To touch the metal terminal inside the coil, insert one of the multimeter’s probes into the coil’s center aperture. Connect the meter’s second probe to the grounding terminal of the ignition coil. 6,000 to 15,000 ohms should be displayed on the meter. If it doesn’t, the secondary winding of the coil is broken.
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Step 5
Look at the coil’s tip where it connects to the spark plug. Three interactions are planned. The two on the outer serve as the main connections. Check the contacts using an electric ohmmeter. To determine how many ohms the coils are producing on the readout, place the ends of the ohmmeter testing wires on the contacts. The allowable range, according to BMW, is between 0.4 and 0.8 ohms.
QAfred
Your spark plug connectors appear to be BERU brand; if so, they meet the specifications shown below (1.8Kohm +/- 20%).
Coils ought to be.
between pins 1 and 15, 8 ohms (outer pins as you stated)…
Try reading these again with a lower ohm setting on your multimeter, although these appear to be within specification limits as well.
You’ll get a SES light if your ignition coils are bad. In 320K total miles on my two BMWs, I’ve only had one component fail, and the SES light and OBDII code helped me locate it.
Start by making sure your ignition connector has power; pin 15 should have 12 volts, but be careful while probing since it is not fused.
You can probe terminals 1 (-) and 15 (+) to measure the ignition coil’s primary resistance; the result should be approximately 0.8 ohms.
Referring to Bentley’s manual’s section 120, the two outside pins of the three prong connector are number one and number fifteen.
The middle pin is 4A.
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The vast majority of automobile coils may be tested using this method. Check the resistance between the coil’s side terminals with an ohmmeter. Disconnect all of the coil’s wires before performing this. Resistance should range from 0.75 to 0.81 ohm. Then measure the resistance between the central high tension terminal and either side terminal. It should read between 10,000 and 11,000 ohms. Any considerable departure from these values would suggest a problem with the coil.
How is a spark plug coil checked?
Supplies required:
basic hand equipment, such as insulated pliers and safety goggles, for removing the ignition coil.
Step 2: Find your vehicle’s ignition coil or coils. These are typically found very next to the engine, either positioned remotely somewhere on top of the engine or bolted to the spark plugs.
Remove any plastic coverings that might be protecting the ignition coils, if necessary.
Step 3: Unplug the ignition coils’ electrical harness. Use your hand tools to remove them.
Since they are frequently just secured by one or two bolts, ignition coils are typically fairly easy to remove.
Step 4: Examine the primary ignition circuit of the ignition coil. The primary and secondary ignition circuits on ignition coils need to be inspected.
The positive and negative terminals of your ignition coil should be connected to the positive and negative leads of your multimeter. Some coils will have positive and negative terminals that are clearly indicated, while others will only have the two pins or terminals that are found at the connector.
Although the primary resistance of most ignition coils should lie between 0.4 and 2 ohms, check your manufacturer’s specs for the precise measurement. A reading of zero indicates that the ignition coil has to be changed because the primary windings have internally shorted. The ignition coil is open, which indicates that it has to be replaced, according to a reading of the specification.
Step 5: Evaluate the ignition coil’s secondary circuit. Connect the high output terminal of your multimeter to the spark plug and the positive terminal or pin of your coil.
The secondary resistance of most ignition coils should fall between 6,000 and 10,000 ohms; however, the precise range should be found in the manufacturer’s specifications. An excessive reading indicates that the coil is open and also needs to be changed, while a reading of zero indicates that the coil has short-circuited and has to be replaced.
Step 6: Rerun the process as necessary. If your car has more than one coil, follow Steps 4 and 5 to test each one separately. Verify that each ignition coil is functioning properly.
Step 7: After replacing the ignition coils as necessary, reinstall them. After testing each ignition coil, swap out any that are defective and reinstall the remaining coils on the car.
Reinstall any removed engine covers or other trim items after making sure all electrical connectors are reconnected.
The performance of the engine can be significantly impacted when the ignition coils, a crucial component of the ignition system, are not working properly. Testing coils can guarantee that your car continues to run at its peak performance level because a failed coil can lead to a variety of issues. Contact a licensed mechanic to have a look at your ignition coils if you experience any problems performing the testing procedures.
How can I tell if the coil pack in my BMW is damaged?
You may have come to this page to learn more about these symptoms because you have already observed one or more of them. Regardless matter whether you have yet to suffer ignition coil failure, you should always be aware of the signs. The following are warning indications of a failed ignition coil:
- Misfire in a cylinder. The spark that passes through your spark plugs is generated by the ignition coil. Depending on how badly the coil is damaged, there may be no spark at all or untimed sparks.
- Power Deficit Your engine’s rhythm is thrown off if one or more cylinders fire at the wrong time or not at all. When the coil is defective, your BMW experiences performance problems as a result. Every cylinder is timed to fire once each rotation at a specific moment. Your engine’s efficiency is significantly impacted by one cylinder firing out of phase.
- Rushed Idling Your engine will tremor wildly when idling for the same reason that power is lost. This occurs because the cylinders that are working compensate for the failure of one or more cylinders to drive the spinning of your crankshaft.
