How To Test Ignition Coils with Basic Hand Tools HD

[@SoulOfNobody]

You saved me a lot of anxiety, pain, and financial distress. You sir earned my sub and following!

[@gaittr]

Excellent and to-the-point video. Just a warning for people. Do not buy cheap ignition coils on the internet. You can buy in the internet but get good quality coils. I did a cheap set and I've had to replace all 8 of them in the last year-and-a-half. A set of eight coils cost no less than $400 if they do you're buying crap.

[@CarsNToys]

Good advice. Same goes with injectors and HID bulbs.

[@azimuthazimuth5414]

You are correct

[@cab32h42]

I am on the fence with this logic. I was buying good coils 90 to 135 a piece and time after time cooked them from days to weeks or months but they would fail. Then discovered my ignition condenser was fried. I am waiting for it to get here but I bought 6 cheap coils and a condenser and going to see what happens. I really like the look of the new cheap coils they appear to be of quality construction and each of them ohmed out identical. the rear ones were 1.43 across the board and the fronts were 0.68 each. So I hope it works out.

[@sh00ternab29]

i fixed my bmw e36 (4cylinder) with your first testing method! Worked like a charm! i found out number 3 (coil) was dead so i replaced it with another one and boom everything is working smoothly. Thank you!

[@federicovega2292]

Did you car throw a check engine light when coil was bad

[@Sh00TeRnAb]

@@federicovega2292 nope it was running on 3 cylinders without check engine light which is strange

[@federicovega2292]

Very strange Thanx for the info

[@cesarrodriguez9597]

Just saved my son $300, for now. Thanks a lot for your help and time.

[@mowmehiah9478]

For beginners it would be nice if you would show where you set the multimeter exactly

[@MicroplaysMC]

depends on each type of car and coil so its better just to google it, if not just keep taking readings you should have a resistance on at least one pair.

[@Sergio-f9c]

Ohm setting

[@haroldlawson3567]

You can pause it and zoom in

[@wandervision69]

Terminal 2 and terminal 1 like he said

[@sarin62]

OHMS or around 200

[@clikzip]

Had a miss fire on my sentra. Used the first running test and located the bad coil. Easy fix, thanks for the video helped alot.

[@CarsNToys]

clikzip Good stuff man

[@POLOAZTECA]

+clikzip When U say "miss fire" what exactly are U referring to? Is it when U start Ur car?

[@clikzip]

No as its running a cylinder wasnt firing. The car was running on 3 cylinders.

[@POLOAZTECA]

+clikzip How does it feel when that happens?

[@clikzip]

The motor sounds quite different when running than normal. Like its on the verge of stalling.

[@cdmsc]

I have a misfire on my 2013 Dodge Dart Rallye 1.4 Turbo #3 ignition coil and this video helps greatly! Thank you! This allows me to be able to check them myself and save money. Much appreciated!

[@CarsNToys]

Glad to help.

[@philliptaylor5981]

Thanks for taking the time. I would recommend giving the make/model and also resistance specs for the coils or other specs.

[@lindseyhiebsch6322]

I mean a coil pack is a coil pack regardless what the specs or make and model of the car or vehicle is these tips will work regardless of the male and model so it's not really a requirement.

[@lindseyhiebsch6322]

And the specs for coil packs will be different depending on manufacturer which will be on the box

[@marcorafael312]

Man you just helped me with a bad coil, thanks bro! Hands down to you

[@CarsNToys]

Good stuff! Glad to help.

[@adamcorb542]

Informative, quick, and to the point. Kudos. Next you should make a video on how to make quick and to the point videos.

[@chino228]

Excellent video, Best way to test coils , no tools , WHAT! Yes Sir ! Thank You CarsNToys guy , you''re da man !

[@Larpology101]

I have 3 coil packs and when I unhook one the car just shuts off... what does that mean? That the coil pack is good?

[@phatdunny]

Yes. One of your other coil packs is probably bad

[@TheRebuilt1]

Ignition misfire issues, let's grab a Nissan for our case study. Awesome video.

[@billschirf]

Never thought to pull the connector... You sir, just saved me a mech fee. Tested, confirmed, and ordered. Drinks on me tonight. :-)

[@patrocman4818]

What about testing the coils secondary phase of the coil.. connecting lead from terminal 1-sparkplug part. Term 2-sparkplug terminal..

[@kelvenguard]

Yep... that’s where my Old oil soaked coil reg zero and the New China one off eBay tests zero.... Repair manual says test both on my single cylinder quad...

