COILPACK Test

[86Nick]

What's the best way to test the coilpack? How do you test the coilpacks?

 

[whitehot1]

The easiest way is with a multimeter set it on 20k ohms and place the probes on the terminal towers front to back of each pair 1-4, 2-5, 3-6

If you look on the base of the coilpack were the screws go through it to the ignition module they should be numbered there.

The range is 11k - 13k ohms for the coil to test good.

 

[pacecarta]

caspers ignition simulator/tester

Casper's Electronics, Inc.: CCCI Ignition Simulator

 

[whitehot1]

The simulator tester is nice but if you are going to spend that much money you may as well just buy a known good coil / ignition module to have on hand as a spare,then you can swap them out and troubleshoot that way.

Afterall once you use the simulator to find the coil / module to be bad, you will have to buy a coil / module anyway to fix the problem.

 

[bmackinnon]

Yea.... but the simulator is the only REAL way to test them.... the resistance test will work sometimes, but bad coils sometimes can and will pass that test, and not the casper's tester... there's a thread on this exact issue with real world results over on gnttype.org, on Scott Keller's (gnttype owner/founder) car. His coil pack easily passed the ohm test, and on the caspers box, wouldn't fire one of the coils at all, and was losing another at higher rpms.... new coil and fixed....

 

[turbofrank]

Coil/mod simulator does not work on some aftermarket units. Buy a good known spare for trouble shooting.

 

[Quick6'n'-K.C.]

You need to have the key on to test the coils to get the correct ohms of resistance, at least thats what i used to do before i purchased caspers coil pack and ignition module.


How do you know if its a "good known spare" unless its bench tested?

Would you take someones word that "worked fine on my car", and like a light switch it takes a crap sitting on your workbench sitting for a few days, weeks or months.??

I had someone stop by with a smoking turbo a few weeks ago, went thru the car real quick to diagnose other issues the car was having. We decided to test his coil and module for "kicks" no real reason other than the fact i have the tool to do it.

Guess what, his coil failed real quick, i had a few spares and sold him one installed and test for 20.00
That car is just one step closer so we can start turning it up.

Find someone with a tester near you is the best way to test it IMHO, and yes, ive had issues firing up new modules, some work, some dont.

BW

 

[Mike70gtx]

I've been trying to track down some issues. The car would pop/backfire on wot. Figured it was electrical so I got a "good" used ignition module from someone and no difference. It ended up being the fuel pump. Changed it and popping gone but car is still not right. I ordered the caspers tester. The test showed it was the module, so I tested the other one I had and it tested the same way. So I go to town to the ac delco part place and buy an new ac delco ignition module. It tests the same way. The spark is inconsistent on 2 and 5 so I switch the wire from 1 and 4 to 2 and 5. Now the spark is inconsistent on the 1 and 4. That should mean bad ignition module. I call caspers and they said to take the ignition module off of car it could be a ground loop or something. Still tests the same (all 3 modules). Coils test out fine checking resistance with meter. Caspers said that I could sent the tester back in to have it tested. Any ideas, I'd like to go to the track for the thanksgiving races.

 

[86Nick]

coilpack

Remember a good mechanic diags and repairs. Don't get in the habit of just throwing parts at a problem.

 

[Quick6'n'-K.C.]

I've been trying to track down some issues. The car would pop/backfire on wot. Figured it was electrical so I got a "good" used ignition module from someone and no difference. It ended up being the fuel pump. Changed it and popping gone but car is still not right. I ordered the caspers tester. The test showed it was the module, so I tested the other one I had and it tested the same way. So I go to town to the ac delco part place and buy an new ac delco ignition module. It tests the same way. The spark is inconsistent on 2 and 5 so I switch the wire from 1 and 4 to 2 and 5. Now the spark is inconsistent on the 1 and 4. That should mean bad ignition module. I call caspers and they said to take the ignition module off of car it could be a ground loop or something. Still tests the same (all 3 modules). Coils test out fine checking resistance with meter. Caspers said that I could sent the tester back in to have it tested. Any ideas, I'd like to go to the track for the thanksgiving races.

Put a different coil pack into the mixture, how many coils are you using during the test. On mine, when the 2-5 test was weak, i swapped coils instead of swapping wires, and found 2 bad coil packs. If your testing 2 coils and get the same result, then you have 2 bad coils.

Ive ran into issues where the module wont test at all, and ran into where the module tests fine, but put it on the car and get bad cam sensor failure. Swapping in a other guaranteed bench tested setup, and the coil and module get rid of the batch fire cam sensor issue code 41.

I doubt there is anything wrong with the tester, your just testing bad parts.
BW

 

[Quick6'n'-K.C.]

I forgot, find a coil pack and module that tests out perfect for a minute or so, then put that coil on the other modules to varify the other modules are in working order. More than likely you just have some bad coil packs.

BW :smile:

 

[Mike70gtx]

Ac delco said they'd give me a new module in the morning. The one they gave me had a little grease on box like it maybe had been returned. I did find a borg warner in my stock pile. It tested good with the coil I had on, but car still doesn't pull real hard. Sounds like I have my jake brake on. My failing walbo could have caused some other issues.