percent rust-proof, it is far more resistant to corrosion than the metal used in your average system. Stainless steel exhausts are more expensive than regular stock systems, but the preventative maintenance costs usually balance out. Take a Ride If you aren’t able to rinse underneath your car regularly and you don’t want to replace your exhaust system or paint your pipes, there’s still one more option: You can go for a ride. Driving your car for a minimum of 30 minutes allows the exhaust pipes and the muffler to get up to the proper temperature and evaporate moisture. The longer you drive, the better.Replacing your exhaust system can be quite an undertaking. However, with some simple care or perhaps some easy upgrades, you can avoid leaking exhaust pipes or dropping your muffler on the road.
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How to Change an Ignition Coil
You may find it shocking to hear, but ignition coils don’t last forever. For the most part, ignition coils are extremely simple components, but they can break down as time passes. If your vehicle’s engine is running rough or you aren’t getting the same power or gas mileage as in the past, it is possibly time for a replacement ignition coil. Here’s what you need to know about the different types of ignition coils and how to replace them. Types of Ignition Coils Before you pick up a wrench, you need to figure out what kind of automotive coil is in your vehicle’s ignition. Here are examples of each major type of ignition coil: There are other coil types and shapes in use, but these are the most common ones you will find on the shelf of your local NAPA Auto Parts store. How to Change a Single Can/Block Coil Commonly found on classic cars, a single standalone canister or block coil sit on the engine itself or nearby on the vehicle chassis. It will have a single coil wire leading to the ignition distributor cap. Changing a standalone coil is about as simple as an automotive job gets. Turn off the engine. Locate the ignition coil. Remove the center coil wire from the top of the ignition coil. Remove the power wires connected to the coil. Typically, there is a positive and a negative wire connection. Make sure to note the wire connections. For example, you can mark the positive wire with red tape and the negative wire with black tape. Loosen the coil mounting bracket clamp. Slide the old coil out of the mounting bracket. Insert the new ignition coil. Reconnect the positive and negative wires. Reconnect the center coil wire. Start the engine to verify the repair. If the engine does not start, check all the electrical connections. How to Change an HEI Coil GM vehicles from the late-1970s to the 1980s used a single coil mounted directly to the top of the distributor cap. This made packaging a little tidier plus created for a very simple ignition solution. Turn off the engine. Locate the distributor. Remove the ignition coil cover by loosening the mounting screws. The ignition coil and wiring are now exposed. Note the location of the positive and negative ignition coil power leads inside the distributor cap. We recommend taking a picture with a cell phone or marking each wire with a piece of tape.You may also have a ground wire connected to one of the corner mounting bolts. Note its location as well and how it is attached. Some coils use a solid metal ground bracket, which sits under the coil and can only connect one way. Unplug the ignition coil power leads gently by lifting them straight up. You may need to use needle nose pliers if they have remained in place a long time. Make sure to only pull on the power lead spade connectors, not the wires themselves. Remove the coil retaining bolts. Lift the coil straight up for removal. Note that the coil has a contactor on the bottom allowing it to contact the spring connected to the rotor button below. Place the new coil inside the distributor cap, making sure the coil is seated with the wires facing the right direction. Slide the ignition coil power leads straight down into the distributor cap, making sure they are in the same location as you marked previously. Connect the ground wire, if so equipped. Reinstall the coil retaining bolts. Reinstall the ignition coil cover. Start the engine to verify the repair. If the engine does not start, check all the electrical connections. How to Change a Coil Pack Some vehicles, like 1990s GM and Ford vehicles, have coil packs located away from the spark plugs. However, spark plug wires are still used to pass electricity