[@billemnas4075]

very well explained the symptoms and the way how to check and test the ignition coil. keep it up sir

[@xBlazT77x]

Man ive been wacthing a couple videos but your is far out the best and clearest! You have a new sub:)!

[@CarsNToys]

xBlazT77x Thanks man appreciate it!

[@affinityfunable]

Your only testing the primary winding right? What about testing the other half of the coil pack? The secondary winding.

[@TheUltimate65]

Not a word about voltace from ecu , ignition..or chek the grund Its good..

[@fernierodriguez3838]

Whats a good reading ? Whats a low reading?

[@happydeux2254]

Fan-freeking-tastic! Almost the exact engine and exact issue I'm working on. Thanks!!

[@CarsNToys]

+HappyDeux Cheers!

[@uhohh7392]

cars and toys sir you is really honorable man thank you for showing and teaching how find the bad coil being disable everything Is a challenge struggling I did it thank you kindly

[@CarsNToys]

+Marc Williams Glad to help

[@braytonsky7275]

Very smart to unplug the coil whilst it’s running. Pretty ingenious.

[@Freeknickers24]

It's actually very common sense and the way people have located cylinders that are misfiring either due to compression, firing, or valves since they invented internal combustion engines that use spark plugs.

[@hansolo7205]

Changed my plugs last week and now I smell gasoline while the van is running.This test should help me figure it out. Thank you Sir.

[@mattphipps1368]

I don't know if this has been suggested, but in your power balance test tips at the end you may want to also consider dirty/corroded pins/sockets in the connector and/or coil. I suggest this only because I had an older car with a "blown" horn and all I had to do was clean the connection. The electrical connection cleaner is a spray that is available everywhere and I use it every time I work on any electrical component on my vehicles.

[@timothybruneau4173]

Concise and clear, only one issue: no indication as to where to point the meter. Obviously we can tell by freezing the video where you had it pointed (on the OHMS area) but with so many different choices as to where in that area, good to include that info. Thanks.

[@bbeenn]

He mentioned it right when he pulled out the meter "resistance or OHMS type test" he said.

[@Butchsiek]

@@bbeenn there are multiple ohms settings on meters.. Question should have been.. which ohms setting should the meter be set? That is also dependent on the meter used.. As I learned in the past. When it says set meter to 0-500 ohms, dont use automatic or 0-1k ohms. I had to buy a meter that has to have a specific setting, as I was getting a false reading..

[@tipxking9944]

@@Butchsiek 20k olms is the setting you want. Ive seen it in various videos and I paused this video to make sure I was testing on the right reading because my multimeter looks just like his. Anything else will give inaccurate data.

[@Butchsiek]

@@tipxking9944 thanks.. I was referring to a specific setting. Manuals I worked from, the engineers that wrote them as I talked to them personally,. We worked for Textron.. I explained to them the need to be specific as i found out the hard way when troubleshooting a circuit.. Another Tech I worked with noticed the meter I was using told me it wont work because the Engineers used a specific model and setting.. He used his and mine to show how the readings werent the same.. Mine showed a component was good, while his showed it was bad. I replaced the part, problem solved.. The Engineers sent out a replacement page for the manuals that includes a warning and the meter, brand and model, the Engineers use in their design..

[@FixItYerself]

save time. go to 4:15. great vid!

[@user-nx1jx6cd9q]

Like and subscribed! You spoke the basics and went straight to the point not like others when they put a damn story to it

[@KnightOwlVidz]

Thanks for posting this! I suspected my coil, and this simple tip helped me confirm it.

[@CarsNToys]

Glad to help!

[@lindseyhiebsch6322]

Same! My buddy gave me this tip but it was helpful to see someone put it into practice to model for me lol. Sometimes I overcomplcate things

[@rebeccabaillie9584]

Helped me fix the issue with my moms car!!! Thank you for the great video!!

[@CarsNToys]

Glad it helped!

[@x5hpx]

3:37 thank me later

[@TheRigo38]

BaSeL thankss 🙌🏼

[@RicJ84]

Thanks.... 10 months later.

[@jakem.4533]

🤟🏼🤟🏼

[@robdaugherty2010]

😂 I about checked out when he said “star-type screws.” Thanks!

[@TresJuevos]

@@robdaugherty2010 It has "cross type" screws that hold the coils in place, but he decided to use his mechanickin' skills and break out the 8 millenial meter sock-it.

