88 Pulsar SE 1.8L Possible Ignition coil problem?????

[lollyloopp]

Hi I am new here.I drive a 1988 Nissan Pulsar SE with the 1.8L.I've had this car for 13 years now and still love it as much as the first day I drove him.I have a question about an issue he is having.

A couple years ago a Nissan dealership told us that 1 of the ignition coils was failing. He quoted around $500 to fix it.

The car has been reliable ever since but he does not run smoothly.

The first 20 minutes or so he drives fine. Then he will start idling rough and misfiring and sometimes will not accelerate even with the gas to the floor.

Could one of the ignition coils cause this?

I would like to know how to test the ignition coils to see if this is really the problem or if there is another issue.

Can anyone help??

Thanks so much!

[ca18detgabby]

sounds like a possibility, but the engine is so old....... there are other issues that could cause said run time errors.

to give you an idea, a bad coil means you are running on 3 cyclindars and just dumping fuel right out into the exhaust because it isnt burning.

It takes NO TIME to change a coil plug in the DET...... if it is anything like that a 8MM wrench and 2 secs of brain power will solve your issues. I would also change the plugs at the same time as they are probably pretty bad now and clean the MAF. car should pur after that.

[lollyloopp]

Thank you for the reply!

Is there anyway to test a coil?

Thanks.

[EZcheese15]

Thank you for the reply!

Is there anyway to test a coil?

Thanks.

Unbolt the coil from the valve cover (test one at a time). Unscrew the spark plug, then stick it in the coil. Hold the plug against the engine block/head and have a friend crank the motor (hold the coil though, not the plug, otherwise you'll get this tingly feeling in you as 10,000 V pass through your fingers). If the coil is bad it wont spark. If it's good, it'll spark.

It's a good idea to take out the fuse for the fuel pump first, that way the car won't start while you are holding a coilpack in your hand

Do that for all 4 cylinders and look for a dead one. Post back when you have the results.

[r34 gtr]

As a rule I pretty much try and avoid touching anything ignition coil related when turning the car over. It hurts like nothing else. I think I was impotent for like a week.

[EZcheese15]

As a rule I pretty much try and avoid touching anything ignition coil related when turning the car over. It hurts like nothing else. I think I was impotent for like a week.

As long as your hand is on the coil you should be fine, it's insulated. If it wasn't, then your car wouldn't run.

And yeah, a spark shock hurts like hell, but it won't kill you. But if you want to play it safe, you can find somewhere to wedge the coil pack so that the plug is still grounded and you can let go of it.

[Bwana]

WHAT!???!!! Torry posting in the CA forum????

[biosehnsucht]

I've seen cracked coil cases... so, maybe if the coil is to blame, maybe holding it isn't a good idea, no ?

[EZcheese15]

WHAT!???!!! Torry posting in the CA forum????

Haha, I was linked in here from another thread.

[EZcheese15]

I've seen cracked coil cases... so, maybe if the coil is to blame, maybe holding it isn't a good idea, no ?

If the coil is cracked, then yes, there is that possibility. However, it's rare. It's more likely that the coil just doesn't work.

There are other ways around holding the coil, as I mentioned above. All I'm saying is that is a quick and easy way to do it, and 99.9% of the time you'll not get shocked. If, on a rare circumstance, the coil is cracked and you do get shocked, big deal. It doesn't hurt any worse than getting shocked from a wall outlet. You'll live.

[ca18detgabby]

If the coil is cracked, then yes, there is that possibility. However, it's rare. It's more likely that the coil just doesn't work.

There are other ways around holding the coil, as I mentioned above. All I'm saying is that is a quick and easy way to do it, and 99.9% of the time you'll not get shocked. If, on a rare circumstance, the coil is cracked and you do get shocked, big deal. It doesn't hurt any worse than getting shocked from a wall outlet. You'll live.

wouldnt a laytex(sp?) glove solve all fears as now your hand is insulated too?

[lollyloopp]

Done.And no one was shocked

The results:

#1, 2, and 4 sparked off immediately both times tested.

#3 did not spark the first 2 times, a little the next time, none the 4th time. We tried it 2 more times before putting everything back together and both times it sparked strong.

To be more specific in the symptoms of the car's behavior:

He runs fine for the first 15 to 20 minutes in the morning on the way to work, about a 35 minute drive. Then he just starts idling rough and misfiring.In the afternoon he will run fine for about the first 10 minutes or so and then start acting up.

Twice in the last several months when stopping at a light he cut out all together, then started right back up.

We are thinking that this maybe more of a fuel issue?

What do you think?

PS.THANK YOU for the help! Much appreciated!

[biosehnsucht]

swap #3 with a 'good' one and see if the 'bad' one stays bad. If it does, replace coil. If it doesn't (and whichever is now in #3 is 'bad') then its wiring, ignitor, or ECU (but most likely the ignitor).

[meminto]

Yep, I would test the ignitor next.. Especially with the weak then strong spark...

If you are handy with a multimeter, you can check the continuity between specified pins, I can post up the process if you like...

[lollyloopp]

Yep, I would test the ignitor next.. Especially with the weak then strong spark...

If you are handy with a multimeter, you can check the continuity between specified pins, I can post up the process if you like...

That would be GREAT!! Thanks!

We did test more than one of the wire plugs and all got a good spark so I am ruling that part out.It is possible that when number 3 did not spark it was not well grounded. That is why we tested it the last couple times and did get a good spark. Is it possible for an ignition coil to have an intermittent problem. Or if it works it sparks good if it doesn't work it doesn't spark?