to each spark plug. A coil pack can have multiple output connections. Changing ignition coil packs isn’t too bad of a job if they are in an accessible area. Turn off the engine. Locate the faulty coil pack. Mark the spark plug wires. You can use painter’s tape and a marker or a silver paint pen to write directly on the spark plug wire boots. Or choose your own method. The important part is that you MUST connect the spark plug wires to the new coil pack in the exact location. Disconnect any other wires or connectors from the coil pack. Remove the coil pack mounting hardware (screws, bolts, etc.). Remove the old coil pack from its mounting surface. Install the new coil pack on the mounting surface. Reinstall mounting hardware (screws, bolts, etc.). Reinstall all wires, including spark plug wires. Start the engine to verify the repair. If the engine does not start, check all the electrical connections. How to Change a Coil-On-Plug Modern vehicles most commonly use a coil-on-plug arrangement where each individual engine cylinder has its own ignition coil connected directly to the spark plug. Technically, there is still a spark plug wire, it is just very short and you can replace it separately from the coil pack. Turn off the engine. Locate the faulty coil pack or packs. Keep in mind that some coil packs are possibly buried underneath the intake manifold or other engine components, making access difficult. If your engine is particularly difficult to access, you may consider replacing several coils at once. Repairs like this are labor heavy, so you might as well take care of any other potential issues like leaking valve covers or changing spark plugs now. Unplug the coil pack connector, taking care to not damage it as engine bay heat can make plastic brittle. Inspect the coil pack connector, taking care to remove any corrosion you find. Remove the coil pack mounting hardware (screws, bolts, etc.). With the coil pack now unplugged and loose, gently twist it back and forth to loosen any corrosion at the spark plug boot. If the coil pack will not turn, do not force it and move on to the next step. Gently lift the old coil pack straight up and away from the spark plug. Apply a light amount of dielectric grease to the end of the spark plug boot to help make future removal easier. Do not apply dielectric grease to the metal contacts. Insert the new coil pack until the spark plug boot is seated on the spark plug terminal. You may feel a “click” as the connection is made, but not always. Reinstall mounting hardware (screws, bolts, etc.). Reattach the coil pack connector. Reinstall any engine components that were removed to access the coil pack. Start the engine to verify the repair. If the engine does not start, check all the electrical connections, hoses and any other components that were removed. What to do After Changing Ignition Coil Parts After changing ignition coil parts, let the engine warm up and go for a normal drive. The engine should run smoother than it did previously. If your car shakes after changing ignition coil components or the check engine light comes on, shut it off and retrace your steps. You will likely find a loose connector. How Often to Change Ignition Coils For most engines, there is no set mileage or set time for replacing ignition coils. If you are wondering how often to change ignition coils, the answer is pretty simple—when one wears out and starts causing a problem.
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How Often Should You Get Your Car Serviced?
We depend on our cars to provide reliable service, but for this to happen, car owners must live up to their end of the bargain. You need to make sure your car gets the maintenance needed for optimal performance. With that in mind, how often should you get your car serviced? Let’s take a look. Recommended Maintenance Many newer vehicles have a maintenance reminder system on the dashboard that lets you know when it’s time for services like oil changes, filter replacements and fluid level checks. These systems track mileage, but they also consider the conditions under which your car is being operated to give a more accurate picture of what service is needed and when. If your car has one of these maintenance reminder systems, use it as a guide for scheduling service visits. If your car doesn’t have maintenance reminders or wants to better understand the indicators, you can consult your vehicle’s owner’s manual. This manual contains recommended service intervals for all the maintenance your