Is the Check Engine or Service Engine Soon light on? This light is often misunderstood, and even more often, ignored by vehicle owners. Sometimes the fix is as simple as changing the gas cap. Other times, it may be a repair that’s a little more detailed, like ignition coil replacement. Either way, you should have a Check Engine light problem checked out and corrected right away. Failing to fix any issue that triggered the light to come could cause a more complicated and expensive repair down the road.
What does the Service Engine Soon or Check Engine Light mean?
Your vehicle is equipped with a computer system that controls how your vehicle operates. One of the systems, commonly referred to as the OBD or On-Board Diagnostic System, is continually monitoring the performance of the engine to make sure it’s running optimally while emitting the least amount of pollutants in the exhaust. As you drive, the OBD is going through a series of tests. If it identifies a problem with your car’s emission system, it triggers the Check Engine or Service Engine Soon light to come on. The nice thing about the OBD system is that our auto technicians can access the data that will then, along with using other diagnostic measures, help us determine what caused the light to come on.
How can a bad ignition coil cause the light to come on?
An ignition coil takes the low voltage from the car battery and transforms it into the number of volts needed to create the spark that ignites the fuel/air mixture. In older vehicles, there was one ignition coil that would provide the sparks to all the spark plugs through the distributor. Now that we have computer-controlled engines, your vehicle is equipped with either one ignition coil for each spark plug or for every two spark plugs. When an ignition coil goes bad, the fuel/air mixture won’t ignite properly and the engine will misfire. Over time, if this is left uncorrected, all sorts of bad things can happen to the engine. If there’s no spark, raw fuel can damage the cylinder. It can also end up causing issues with the catalytic converter, a very expensive part to replace.
Ok, so back to why a bad ignition coil will cause the Check Engine or Service Engine Soon light to come on… remember, the OBD system is continually monitoring engine performance. If the engine is misfiring, it means the exhaust is emitting more pollutants and your vehicle is not running its best. When that happens, the Service Engine Soon or Check Engine light will come on. The Check Engine light can also turn on if the OBD notices an issue with the ignition coil signal or circuit.
Check out this video of a vehicle we recently had in the shop that needed ignition coil replacement in Staten Island:
Can ignition coil problems be prevented?
Yes, you can prevent or minimize problems with the ignition coils through preventive maintenance. That means getting tune-ups when recommended by the manufacturer. Regularly changing spark plugs, wires and resetting the timing will go a long way to protecting the ignition coil. If the Check Engine light or Service Engine Soon light comes on, get it checked out right away. Finally, if you need to replace the ignition coils, you will want to have all of them replaced at the same time, even if only one is bad. More than likely, another one will be failing soon and you won’t want to go through the extra expensive of another ignition coil replacement.
Bring your vehicle to Colonial Service Station where our trusted mechanics can assist you with preventive maintenance and engine repairs. Click here to schedule an appointment for ignition coil replacement in Staten Island, New York.