it seems to be one of the most common problems specific to hondas.
yet other car manufacturers dont suffer from this issue as much as we do.
they have their own issues.



what is so different about our ignition system that makes the coil a weak spot?


since i owned my integra i replaced 3-4 coils.
and numerous coils on friend's cars as well.


and what can we do to extend the life of coild and iCMs



i would like to know from someone with correct info, no guesses or my buddy said or i heard please.

 

all coils go out.
don't get new ones from autozone. or anything electrical from autozone.

 

well obviously, i was asking why so often. even OEM ones.

 

I work at an auto electrical shop, [Dave Ward Auto Electric/Airwolfe Auto Air Conditioning]... http://www.airwolfeautoair.com/ we do not see a disproportionate number of Honda/Acura compared to other makes with coil problems. 94

 

I change coils all the time, but I've yet to change one twice on the same car.

 

The last hondas with a distributor and single coil are now all at least 10 years old, some of them are over 20 years old now, it's to be expected, these vehicles are being well past their expected end of life date/mileage. Aftermarket coils tend to be junk, most people don't want to spend the money on a new honda coil. It is what it is.

 

Replaced the coil in my friend's EF at least 3 times. Never had it go in my CRX. We both put more than average miles on our vehicles. I think he was running a junk cap when it took out two coils...

 

If you believe this, you've obviously never owned an Audi. Heck, the local Audi dealer even asked me if I had a spare set in the trunk. The car had 70k miles at the time, was already on set #2, and was already running the upgrade coils they issued on a recall...

 

I've had Hondas for about ten years so far and never replaced a single coil.

I've also worked at parts stores for a few years now and Hondas don't stand out as having problems with coils.

I'd say most of the coils we sell are for older Chevy trucks.

 

Hot/cold cycling for decades. That's why.

I also agree that these coils aren't a "weak" design. I finally had to replace the coil in my B16A. It's almost 19 years old, I'd say that's pretty reliable.


VAG big time.

 

Btw, most of the coils I hear tell of people replacing in Hondas died because someone tried to do a compression test without unplugging the distributor or pulled plug wires off with with engine running.

 

x2

Glad someone mentioned it. This is also the only way I've seen a coil get killed on a honda. The old style timing lights that connect in series through the spark plug wires also will kill a coil. I learned this the hard way 10 years ago when checking my timing....

Never seen a coil just die. Had an ignitor die once at 120,000 mi. When my hondas turn 100,000 mi, I always buy a spare coil and ignitor to throw in the trunk....safe insurance.

 

ya I keep extras too. can change em both with a philips screwdriver.
As a general rule I see igniters die and not come back, while coils will die and then run again once cooled down, but that is definitely not set in stone.

 

Haha i was gonna mention this. I have probably changed more Audi/VW coils than ANY other make of car. (Nissans are a close second though.)

 

I used to see the same thing. Also it seemed that a failing/failed igniter would also send erratic signals to the tachometer causing it to jump around.
I dont remember seeing bad coils ever do this...

I think it seems like they go out alot because its one of the only things that go out on our hondas...Coils, igniters, and main relays...
Thats all i can really think of that actually fails. Besides your normal items like batteries and an alternator or starter every 10 years or so...
the Timex of the auto world

 

+1 for alot of Audi/VW/Porsche coils being crap...(Bosch)

 

i don't think any of them are made by bosch. at least not vw ones.

 

I know the porsche ones were. I was a tech at a dealership and we had like 6 revisions of coils for our cayenne v8's...Yes. 6 different updated coils since the cayenne came out! I almost have that part number memorized. At any given time we had about 50 ignition coils in stock ready to go...LOL
Whos making VW coils now? Denso? I thought Bosch supplied most all the german car mfgs with ignition coils?

 

They were Denso on my 2002 A4, both stock and the "upgraded" replacements (that seemed identical, but had a new part number).

 

my 95 integra has the original coil, ignitor and distributor...and it makes 400whp+

 

hmm.

so what would cause a coil to go out besides stuff mentioned above.

 

Yes! I've been saying this for years on here buy no one ever agrees with me.
Because they are one of the few electrical components that go bad, the become
deemed as problematic for the brand.

In the OP's case, there has to be something making them crap out early.

 

I think the main killer of electronics is heat (and moisture).
It seems to me Ive replaced more igniters than I have coils.
Ive also always lived in hotter climates too like Texas, Georgia, and Florida...

I wonder if its a climate thing? I believe larger plug gaps also make the coil work harder.

 

the last few sets of coils made for the 1.8t have been japanese made (even the ones on the recall). don't remember the manufacturer though.

 

would it help to place a moisture absorbing bag( very small one) inside a distributor?
like the shoeboxes have.

or a piece of that absorbing material, im not sure if it breaks down or not.