This article answers what are the sings of ignition coil failure and what you should do if you believe your ignition coil is failing.
What are signs of ignition coil failure?
- Check engine lights on
- Engine misfiring on acceleration.
- Backfiring
- Low fuel efficiency
- Difficulty starting
- Engine stops while driving
- Sputtering, coughing, jerking, or vibrating
The First sign of ignition coil failure is a check engine light on.
This could be a variety of problems. Here are other things that cause a check engine light to turn on. When your check engine light comes on, schedule an appointment with a Truman’s mechanic to confirm what the engine codes are indicating. We offer free diagnostics and work with you to schedule an appropriate time to fix the issue. Some issues are time sensitive while others can be scheduled out.
Ignition Coil Failure: Engine Misfiring on Acceleration
When accelerating the car it may be hesitant. If your car has dif. One of the car’s cylinders may misfire or not fire.
Engine misfiring: Engine Stops While Driving
It’s not safe. If you’re driving with a misfiring engine it could shut off the engine while driving. If you’re on a highway this could be exceptionally dangerous.
Engine misfiring: Can driving with a bad ignition coil break the car?
If your vehicle’s engine is misfiring from a bad ignition coil it can damage the catalytic converter and other engine components. Don’t wait to have your ignition coil looked at or replaced or you could risk larger repairs and downtime.
Ignition Coil Failure: Engine backfiring
If your car makes a loud bang sound with smoke or exhaust this is an engine backfire. There are various reasons your car could have a backing, but one is a faulty ignition coil. If the cylinder has unused fuel and explodes it will give off a bang. This combustion happens when too much fuel gets in the engine.
What things can cause an engine to backfire?
If it’s not the engine coil, there are several other culprits of engine backfiring—such culprits as bad O2 Sensors, Bad Airflow Sensor, Spark plugs, etc. Make sure to get your car in immediately to avoid major damage to your vehicle. Backfiring is a safety issue, fire and fuel are never something to be avoided. Here are some other common engine backfiring reasons.
Ignition Coil Failure: Low Fuel Efficiency
Have you noticed a decrease in your miles per gallon?
As the bad ignition coil delivers an incorrect 02 sensor read, it signals an increase in fuel. As the spark plugs are suffering a power loss they will also demand an increase in fuel. This will increase your average fuel economy.
With all of the changes in gas prices it can become difficult to determine what is the cause of the rise in cost. If you’re a business owner with a fleet this calculation could cause a major shift for your company. A change in your fleet or vehicle’s fuel economy could be an early indicator of a bad ignition coil. Often this is paired with a hesitation in acceleration. If your vehicle requires extra fuel to perform the same, have your engine coil checked out. This could also be an early indicator of other parts going bad. It’s best to fix this before the part breaks.
Ignition Coil Failure: DIfficulty Starting
If your ignition coil is faulty it can malfunction during starting. This happens when it doesn’t deliver the necessary voltage to the spark plugs. If the car struggles to start or stalls there could also be an issue with the spark plugs. Make sure to have both checked out.
What to do next?
Sputtering, coughing, jerking, or vibrating can be other indicators of ignition coil failure. If you’re experiencing some or all of these issues, Contact us to schedule an appointment with Truman’s Automotive ADAS & Calibrations or your local trusted mechanic.