TEST 2: Making Sure The Ignition Coil Is Getting Power
The ignition coils get power in the form of 10 to 12 Volts DC. The wire that delivers these 10 to 12 Volts is the pink (PNK) wire of their 3-wire connector.
I've labeled the PNK wire with the letter A in the image above.
Although it's rare for an ignition coil to lose power, it's essential to make sure it receives power.
We'll do a simple multimeter voltage test with the multimeter in Volts DC mode to check for power.
Let's get started:
- 1
Disconnect the ignition coil from its electrical connector.
- 2
Place your multimeter in Volts DC mode.
- 3
Connect the red multimeter test lead to the PNK wire of the electrical connector.
The PNK wire is labeled with the letter A in the image above. - 4
Ground the black multimeter test lead directly on the battery negative (-) terminal.
- 5
Turn the key on but don't crank or start the engine.
- 6
You should see 10 to 12 Volts DC displayed on your multimeter.
Let's examine your test results:
CASE 1: The multimeter reported 10 to 12 Volts. This is the correct and expected test result and lets you know that the ignition coil is getting Power.
The next step is to check that the ignition coil is receiving Ground. For this test go to: TEST 3: Making Sure The Ignition Coil Is Getting Ground.
CASE 2: The ignition coil is not getting 10 to 12 Volts DC. Without power the ignition coil is not going to spark.
The most common cause of this missing power is an open-circuit problem in the PNK wire.
Although it's beyond the scope of this tutorial to diagnose this problem, you have eliminated the ignition coil itself as the source of the misfire. Once power is restored to the ignition coil, it'll start to spark again.
TEST 3: Making Sure The Ignition Coil Is Getting Ground
If you've reached this point, you have:
- Confirmed that the ignition coil you are troubleshooting is not sparking (TEST 1).
- Confirmed that the ignition coil receives 10 to 12 Volts DC (TEST 2).
In this test section, you'll check that the ignition coil connector's black (BLK) wire is delivering Ground.
In the image above, I've labeled the BLK wire with the letter C.
These are the test steps:
- 1
Disconnect the ignition coil from its electrical connector.
- 2
Place your multimeter in Volts DC mode.
- 3
Connect the black multimeter test lead to the BLK wire of the ignition coil's connector.
The BLK wire is labeled with the letter C in the image above. - 4
Connect the red multimeter test lead directly on the battery positive (+) terminal.
- 5
You should see a voltage reading between 10 to 12 Volts DC on your multimeter.
NOTE: No need to turn the key to its ON position since this is a chassis Ground and Ground is present at all times.
Let's examine your test results:
CASE 1: The multimeter reported 10 to 12 Volts. This is the correct and expected test result and lets you know that the ignition coil is getting Ground.
The next step is to check that the ignition coil is getting an activation signal. For this test go to: TEST 4: Swapping Ignition Coils.
CASE 2: The multimeter DID NOT report 10 to 12 Volts. This test result confirms that the ignition coil is not receiving Ground. Without Ground, the ignition coil is not going to spark.
The most common cause of this missing Ground is an open-circuit problem in the BLK wire.
Although it's beyond the scope of this tutorial to diagnose this problem, you have eliminated the ignition coil itself as the source of the misfire. Once Ground is restored to the ignition coil, it'll start to spark again.