car needs to live a healthy and productive life. What Does a Typical Service Schedule Look Like? Service schedules vary from one vehicle to the next, so it’s essential to consult your owner’s manual for your car’s specific needs. Typically, the recommended service intervals for these common repairs fall in these ranges: Oil: change every 3,000 to 10,000 miles Battery: replace every five years Automatic transmission: change fluid and the filter every 60,000 miles Timing belt: change every four or five years Air filter: replace every 15,000 to 20,000 miles Fuel filter: replace every 30,000 miles Steering: flush the steering system every 30,000 miles Spark plugs: change every 40,000 miles Tires: rotate every 6,000 miles Tune-up: every 12,000 miles or once a year for cars that don’t have an electronic ignition; every 25,000 to 100,000 miles for a newer vehicle with an electronic ignition You can handle some of these tasks, like changing the oil and replacing the air filter, at home in your garage. But others, like changing the fuel filter, may be too tricky to handle on your own unless you have specialized experience. Is It Always Necessary to Perform the Recommended Service? It’s a good idea to schedule service visits as often as recommended in your car’s owner’s manual. Your mechanic will be able to check all the maintenance items suggested above and more as well as any performance concerns unique to your vehicle. Some mechanics may recommend intervals that are more frequent than the ones listed in your manual. If the mechanic’s guidance differs dramatically from the guidance given in the manual, ask about the reasons behind the disparity. Your mechanic may have noticed increased wear from severe operating conditions. How Often Should You Get Your Car Serviced in Severe Operating Conditions? Some cars operate in conditions that can increase wear and tear. For example, driving in weather that’s extremely hot or cold can tax a vehicle. So can towing or sustained stop-and-go driving. If you drive in these severe operating conditions, your car will likely require more frequent maintenance. Consult your vehicle’s owner’s manual for guidance. The manual will describe which conditions qualify as severe and list the intervals required for proper care. A car breakdown can be inconvenient and dangerous, but proper vehicle maintenance can prevent this from happening.
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What does an Ignition Coil-on-Plug coil do for your engine?
In Coil-on-Plug (COP) technology, since each cylinder has a coil, the PCM controls individual cylinder firings for more precise ignition timing, reduced emissions and better fuel economy. Where are these Ignition Coil-on-Plugs located? The Coil-on-Plug coil is usually mounted on the top of the cylinder head just above the spark plug. The coil is connected to the spark plug with a stainless steel spring connector and protective insulating boot. Will a malfunctioning Coil-on-Plug illuminate the check engine light or affect vehicle operation? Yes, a failing Coil-on-Plug can illuminate the MIL, and is likely to create an engine misfire condition. What are the common causes of failure? Typically the COP coils fail due to exposure to high heat moisture and oil as they are mounted on top of the engine. The coil windings can fail due to the large flow of amperage How to determine if Coil-on-Plugs are malfunctioning. The output of the Coil-on-Plug coil can be determined by inserting a spark tester into the coil boot and cranking the engine over. Occasionally the wiring to the coil or the PCM can fail therefore the primary circuit to the coil should be checked for proper voltage and computer control.
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Car Brakes for Dummies: 9 Things You Should Know
You step on the brake pedal and the car stops. Seems simple enough, right? You don’t have to be a professional to understand a brake system. In fact, knowing a few things about how they work can help keep you safe. Here are a few things every driver should know about traditional car brakes. How Car Brakes Work Hydraulics: When you step on the brakes, the brake pedal lever amplifies the force of your foot to compress the hydraulic system. The master cylinder acts like a pump using a piston to push against the brake fluid. Pressure builds in the master cylinder, which is transmitted to the brake calipers or wheel cylinders via rigid brake lines and flexible hoses. The system is a closed system, that is, brake fluid