- lower fuel efficiency Are you making more frequent trips to the gas station? Most likely the problem is with your ignition coil. The combustion reaction in one of your cylinders is not adequately sparked by a malfunctioning ignition coil. The cylinders that are still working compensate for the malfunctioning cylinder or cylinders by burning a lot more gas than your car should.
- The engine stalls. Your automobile will stall down unexpectedly as a result of misfires and power loss, and the engine may even completely shut off. Your engine will lose the momentum that propels it with just one poor rotation. Your engine won’t start, so you’ll need to start it again or risk getting stuck somewhere.
- Starting Issues A spark is required to ignite the cylinders and start the engine of your car. No spark results in no combustion in the cylinder and a non-starting engine.
- Check Engine indicator. A malfunctioning ignition coil that results in a misfire will undoubtedly alert your BMW’s computer to an issue with the engine. A code reader will identify the precise cylinder that needs repair.
Are the ignition coils on all BMWs the same?
Even though some part numbers are for particular models, you can follow their origins. Consequently, every BMW ignition coil application from 2003 to 2016 is equivalent, if not interchangeable.
When ought the ignition coils in a BMW to be changed?
- engine stalls
- erratic idle
- power outage
- lower fuel efficiency
- In rare instances stalling
- check-engine indicator
- Vehicle won’t start
Usually, ignoring these symptoms only makes things more annoying. Whether that just entails consuming more petrol than normal or getting parked in a parking lot because your car won’t start.
BMW ignition coils have a maximum service life of 140 000 miles. They are often only replaced when there are warning indicators of failure and not as routine maintenance.
What damages the coils in a BMW?
The heat and vibration from your engine can eventually lead to an ignition coil failure. Although insulated, persistent vibration and heat will eventually harm any electronic component. The telltale indicators of malfunctioning ignition coils can be identified by a qualified BMW mechanic.
Overvoltage from a defective spark plug or plug wire reaching the coil is the most frequent cause of ignition coil failure. Either will severely shorten the ignition coil’s lifespan. Bad spark plugs and wires can be avoided because your BMW’s instructions call for precise intervals between changes. Later costs will increase if plugs and cables are not replaced on a regular basis.
How can you know whether a coil requires a resistor?
The ballast resistor in ballasts is a tiny resistance that limits the flow of electricity to particular electrical devices. Both HID and fluorescent light ballasts have a ballast resistor. Typically, a coil or a dimmer switch interior part houses the ballast resistor. The ballast resistor may occasionally be found towards one end of the coil housing on the exterior of the coil housing.
For sources of 120-volt AC power, it should have three wires coming out of it: black, red, and white/green; for sources of 240-volt AC power, blue and yellow. There are two steps you must take in order to determine whether your coil contains an internal ballast resistor: First, take off any covering that may be on your coil. Next, see if your ballast has three wires coming out of it.
There should be three wires coming out of the ballast if the ballast resistor is not integrated into it. If there are four, you might need to take your ballast out in order to locate the grounded wire. Otherwise, your coil may have an inbuilt ballast resistor if your ballast has three wires coming out of it.
What if the resistance of the ignition coil is too high?
Although exceedingly durable and dependable, ignition coils can malfunction for a number of reasons. Shorts or openings in the primary or secondary windings might result from heat and vibration damaging the insulation and windings of the coil. But voltage overload brought on by defective spark plugs or plug wires is the main cause of ignition coil death.
The output voltage of the ignition coil may increase to the point that it burns through the internal insulation of the coil, resulting in a short, if a spark plug or plug wire is open or has sufficient resistance. If output reaches 35,000 volts, the insulation in many coils may be harmed. As soon as this occurs, the coil’s output voltage may drop, resulting in ignition misfires while the engine is under load, or the coil may stop producing any voltage altogether, preventing the engine from starting or operating.
The coil has to be replaced if it has battery voltage at its positive terminal, is grounded on and off by the ignition module or circuit, but is not sparking.
TIP: If the ignition module has malfunctioned more than once, a defective ignition coil can be to blame. Internal arcing or shorts in a coil can overtax and harm the ignition module’s circuitry.
What do the ignition coil’s three wires do?
Battery voltage power supply, ground, and control circuit (trigger) from the PCM to a transistor circuit in the coil on plug assembly make up the conventional wiring for a three-wire ignition coil-on-plug assembly.
What is the ignition coil’s output voltage?
Modern systems replace the distributor with an electronically controlled ignition system. One much smaller coil is used for each spark plug, although sometimes one coil might serve two spark plugs (for example two coils in a four-cylinder engine, or three coils in a six-cylinder engine). A large ignition coil generates roughly 40 kV, while a small ignition coil, like one from a lawnmower, generates about 15 kV. Direct ignition (DI), sometimes referred to as coil-on-plug, is the placement of these coils directly atop the spark plug. The wasted spark system is used when one coil serves two spark plugs (in two cylinders). With this configuration, the coil ignites both cylinders twice every cycle. While the spark in its companion cylinder, which is nearing the end of its exhaust stroke, has no impact, the fuel in the cylinder that is towards the end of its compression stroke gets ignited. The wasted spark system is less expensive than coil-on-plug and more dependable than single coil systems with distributors.
Coils that are applied one at a time to each cylinder might possibly be included in a single molded block with numerous high-tension connections. A coil-pack is a frequent name for this.