I know this may be a vague (possibly even stupid) question but is there any other easy fixes I should check before having it looked at by a mechanic?

Thanks again!!

[EZcheese15]

That would be GREAT!! Thanks!

We did test more than one of the wire plugs and all got a good spark so I am ruling that part out.It is possible that when number 3 did not spark it was not well grounded. That is why we tested it the last couple times and did get a good spark. Is it possible for an ignition coil to have an intermittent problem. Or if it works it sparks good if it doesn't work it doesn't spark?

I know this may be a vague (possibly even stupid) question but is there any other easy fixes I should check before having it looked at by a mechanic?

Thanks again!!

It could be as simple as needing new spark plugs. You could have a crack in the ceramic of one of the plugs which would cause the plug to sometimes ground against the head while firing, instead of jumping the plug gap.

You can switch some of the plugs around and see if the weak spark follows the spark plug, or stays with the same coil.

[lollyloopp]

Thank you for the reply!

Is there anyway to test a coil?

Thanks.

[meminto]

Here is some info for you on the ignitor and the coil pack, I couldn't find where to upload an image

http://s288.photobucket.com/albums/ll189/Matt_S13/

[Liquid_Neon]

yay for another pulsar owner, and someone who has owned it for years too!

Sounds like a coil to me, the 15-20minutes thing is mostly from heat related issues. Good to be smart and test it anyway, but after 20 years under a pulsar hood the poor things tend to get heat stroke.So I'm more or less saying the same thing, but I love my car so I find any excuse to talk to other pulsar owners

[lollyloopp]

yay for another pulsar owner, and someone who has owned it for years too!

Sounds like a coil to me, the 15-20minutes thing is mostly from heat related issues. Good to be smart and test it anyway, but after 20 years under a pulsar hood the poor things tend to get heat stroke.So I'm more or less saying the same thing, but I love my car so I find any excuse to talk to other pulsar owners

That's AWESOME! I wasn't sure if I was the only Pulsar lover out there or not! Talk (or type) to your heart's content. I LOVE my Pepe (that's his nickname) more than any other possesion I own, for the last decade!I'm so glad to here someone who's had 20 years experience with working on these to reply. It is SO HARD to find someone who sounds confident in working on them, including the dealership! One person there even told me to junk him!!!! That was my que to leave, lol!

I've been poking for more info on the internet and came across how to read the engine codes. I found some instructions on this site on how to access it and read it. Would that indicate to me what the problem is more specifically or not?

[lollyloopp]

BTW, love your Avatar

[boost_boy]

I'm so glad to here someone who's had 20 years experience with working on these to reply.

I don't think he's referring to the amount of years he's had working with pulsars, but more of the fact that the coils have probably been under your hood for 20 years.

Dee

[lollyloopp]

I stand corrected!

That's what I get for skimming.

[Liquid_Neon]

Yes, sadly i have not worked with them for 20 years. I wasnt much into cars at 3 years old.

Yeah, im just here with other ca guys since thats the motor in mine. Its actually out back dissected (for the third time ) and waiting for a fresh rebuilt engine and turbo.

I have actually owned two other pulsars, but with the 1.6L engine instead. I drove to maryland to pickup my current one, about 3 years ago.

[EZcheese15]

That's AWESOME! I wasn't sure if I was the only Pulsar lover out there or not! Talk (or type) to your heart's content. I LOVE my Pepe (that's his nickname) more than any other possesion I own, for the last decade!I'm so glad to here someone who's had 20 years experience with working on these to reply. It is SO HARD to find someone who sounds confident in working on them, including the dealership! One person there even told me to junk him!!!! That was my que to leave, lol!

I've been poking for more info on the internet and came across how to read the engine codes. I found some instructions on this site on how to access it and read it. Would that indicate to me what the problem is more specifically or not?

The codes are only going to help if your check engine light is on. If it's not on, then most likely you have no codes (unless the bulb is just burnt out, which is rare). Or rather, code 55, which I believe is the Nissan OBDI code for clear.

[EZcheese15]

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[lollyloopp]

HTML code does not work on the forums. You must use either [url] or [img] tags, and can not embed flash files.

Thanks for the html note!

[lollyloopp]

This is a bit of an update:

When testing the coils, we unplugged the engine subharness (the plugs going into the ignition coils). In doing that part of the plastic around the plug crumbled.

The car now rides rougher than before. So I am assuming I should just bite the bullet and replace the subharness.

I have called several places and have looked at many sites and have not found one for sale.

I did call a local dealership and they can order one for $105.

I thought it would be worth a shot and ask if anyone here knows another resource for this particular part before I call them back and order it?

Thanks again for everyone's input!!

[mazikowski]

Can't say much to help you out, but I'm with Liquid... It's great to see somebody else who owns and love their Pulsar so much! I have owned my 87 for only a little over a year now (jan 4 2007) but I have loved these little cars for a long time! I love it so much, in fact, that I went from Huntsville AL to Griffin GA to grab up mine! Loved it ever since!

If you run into any specific problems with your car, or just want to meet other EXA/Pulsar NX owners, I suggest joining up on NissanEXA.com! the guys there really know their stuff and are a great help! Mostly Australian members, but there are a handful of us in North America.

[lollyloopp]

Thanks for the suggestion!

I have left a posting there too.