doesn’t enter or leave. If you notice low-fluid level, but not below the “low” mark, do not top it off, but inspect your brake pads and shoes for wear. If the fluid goes below the low mark, you may have a brake-fluid leak, which should be checked and repaired immediately. Friction: The actual stopping work of a brake system is done by friction material bonded to a disc brake pad or drum brake shoe. For disc brakes the brake rotor is squeezed by a caliper (looks like a clamp) holding a brake pad on each side. The squeezing forces the brake pads against the rotor and stops the vehicle. For drum brakes a pair of half-moon shaped brake shoes are pushed against the inside of the brake drum by an actuator called a wheel cylinder. The brake shoes are forced outward against the brake drum to stop the vehicle. Boosting: Your foot pressure alone is not enough to stop your car safely, which is why it’s boosted, often vacuum boosted. Some older cars used hydraulic boosting, taking pressure from the power steering pump, while newer cars use an electronic booster. All three systems multiply the force you can put into the brakes, making it easier for you to stop your car safely. Keep in mind, even if you’ve heard it will save gas, don’t turn off your car to coast down that long hill. Downshift instead. All three brake boosting methods need to car to be running in order to work correctly. Anti-Lock Brakes: When you’re learning to drive in the rain and snow, you’re often told to pump the brakes to keep the car from going into a skid — and this used to be true of older cars. Anti-lock braking systems (ABS), standard on most cars since the mid-1980s, have eliminated the need for pumping the brakes. Instead, the ABS module uses wheel-speed sensors look for a wheel locking up, using a high-seed solenoid valve to temporarily reduce pressure on that wheel. In this case the wheel doesn’t lock up and you can maintain control of your vehicle. The ABS system can do this far faster than any driver can pump their foot. The result is a controlled stop which keeps the tires at maximum grip without locking up. It is worth mentioning that many hybrid and almost all electric vehicles use some sort of regenerative braking. Regenerative braking uses the electric motor as a brake to slow down the vehicle. It turns the motor into a generator so that the braking energy is put back into the battery pack and not wasted. For now though even these electrified vehicles still rely on a traditional hydraulic braking system. Troubleshooting Noise: Generally speaking, you should not hear any noise when using the brakes on your car. If you hear any noises at all — squeaking, squealing, grinding, knocking, whining, groaning — have your brakes checked immediately. Keep in mind, emergency braking or hard braking on loose surfaces may engage the ABS system, which has an activation noise that has been described as grinding, buzzing or groaning. Vibration: When you step on the brake pedal, you should feel constant pressure feedback from the system. If you feel pulsation in your foot or vibration in the vehicle or steering wheel, you may have a rotor or drum problem, sometimes caused by overheating. If you feel a vibration, have your brake system checked. Note, though, that ABS activation is often accompanied by pedal vibration, which is normal. Hard Pedal: If your brake pedal is harder to push than normal you may have a problem with the brake booster system. You can get a feel for what unassisted brake pedal effort feels like by simply pressing the brake pedal a few times with the vehicle shut off. The stored power assist pressure will be exhaust and you should feel the pedal become harder to push. Now you have a base line of comparison. Soft Pedal: Air in the brake system is the most likely source of a soft brake pedal. Since brake fluid cannot be compressed but air can, the brake pedal feels soft. This can be fixed by a thorough bleeding of the brake fluid. Low Pedal: If your brake pedal goes to the floor or close to it, you may have low brake fluid. Check your brake fluid reservoir (usually found on top of the master cylinder, but not always so check your owner’s manual) and add fluid if it is low. You may also have a faulty master cylinder which is allowing brake fluid escape past the internal piston. If the brake pedal starts off normal and slowly descends to the floor, the master cylinder is a likely culprit.
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Your ABS Brake System: What Does it Do, Exactly?
