While on the road, ignition coils turn the relatively low voltage of a car’s battery into a whopping 30,000 to 40,000 volts to ignite the combustion process. Each of your coils should last 100,000 miles or more, but eventually, all ignition coils start to falter. Here are the symptoms of a faulty ignition coil to look out for. If you notice the following issues, visit your local Ford dealer to have the malfunctioning coil cleaned or replaced.
Misfiring Engine
A spark plug relies on its ignition coil to keep firing more
than 30 times per second. This steady stream of sparks continually ignites the
fuel-air mixture inside each combustion chamber, powering your engine.
If one of your ignition coils stops doing its job properly, the corresponding
combustion chamber will start misfiring. You’re likely to hear the engine
coughing and sputtering. It might also jolt and shudder.
Rough Idling
Even with just one failing ignition coil, your engine will
begin to struggle when idling. Rough idling feels like the engine might fail
altogether at any moment. And if more than one of your ignition coils falters,
you might indeed stall while pausing at a traffic light.
Loss of Power
While working less efficiently, your engine will lose some
of its power. This is often most noticeable when attempting to accelerate. It
becomes dangerous to overtake other vehicles as you might not have access to
the necessary burst of speed.
Falling Gas Mileage
When a coil breaks down, your engine keeps injecting fuel
into the cylinders at the same rate. But this fuel is no longer combusting as
efficiently as it should. The result is reduced fuel efficiency and less bang
for your buck at the gas station.
Backfiring
When the fuel-air mixture inside a combustion chamber stops
burning away properly, an excess of fuel can build up in the chamber. This
excess fuel can build up and then suddenly be released into the scorching-hot
exhaust headers. This sometimes causes a bang as it ignites and you’ll often
see black smoke emitting from your tailpipe.
Car Won’t Start
With one failing ignition coil, you’ll often find it harder
to start your engine in the morning. If more than one ignition coil has bitten
the dust, you might not be able to start your car at all.
How a Ford Dealer Inspects Your Coils
When a technician takes a look at an ignition coil, they can check the voltage with a multimeter tool and also with a spark test. They can also swap out the coil with a new one to see if that clears up the engine trouble. A failed ignition coil can sometimes be cleaned to restore functionality. But more often, it will need to be replaced.
Visit Crain Ford of Jacksonville today to have your ignition coils examined, cleaned, or replaced. Our courteous, knowledgeable staff can guide you through our extensive range of vehicles and services.
Image via Ford.
