The 2.7L V6 engine in the Chrysler Sebring and Dodge Stratus has six individual ignition coils. These ignition coils can be easily tested.
In this tutorial, I'm going to explain how to test them with a spark tester. With your test results you'll be able to find out if any of the six ignition coils are defective.
Contents of this tutorial at a quick glance:
NOTE: This tutorial applies to the following vehicles:
Chrysler Vehicles:
- 2.7L V6 Sebring: 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005.
- 2.7L V6 Sebring Convertible: 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005.
Dodge Vehicles:
- 2.7L V6 Stratus: 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005.
Symptoms Of A Bad Ignition Coil
A bad ignition coil will cause several different problems. Although it's not a complete list, you'll see one or more of the following symptoms:
- A misfire trouble code.
- Rough engine idle.
- Bad gas mileage.
- A stronger than normal exhaust gas smell.
- The check engine light is lit on the instrument cluster.
The cool thing is that the ignition coils can be easily tested with simple tools.
And the most important tool that you're going to need is a spark tester.
I'm going to recommend that you use an HEI spark tester for your test. You can find out more about this spark tester here: HEI Spark Tester.
Where To Buy The Ignition Coil And Save
The following links will help you comparison shop for the 2.4L Honda CR-V's ignition coils. I think they'll save you some bucks:
TEST 1: Ignition Coil Spark Test
I'm going to suggest that you test all of the six ignition coils for spark.
If you only want to test one specific ignition coil, you can. Especially if you already know which cylinder is the one that is misfiring.
If you have a misfire on your hands but you don't know which cylinder might be the one misfiring, then I suggest that you test all 6 cylinders for spark.
As I mentioned earlier, you need to use a spark tester to test for spark. Using any other method to test for spark that does not include a spark tester can give you a false test result.
Spark testers are not expensive and you can find out more about the one that I recommend here: HEI Spark Tester.
These are the test steps:
- 1
Disconnect the cylinder #2 ignition coil from its electric connector and remove it.
- 2
Reconnect the ignition coil to its electrical connector.
- 3
Connect a spark tester to the ignition coil (see photo 1 of 2).
- 4
Ground the spark tester to the battery negative access point on the driver side strut tower (see photo 2 of 2)
- 5
Have your helper crank the engine as you observe the spark tester
- 6
The spark tester should spark.
Repeat test steps 1 through 5 on the other 5 ignition coils.
Let's examine your test results:
CASE 1: All 6 ignition coils are sparking. This is the correct and expected test result.
You can conclude that an ignition coil is not behind the misfire problem you're trying to solve.
CASE 2: An ignition coil did not spark. This test result usually indicates that the ignition coil that did not spark is defective.
So that you can be absolutely sure, I recommend doing one more test on the ignition coil that did not spark. Go to: TEST 2: Swapping Ignition Coils.
