PSA - Suggestion re: Ignition Coils

[Bluesky 07]

This recommendation is based on my recent experience with an ignition coil failure. The higher your mileage, the more sense this makes imo.

Fortunately, I was only 10 minutes into my hour-long commute when my ‘07 V6 started running very rough. Babied it home, got the P0305 CYL 5 MISFIRE code, found the plug looked good, changed out the coil (I had a spare), done.

I think it’s very smart to 1) have a means of reading codes, & 2) keep a spare coil in your truck (it’s small enough to fit just about anywhere). If your truck starts running very rough, stop and read the codes. If it’s a misfire, install the spare coil (it has one 10mm bolt). While there are other possibilities, like the fuel injector, odds are good that it’s the coil, especially if you have high mileage on the originals. You could be done and back on the road in <15 minutes.

 

[rdruss]

Reasonable advice. I have an '03 V8 with 160K miles, most of the coil bodies are cracked down inside the spark plug tube, but no misses so far.

 

[fourwd1]

It's always handy to carry spare parts on an old vehicle.

I carry a spare coil and ignitor (among other parts) for my 40+ yr old 22R 4 cyl.

 

[T4R2014]

At about 200k I'd just replace all the coils for efficiency and performance. Even if they pass the FSM resistance test it won't show you how performance degrades compared to new ones. Also, are you sure it was the coil or just a cracked boot?