Hunker may earn compensation through affiliate links in this story. Disconnect the ignition coil's kill switch wire by pulling the wire directly off of the coil. Spark tester tool or a working spark plug. Most vehicles made after the late 1990s typically have a small ignition coil that sits directly on top of each spark plug, which is known as coil-on-plug (COP) design. An avid motorcyclist, Chris Gilliland has immersed himself into the two-wheeled world while balancing work life and raising three daughters. Insert a spark tester tool or a replacement working spark plug into the spark plug wire. Though its precise location may vary from vehicle to vehicle, generally, it is located near the fender or bolted to a bracket fairly close to the distributor. Chainsaw, lawn mower or weedeater won't start or spark plug has no spark? Locate the ignition coil, or coils, on your vehicle. Inspect the entire wire, from the plug to the magneto beneath the armature plate. An absence of spark will require replacement of the ignition coil. Ford  |   Remove wires from coil. Secondary testing with scope . Open the lawn mower's hood or cover to access the ignition coil. When creating a spark at the spark plug, the fire must initiate from a high voltage supply, so as much fuel as possible burns in the cylinder. If you haven't read the sections: I Have Misfire Codes or I Have NO Misfire Codes, please do so now. The tool is installed inline with the ignition coil to determine if the coil is producing a spark. Luckily, testing the spark plug and ignition coil can be easier than it seems. Jeep  |   If you're wanting the buy the original Ford Motorcraft ignition coil, you can buy it online for a whole lot cheaper than somewhere local. Inspecting the Spark Plug Wires with the Engine Off Look for physical damage to the wires or boots, … A spark plug tester. This means that the cause of the misfire code and misfire condition is not due to a lack of spark. Use an extra spark plug. If it doesn't fit, they'll find you the right one. A spark plug misfire will immediately be evident in the tester window. Coil packs usually create a better spark, which in turn produces better combustion and horsepower in a car's engine. An absence of spark from just ONE ignition coil points to a … Required Tools for this Ignition Coil Test Project The following links will help you comparison shop for the Ford Motorcraft and after-market ignition coils: Will the above ignition coils fit your particular Ford pickup (car or SUV)? That antifreeze isn't leaking into the spark plug well. Coil-on-Plug (COP): You will recognize these coils immediately as they sit directly on top of the engine’s valve or cam cover, are bolted down, and attach directly to the spark plug via a rubber boot. Wrap a short length of rope around the motor's flywheel, the round disk-shaped piece above the motor. With a few basic items you can quickly determine the health of your mower's ignition system. spark plug and the spark plug boot do not have carbon tracks. GM  |   Insert a spark tester tool or a replacement working spark plug into the spark plug wire. When he is not managing the parts department of a local, multi-line motorcycle dealership, Gilliland can often be found riding, writing or working on his motorcycle blog, Wingman's Garage. There are several ways to find out if the COP ignition coil on your Ford 4.6L or 5.4L is bad or not. Locate the ignition coil on the motor by following the spark plug cable to the coil. This test result usually means that the COP coil is fried, but not always. Spark plug wire kit for C.O.P. Please read the following sections: I Have a Misfire Code(s) or I Have NO Misfire Code(s) before jumping into COP COIL TEST 1. It'll be necessary to disconnect the COP coil from its electrical connector to remove it. A wire connecting the coil to the spark plug conducts a current to the plug terminals, which results in the spark that ignites fuel in the combustion chamber. More specifically, this article is designed to help you troubleshoot a bad Coil-On-Plug (COP) ignition coil with step-by-step testing instructions. Fortunately, the task is made easier by the relative simplicity of most lawn mowers' small engines. CASE 2: You got NO spark. Using a battery jump start cable, Ground the HEI spark tester to the battery negative (-) terminal. These are usually located right on the engine, either … Turn off the ignition switch and remove the spark plug or spark tester from the spark plug wire. such an exposed metal area. An absence of spark will require replacement of the spark plug. Turn the lawn mower's ignition switch on and pull the rope to spin the flywheel. You'll notice that the photos and the testing instructions call for an HEI spark tester. Although manufactured to last, ignition coils … Disclaimer. Here is a fast easy method to diagnose if your spark plug is the problem. If a spark jumps from a plug wire to the test light at any point, this is an indication that the insulation has broken down, and the spark plug wire should be replaced. There are three main ingredients to starting and operating a lawn mower: air, fuel and spark. DIAGNOSTIC TEST OPTION 2: You don't have a spark tester, start here: COP COIL TEST 2. For more info (and photos) on these possible conditions, see section: Other Misfire Causes. How a Coil Pack Works. Testing these circuits can … However, you can test the coil pack on your car using a voltmeter. Set it aside for now. The starter is located on the outside part of a leaf blower. The locking tab on the connector breaks very easily... so be careful unplugging it from the coil. Your purchase helps support my work in bringing you real diagnostic testing information to help you solve the problem! How To: Use a lab scope and inductive pickup to test a coil on a car spark plug ; How To: Remove the ignition coil & module in a Saturn S-Series ; How To: Use a shortcut to quickly remove a heater core on a 2001 Ford Taurus ; How To: Install 120 Volt Plugins & USB Ports in a Car or Truck ; How To: Change out the spark plugs on your car With the engine running, move the test light along the length of each spark plug wire. If the coil has more than two wires, you’ll need a wiring diagram to determine how to test it. Use your volt meter to touch the power wire and the trigger wire. Older vehicles have a distributor, ignition coil, and spark plug wires. If you don't have one, you can use any other type of spark tester (although the results may not be as accurate). Place the original spark plug back in, and set the spark plug wire against the motor. What I recommend you do is to test for each signal with the connector connected using a wire-piercing probe. Here's why: The COP coil that you just tested (and that didn't spark) receives power in the form of 12 Volts DC and a switching signal that comes directly from the PCM (Powertrain Control Module= Fuel Injection Computer). Now, you don't have to read the entire article to use the info presented here but, I suggest you do. I suggest that you check to see that the 1.) Pull the rope to spin the flywheel and watch for a spark on the original spark plug. Open the hood to locate the ignition coil. To test the operation of both the ignition coil and the spark plug, connect the tester between the spark plug boot and the spark plug. I'm gonna' explain both in this article. Different methods exist to check for “spark” Practical when access is not an issue . It converts the power from your car's 12-volt battery into the thousand or so volts that the spark plugs need in order to fire and then ignite the engine's air-fuel mixture. All Rights Reserved. Chrysler  |   Once the winding inside weakens or breaks, the problem is irreversible. If you suspect that your Toyota has a bad COP ignition coil that's causing a misfire condition (and setting a misfire code that is lighting the check engine light (CEL)), then this is the tutorial you need. Do NOT follow this link or you will be banned from the site! Please read the following sections: I Have a Misfire Code(s) or I Have NO Misfire Code(s) before jumping into COP COIL TEST 1.TIP 2: Most of the testing, that you'll be doing, is done with the engine cranking... so be careful and stay alert. Testing Continuity The ignition coil consists of a single wire wound hundreds of times around a core, and any break that occurs in the wire renders the coil inoperable. Removing and replacing spark plugs is very simple – getting to them, on some engines, can be a little tricky. Ensure the spark plug wires are properly connected. 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