[@CSI752]

My Nissan Xterra is having power issues, just had all spark plugs replaced with the correct plugs, and ignition coils, power issue went away, but now it’s back, thinking that one ignition is still bad , only got 5 out of 6 replaced , due to one being newer. I’m gonna give this a shot, thanks!

[@sl06bhytmar]

It is quite fun to drive if you forget to bolt down the coil packs. Sudden power losses, odd idles, increased emission rates etc :D

[@dannychuqui4797]

Hi, I like you videos.... My question is......when the ignition coil is bad.... so nothing is showing up in the multimeter? thanks again.

[@CarsNToys]

+Danny Chuqui Usually you won't receive a reading or the reading may be way off

[@pcisbs2491]

Still doesnt tell you if theres intermittant problems

[@DA_BEAMERRRR]

thanks for the advice,i own a year 2000 nissan maxima and i just got some coils from australia, im checking them soon

[@sussybaka4863]

hello wonder of you can answer me a question. how do you know the fire sequence of the car?

[@tommymacleod78]

I like how you explain how to do it by breaking it down step by step, I appreciate that. I am an inexperienced mechanic I do all the work on all of my vehicles my self and the vehicle that I'm working on now is a 2004 Buick Rainier. So to start off with I have had to replace the exhaust manifold to replace my oxygen sensor cuz I couldn't screw a new one into the manifold so it makes all that I get everything put back together and I start my truck and it started but it's idling really rough and I put a ODB test on it a scan the tool and it told me that cylinder 6 was misfiring so I change the coils and I change the spark plugs and it still stating that I still have a cylinder 6 misfire even though the coils I have put in it have been all good. So do you have any advice to maybe that you could share with me to maybe help me out with this? I really appreciate it. Thank you

[@tomrider2168]

Sorry it is not 6.64 ohms as the meter was on the 20k scale this means it is 6.64k okms

[@McFlySwatter]

@CarsNToys Thanks for a great video man! I have a 97 Nissan Maxima that started running VERY rough all of a sudden. From the symptoms I wasn't sure if it was a cat restriction, knock sensor, or what. Codes came up P0325 knock sensor, p1320 Ignition signal primary, p1400 EGR Ckt Input Low. Did the power balance disconnecting one coil at a time looking for a change in rpms and found 2 coils not working. Swapped them out and voila! Running like a top now. The two coils together threw me off at first. I knew what a bad coil felt like, but not two bad coils. :)

[@CarsNToys]

lol.glad you got it done!

[@cesar.delvasto]

Your video is very detailed and useful. Thank you very much!

[@anubhavredhu0121]

Sir if my car engine shuts down on removing connector of one coil and runs in all other than that coil is faulty or good

[@TattooNTim]

Hey bro good video thanks for the good info! I have a misfire on cylinder 3 on my 1500 I'm having issues with! I'm gonna test my coils like you showed! Thanks again. I hope I can identify the problem. Thats the hardest part for me. Is finding the issue. Pretty good at fixing it when I know what to fix. lol Thanks again!

[@balauruuuu4845]

Had these checked , car is not missfiring but it's got a rough idle and engine power cut comes on until engine is proper hot , after it stops , after a while i get the engine overheating error and oil pressure low , its a n43b20 2.0 bmw 320i

[@AnunnakiThe1]

thanks for the educational Video , by the way the 2006 Nissan Altima 2.5L 4 cylinder I am working on has the same volt and OHM specs as the V6 you just showed . just to let everyone out there know . keep up the good work .

[@halimatshodunke6757]

please what does it mean during the process of testing the coil while the car is on I observed immediately i remove one coil the car went off, does that mean that particular coil is bad?

[@TomO-if7nh]

How often do Ignition coils generally last? My car is a 2005 with 153,000 miles. Should I change the ignition coils? Thanks

[@esthermcgough3995]

In a nissanAltima 3.5 can you test #3 cylinder without removing the intake?

[@SteadyEddie1983]

Please sir! My 08 Mazda 3 has a rough idle! I changed spark plugs, I changed valve cover gasket. What could be wrong?

[@GhostRecon876]

i wanna run this test with my 2005 nissan lafesta but nissan with all its infinite wisdom put the damn air intake on top of the coil packs. any idea how i can work around this?

[@Spckuz25]

I’ve gotten down to figure out I have no spark wasn’t sure if it was the coils or internal engine damage

[@trailblazer1047]

What setting the meter on?? And wht voltage AC or DC? for second check.