When learning to drive on slippery surfaces, many of us were taught years ago that we should pump the brakes to prevent going into a skid. Of course, that was before the anti-lock brake system (ABS) was commonplace on passenger vehicles. If you have an older non-ABS equipped model, keep pumping those brakes! On the other hand, if you drive one of the hundreds of models that are equipped with ABS, here’s a little background on exactly what it is, what it does, and some tips about whether having ABS should affect how you drive. ABS History Early versions of ABS were used mainly in the aircraft industry and experimental race cars. Aircraft equipped with ABS were able to stop far better and also were less prone to destroying tires upon landing. But it wasn’t until the British built 1966 Jensen FF grand touring coupe that ABS was fitted to a production road going car. These early systems were controlled mechanically using various convoluted methods to monitor things like wheel speed and brake pedal pressure. While clever and effective, there was still room for improvement. The modern electronic controlled automotive anti-lock brake system (ABS) was invented in the 1970s and is standard on many models today. The first car sold in the United States with a modern computer controlled four-wheel ABS was the 1971 Imperial. This was a big deal because some early systems only controlled rear wheel brake lockup instead of all four wheels. But it wasn’t until the 1980s that ABS became a common sight on passenger vehicles, with much broader adoption as standard equipment in the 1990s. Rear wheel only ABS was still a thing even into the 90s but mostly for pickup trucks and vans. It wasn’t until 2012 that ABS became a mandatory feature of every new car sold in the United States, even though it was highly rare to find a vehicle without it by then. ABS Brake System Description Normally, on a good dry road surface, optimal braking occurs when the amount of friction in the brakes is just shy of the amount of friction between the tires and the road. On a slippery road, however, there’s far less friction between the tires and the road, which means that you can’t apply that much friction in the brakes. This can be a problem if you need to come to a stop quickly. Because the friction in the brakes exceeds that of the tires, you can quickly lock up the brakes, which would put your car into a skid as you lose all traction and steering capability. This is why you were always taught to “pump the brakes,” to keep them from locking up, but as the name implies, the anti-lock brake system keeps your brakes from locking up. The majority of an ABS-equipped brake system is the same as a non-ABS setup. There is still a master cylinder, brake booster, calipers, rotors, drums, etc. that function stop the vehicle as always. But with ABS there is a special valve is added that controls hydraulic pressure to the individual braking actuators at each wheel. Using wheel speed sensors (WSS), the controller anti-lock brake (CAB) or ABS controller monitors wheel speeds. While braking, if the CAB detects that a wheel is stopping too soon, it releases brake pressure to the actuator momentarily to keep the wheel from locking up and losing traction. Some ABS systems can pulse the brakes up to 15 times per second, far faster than the driver’s foot could hope to pump the brakes. The end result is that the brakes don’t lock up and tires maintain traction with the road, giving you the control needed to safely maneuver or stop. Driving Habits First, if you are driving a vehicle with ABS, take to heart that this type of safety technology is not a substitute for safe driving habits. In other words, your ABS brake system will not keep you from sliding off an icy road if you are driving too fast for the conditions. Physics will win because ABS can only do so much. ABS still relies on the tires having at least some traction. Always give yourself plenty of space to maneuver and brake, even more so at greater speeds or in times of poor road conditions. Second, when driving a vehicle with ABS, do not pump the brakes — ABS is already doing that for you. You will feel pulsation in the brake pedal and probably hear what sounds like grinding or buzzing from under the hood. You may also see warning lights on the dash and hear a warning alarm. Don’t panic, just keep your foot firmly on the brake pedal. Braking distance may or may not be improved, but steering and stopping control will be greatly enhanced. Once the emergency is over simply release the brake pedal and everything will go back to normal. A common argument in the early days of ABS adoption was that a driver could stop in a shorter distance if the brakes were allowed to lock up. But a vehicle with four locked up tires is no longer under control. Plus, locking up the tires creates flat spots that ruin them. And it is highly inadvisable to try and disable a working ABS system in an attempt to handle braking yourself better than the onboard computer. Perhaps the best way to get used to your ABS brake system is to test it out, preferably in an empty parking lot away from public roads. That way, you can get a feel for how your vehicle sounds and feels while the system is active and learn to trust that it will do the job as long as you are doing yours.
