1998 Qx4 Weak Intermittent Spark

[boatflipper]

Some of you have followed my no start issue:
1998-qx4-wont-start-please-help-t571561.html

It ended up being a bad computer not sending the ground signal to the fuel pump relay.

Anyway, I figured out the poor idle/stalling issue was due to a stuck/broken IAC valve. I've also done some research and found a bunch of posts indicating that a faulty IAC fries the computer so I figured that's what happened in my case.

Now I have a different issue. She stalled and won't re-start and I've determined she now has a very weak/intermittent spark for some reason. I have new plugs, new cap and new rotor but I didn't replace the wires. When I connect a spark tester to good ground and any plug wire I get an extremely weak, intermittent, yellow spark instead of the consistent crisp blue/white I should have. Any ideas?

[Slumpert]

Everything I read points to failing coil which is inside of the distibutor.... Might at least do a quick check down that big hole diagonal from the rotor and make sure nothing got in there.

[boatflipper]

Thanks for the reply Slumpert. I was afraid that was what was going on and of course you can't just replace the coil you need to buy a whole new distributor :-( Its just crazy the way we had no issues whatsoever and then bam bam bam everything happens within a week. Gonna blow out and clean the distributor and get new wires (since I replaced everything else) and if I still get weak/intermittent spark it's gotta be the coil. Do you know how I can test to see if the coil is getting the full 12v it needs? Thanks again for the help. I also have to remove and check/clean the IAC valve - fun fun.