[@figgiefigueroa7372]

Where do you put it in the multimeter?

[@msjsel]

Excellent video. Really appreciate you taking the time to create this video. THANKS!

[@chrisroderick17]

Had a misfire in my trusty 2001 Mustang GT. Your test helped me figure it out. Thanks so much.

[@CarsNToys]

+Chris Roderick Glad to help!

[@84Chevy_08]

Mines is jerking while im driving and dash light dimmin. Will this fix that

[@lucianbrighi]

If the multimeter shows a reading, it means the coil is not good? To be good it all have to be on 0 ?

[@magyaradam]

Are those three ignition coils all that is needed to run the 6 cylinders?

[@FuntoWatch888]

Im having a hard time finding the bad coil by removing the power. It all does the same thing when i remove the power each of them reduce rpm.

[@bridgetstoli2347]

Could be a bad spark plug. Swap the suspect coil with another and see if the problem follows it.

[@papergatorzfedducca7998]

New subscriber 🔥🔥🔥

[@RayChins]

recently changed the spark plugs,in about two weeks,the car start loosing power,l had to change down and start again, especially in steep place roads.l find out the coil pack os brocken.l changed it again and in about two weeks ots broken again.do you have any idea why is the coil pack is getting broken quickly? ford focus EcoBoost 1.0 engine model 2018

[@kesaobakaedisonpowane1944]

I am confused here, should the coil have some resistance to show if its in a good condition or it has should it have 0 resistance

[@djoudigpl8625]

Why its has 3 pin Can you explain

[@JahanZeb1976]

Nice video. As for as ignition coils are concerned, the ohm meter test is not reliable for them to do.They contains mostly electronic inside and you can not guess the health of those using a multimeter instead what you showed in the beginning by disconnecting them one by one and looking to the engine behavior, could be the valid test only.

[@elbertsides6057]

LearningZone q

[@MrGreenelight]

You are somewhat right, however some resistance reading is not the right answer. the coils should have a specific range they need to be within. this range differs depending on the vehicle/coil pack. You most know what that range is for that vehicle.

[@stanwardoshiro]

You’re correct. That’s why the Factory Service Manual for this Nissan Maxima doesn’t have a bench-test for the ignition coils.

[@panzerichi3837]

Also u have primary and secondary windings circuits it’s a diffrent test for each and diffrent ohm readings

[@roz4747]

@@panzerichi3837 I have a coil that reads from the lead that goes to the spark plug to both pins(8 ohms)but from pin to pin it does not read any(0 ohms)

[@cliffcameron1972]

my maxima has an issue missing but is not constant when it is playing up i think no#4 may be the issue im guessing if i try this test when it is missing dissconecting no#4 would not change running noise?

[@keenandungee2070]

Question i got my valve cover fixed but I noticed 1 coil bolt wasn't put back n it feels alil loose from the other coil packs but the car runs fine no engine lights it runs smooth should I leave it alone or get another bolt and make it tighter

[@typhoon320i]

What were you testing with the multimeter? The primary or secondary winding? It was 6 ohms so that is kind of an in-between reading, but I'm guessing that was the secondary. what were the specs supposed to be for a Maxima? just because you had continuity doesn't make it good, you could have had too high, or too low resistance.

[@SM-rt7pr]

I have an 2015 Bugatti Veyron that seems to be running bad at high speeds. Going to try your way. Update.. It worked however I misspelled Bugatti Veyron. I meant 05 Ford F150.

[@figgiefigueroa7372]

😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@westwaylokote13]

Yo so if I disconnect it and don not noticed a drop in rom does that mean I’m that the specific coil isn’t working I got idle issues and my engine light came up

[@zainaabdin]

U have ignored the leaky coils which is a very common problem and it's diagnosis is so difficult

[@richardmtonga9784]

I am actually looking for a video with this diagnosis. Any leads?

[@eyateacher7766]

Thanks a lot, I would like to know the quality voltmeter and a quality compression to do the compression test as well

[@_Nanaboozhoo]

I have a similar Nissan Maxima 2000 but I am having trouble finding oem coils.

[@engrhasan9147]

if ohm found like 6000 or some numbers that means it wrong but you are saying its good. it should be zero ohm right? please let me know . i saw something like that totally opposite in you tube.

[@renatotorres4137]

Very informal and straight to the point!

[@arielrodriguez6980]

If there is no reduction with the rpm does this mean its good?