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How to Test Ignition Coil Failure
Ignition coils play a vital role in keeping your engine running. They provide the high voltage that gives the spark plugs their sparks. If they fail, you’ll know something’s wrong as the engine will run poorly. The sooner you can diagnose the problem and replace it with a new coil the better. Understanding their function, recognizing the warning signs, and knowing how to test ignition coil failure can help you avoid further damage and headaches down the road. Here’s how to test an ignition coil for proper operation. How Do Ignition Coils Work? Combustion engines, whether gas or diesel, need an energy catalyst to operate. Ignition coils use induction to turn the vehicle’s battery voltage into thousands of volts of current to produce a spark that ignites the compressed fuel inside the combustion chamber and sends the piston down. Some vehicles may have a single coil and distributor system, but most modern vehicles have dedicated coils for each piston. The setup varies by manufacturer. When everything is running well, coils work with spark plugs to deliver timely sparks for a smooth performance. However, coils can fail over time due to age, corrosion, heat damage, exposure to leaks, or worn spark plugs that cause the coils to wear faster. Effects Of Ignition Coil Failure A few things can happen if your coils start to fail. For one, your car might not start or might have a hard time starting due to a weak spark or lack of spark. You also might notice that while it runs, it misfires and runs rough, giving you a lugging or bucking feeling as you drive. That’s because (if you have a coil for each spark plug) you’ve got one cylinder that either isn’t combusting or only sometimes is, unbalancing the engine. As a side effect, that cylinder isn’t burning the fuel that enters it, so your gas mileage may suffer and you might notice black smoke from the exhaust.Running that rich fuel condition can cause backfires as unburnt fuel combusts inside the exhaust system rather than in the cylinder, and over time this can take a toll on your catalytic converter. At some point, your vehicle’s computer will figure out that something is wrong, even if you haven’t noticed anything out of the ordinary. That’s when you’ll see the check engine light illuminate. Scanning the vehicle for codes and taking time to diagnose these warning signs may point you in the direction of a possible bad ignition coil, if not several. If a trouble code has been stored it will likely be P0350 which means a malfunction of the ignition coil or its circuit. How To Test Ignition Coils As always, turn off your vehicle before unplugging wires, and be sure to take all possible safety precautions to avoid injury and shock. When chasing down an ignition problem the tricky part is picking out whether your problem is the ignition coil or the spark plug. For this ignition coil test use an inline spark tester between the spark plug and coil. This test will tell you whether the coil is passing on the electricity to generate the spark, but it won’t tell you how much. 1. Begin with the engine turned off.2. Identify the ignition coil you would like to test.3. Remove the spark plug wire (or coil-on-plug) from the spark plug.4. Install the inline spark tester between the spark plug terminal and the ignition coil output terminal.5. Start the engine and observe the inline spark tester. It should light up with each ignition spark.6. Shut off the engine.7. Remove the inline spark tester and install the spark plug wire (or coil-on-plug) back on to the spark plug. For vehicles with coil-on-plug ignitions and multiple coils packs you can try swapping around parts to see if the problem follows the part. This works mainly when an OBD diagnostic code has been stored which pinpoints an exact engine cylinder as the problem. For example, an error code P0351 denotes a problem with cylinder number one, while an error code P0352 denotes a problem with cylinder number two. 1. Begin with the engine turned off.2. Identify the ignition coil you would like to test based on diagnostic code.3. Remove the suspected faulty ignition coil.4. Identify an ignition coil from a cylinder which does not currently show a being faulty via diagnostic code.5. Remove the known good ignition coil.6. Install the known good ignition coil onto the cylinder which previously displayed a fault code.7. Install the suspected faulty ignition coil onto the cylinder which previously displayed no fault code.8. Start the engine and let it run for several minutes by taking a short drive.9. Rescan the ECU and look at any stored OBD codes. If there is now a stored error code for the cylinder which received the suspected faulty ignition coil, it is highly likely you have found the problem coil and should replace it. Here’s an example of how to how to check ignition coil packs. If an error code P0351 was stored (and no others) you would swap the ignition coil from cylinder one with the ignition coil from cylinder two. If rescanning the ECU now shows an an error code P0352 you’ve found your bad ignition coil. To get the final word on whether the coil testing, you can measure its resistance with a multimeter — check with the manufacturer for the required specs. Alternatively, you may simply opt to replace the coils and plugs, as long as you have them uninstalled. After all, they will need to be replaced at some point. Early diagnosis of a faulty ignition coil is important to avoiding greater damage. Keep an eye out for the signs of failure, and invest in a few easy-to-use tools to stay on top of it.
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