Repair And Fix it

The ignition system in your car takes the spark generated by the distributor pickup coil and sends it through the plug wires to the spark plugs at just the right time. With this in mind, the pickup coil is a vital part of the ignition system.

Definition

The distributor shaft is typically turned by a gear on the bottom of the shaft. This gear is turned either by a timing belt, a timing chain or directly by the camshaft. The pickup coil is around this shaft, generally under the distributor rotor. The pickup coil is an electromagnetic sensor.

Function

On the distributor shaft there is a raised metal "tongue." This tongue passes by the pickup coil each time the distributor rotates. This causes the pickup coil to send a signal to the ignition control module, letting it know where the distributor is in its rotation. This corresponds with where the motor is in the compression cycle. The control module then knows when to send spark to the coil.

Options

Modern vehicles usually have a camshaft position sensor or a crankshaft position sensor and sometimes both. These work on the same principle as the pickup coil; but because they are located directly beside the crankshaft and the camshaft, they are more accurate. In newer vehicles these sensors also help time fuel delivery through the injection system, making them more efficient.

Coil springs are a part of the cars suspension system -- most notably on older model cars. They are a strong component, but not known for having a smooth ride. Not much more than extra large heavy duty springs, removing them to replace with new ones or do other work is a physical but not difficult task. Youll need to take care to avoid injury when compressing these springs during removal.

Instructions

1

Lift the end of the car you will be removing the coil springs from, and secure the tires on the opposite end with wheel blocks. Place the jack stands beneath the car frame.

2

Remove the tires from the working end of the vehicle and set aside. Remove the sway bar linkage and the shock absorber if there is one from one side.

3

Spray the coil spring nut and the surrounding parts with spray lubricant. Insert the coil spring compressor, and compress the coil by turning the nut on the tool. You may have to adjust the placement of the compressor so there is room for the turning screw to raise as you tighten the tool.

4

Place the floor jack beneath the lift arm, and raise just enough to take the tension off the coil spring nut. Remove the cotter pin from the lower ball joint nut, and loosen the nut.

5

Hit the spindle squarely with a mallet. This may take a few tries, but you will feel the pop when the ball joint bolt comes loose. The jack will hold everything in place.

6

Slowly lower the floor jack. The coil spring may or may not slide right out as you do so. If not caully remove it. Decompress the spring very caully from the coil compressor tool.

7

Repeat for the other side, then the other wheels if the car has coils springs on all four.

A defective ignition coil pack can fire sporadically and generate a weak spark, producing a variety of different problems with your engines performance. The coils are extremely susceptible to heat, and can produce an irregular problem when heat has weakened the internal components. Fortunately, you can use a simple voltmeter to test the ignition coil pack on your vehicle.

Instructions

1

Put the vehicle in park and make sure the emergency brake is pulled up. Open up the hood of the vehicle. Find the coil pack located inside the engine. Disconnect the spark plugs from the spark plug wires. The spark plug wires are joined to the coil pack.

2

Disconnect the coil packs electrical connector. Utilize the wrench to take off the pack and remove it from the engine.

3

Switch on the meter. Put the ohmmeter to 20000 ohms then touch the meter leads to the coils. This will check the ignition coil pack. Compare the readings to the specs provided in your cars service manual. Determine if the readings you have are in range of the settings in the manual.

If your vehicle isnt starting when the engine is turning over, you may not be getting spark to the spark plugs through the ignition coil. You can check this by performing a simple test. This task is relatively easy but you will need an assistant so that you can simultaneously perform some of the necessary functions detailed in the procedure. Figuring out the cause of the problem that you are experiencing with your vehicle is half the battle.

Instructions

1

Park your vehicle on a flat surface.

2

Open your hood to access your engine compartment.

3

Pull the nearest spark plug wire off the top of the spark plug to expose the end of the wire

4

Connect the exposed end of the wire to the top of an extra spark plug. Set the spark plug against one of the metal surfaces on the engine.

5

Ask your assistant to start the vehicle. If you see a spark come from the spark plug, then there is spark coming from the ignition coil because the wire is attached to the ignition coil.

On the inside of every ignition coil are two groups of windings which wrap around an iron core. The primary windings have a couple hundred turns around the core, while the secondary windings have turns numbering in the thousands. When problems within an ignition coil are suspected, having information on how to check these windings can be beneficial.

Check Primary

To check the primary windings of an ignition coil, a digital ohmmeter will be needed. The ohmmeters positive and negative test leads will have to be connected to the coils positive and negative terminals. A reading of 0.4 to 2 ohms is normal while a zero reading means the coil has a short in it.

Check Secondary

To check the secondary windings, you will also need a digital ohmmeter. The ohmmeters positive test lead will need to be attached to the coils positive terminal. The ohmmeters other test lead will have to be connected to the coils high voltage output terminal. Normal readings for newer coils is around 6,000 ohms while older ones can have much higher readings.

Warning

When checking for a spark, never take off the coils high voltage wire. Not only can it harm the coil but it can give you a serious electric shock as well.