[@ethanames6563]

Thanks Buddy! Clear and helpful.

[@precisiont5188]

Is there any way unplugging the coil when the vehicle in on can harm the engine?

[@ginoginetti]

Ok but i have only 3 coil working now. What if i remove another good one? The car should go with only 2 coil working for a few seconds, can this be dangerous?

[@uhohh7392]

cars and toys how do I find out that I'm running on all cylinders I have 2009 pontiac vibe

[@scottfirman]

Had a dirty connector on my Subaru coil, cylinder number 4. Set my check engine light and other lights on the dash. After pulling the metal clips and unplugging the coil, then plugging it back in, it cleared right up. I pulled the negative battery cable, reset the computer and its been running with NO ISSUES. I checked each coil by unplugging and replugging and everything was fine. Scanned at AutoZone later showed it was indeed number 4 coil.

[@CarsNToys]

Good stuff!

[@DoktorHalloween]

What are terminals 1 and 2 on the coil you are testing? Are they the power and ground to the coil?

[@Engineerboy100]

Good job man, excellent video, thanks for the great explanation. I love watching great videos that are well done like yours, it helps me continually improve the quality of my videos. Keep em coming.

[@CarsNToys]

Thanks, Clint. Appreciate the feedback!

[@renejacques8288]

I have a 95 maxima. What are terminals 1 and 2?

[@momacaroni5634]

The water reservoir broke and it sits over cylinder forth cylinder coil and harness, so now I have a forth cylinder misfire code. Would these same tests work for water damage?

[@charlesdowns1691]

i have 3. coils on my pontiac g.prix. how can i do it without removing? is it safe with digital multimeter.kobalt brand. ? thanks alot!

[@ski77z]

Would a really millage coil by any chance still spark but not as strong. Or do they always give full power till they just stop,?

[@brianrainey3366]

Is it the same for the back coil packs, they're different from the front. Same, specs on resistence? Test the same 2 pins?

[@mohammad45h]

سلام سپاس تشکر درود و هزاران 👍...👍....بسیار ممنون🙏🙏🙏👌👌👌

[@theshamsi]

Very nice video; keep up the good work I have a Honda Car with 1.3 IDSI engine having 8 spark plugs. The engine is powerful but the only center two spark plugs get really black after one week driving. I replaced old park plugs with new NGK spark plugs but the problem is same. Can you kindly guide which is causing this issue?

[@pankkkk]

Once we we unplug the coil and the rpm drops that means it a bad coil ? Or that’s normal ? I didn’t understand the part if it’s bad or good

[@austinrose4819]

No, if the car changes rpm’s that mean the coil previously was igniting. If the car does not drop in RPM that means there is a problem within the connection.

[@nathanrice1796]

Is it safe to do this with the engine running? Is it possible to do this with a distributor ignition? I understand why the 'power balance' test works.

[@Arcadekid]

Hey CarsNToys! Thank you so much for this video! It was really helpful.

[@mowmehiah9478]

It would be nice if you had a light and you would point out exactly out of the three terminals on the cord which is one and which is two I can't see nothing

[@newyota1]

How do you know the coil is not malfunctioning when it gets hot?I hear they can break down under load or heat?I did the ohms check on my two coils on my mazda protégé and they ohmed out the same.This problem seems to fool the best mechanics as to what is wrong.Saw a video where bad valves caused low compression and threw a p0300 code.

[@michaeledison470]

What setting do you put your tester on?

[@technomage6736]

Is it possible to get a partial spark situation? Like it's not totally out, but getting weak?

[@ahmadbataineh]

Bro.. Good vedio.. But which voltage I have to choose for test... Coils and connections.

[@bigdaddyprofit]

i'm having this issue on a 95 maxima. tested coils 1 and 5. no response so now i'll test your method

[@larissajohnston3830]

I am having issues with a 1996 Honda Accord starts while driving rpm drop to 0 shuts off and won't start after I let it set for a while and will continue only little distance and shut off again and won't start until I let it set

[@toddh6234]

Had a similar issue and it ended up being the harmonic balancer that was failing and it finally did fail.

[@jaredsparks3871]

It would be nice if he showed where on the harness connector he squeezed to remove it. Mine ('08 Saab 2.8 litre) are stuck and I don't want to break anything.

[@edarcher3670]

Watch a Saab repair vid

[@timburle4980]

I just got a brand new set of coils for my 2002 Acura and one went bad within a month. The resistance matched the other coils, so that test wasn't valid at all for my situation.