5 Symptoms of a Faulty Ignition Coil

Ignition coils are a small but essential component of your engine. Your coils transform the relatively low voltage of your battery into a powerful surge that allows your spark plugs to ignite the fuel in the engine’s cylinders. If you have a faulty ignition coil, your engine will falter. So if you notice any of the following five indicators of trouble, visit your local GMC dealer promptly for a replacement coil.

5 Symptoms of a Faulty Ignition Coil

Your Engine’s Misfiring

Any coughing or sputtering from your engine accompanied by a jolting sensation means your engine’s misfiring. When misfiring, your engine might lose power altogether for a few seconds. It’s a very worrying sensation when you’re on the road.

A misfire is when the combustion process that fires your cylinders and powers your car doesn’t happen properly. The fuel-air mixture is pumped into the combustion chamber but the spark plug fails to ignite it. Misfiring almost always comes down to either a faulty spark plug or coil.

You’re Idling Roughly

When your cylinders aren’t all firing correctly, you’ll notice it very clearly when idling, such as while you’re waiting at a traffic light. The usually smooth, pleasant rumble of your engine in idle will become a juddering, faltering, noisy experience.

You Start Stalling

At worst, your misfiring engine will stall altogether. It might then be difficult to restart the engine. This is only likely to happen if more than one of your coils has given up the ghost.

You’re Accelerating Sluggishly

With a malfunctioning ignition coil reducing your engine’s power, you won’t be able to accelerate as quickly as before. Hopefully, you’ll notice this problem and have it fixed before you try to overtake another vehicle. Overtaking is one of the only situations when slower acceleration can become quite dangerous.

You See Black Smoke From Your Tailpipe

When fuel fails to ignite and burn in your combustion chambers, all that excess, unburned fuel needs to escape from the engine. It eventually gets blown out of your exhaust, usually in the form of thick black smoke.

Your Check Engine Light Blinks On

All these engine problems resulting from a bad coil will quickly be detected by your GMC’s sophisticated computerized monitors. You’ll then see the dreaded check engine light blinking on your dashboard. Whenever you see that light, it’s best to visit a technician right away.

How a GMC Dealer Examines Your Coils

A technician at your local dealership will use tools to interface with your GMC’s onboard computer. This helps them pinpoint the problem area that the car’s monitors have detected. They’ll take out the spark plugs and coils and use a multimeter to test them all. If your malfunctioning coil can’t be cleaned or repaired, they’ll replace it with a new one.

Have your engine and coils examined today at Crain Buick GMC of Springdale. We offer top-notch, personalized service and excellent vehicles.

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