ca18det coil pack melting

[ca18hatch24]

Ok guys, I got a problem Just got my s13 back from being tuned on the new turbo (gt2860rs), and the car ran flawlessly for 2 days....great power, boost came on strong, no knock, etc. Thenwhile cruising, all of the sudden it sounds like my car has dropped a cylinder....sounded like a boxer engine. I pop the hood and I find the #3 cylinder has a melted coil pack, black goo coming out of it. So I got a new coil pack today and put it on there, and same thing...running on 3 cylinders, and the new coil melted after like 5 minutes. What the heck is going on? I haven't changed the spark plugs in a few years, and I know they are a heat range hotter than what I should be running on this setup....but still. Would a massively fouled spark plug cause the coil pack to melt? I checked the grounds on the intake mani, and the one on the coil harness and all looked good. Anyone have ideas on why this would happen all of a sudden?

[mr_ca18det]

Check the power wire for 12+ or - a volt depending on how charged the battery is with the key and make sure u dont constantly have a ground at the other wire it should pulse. You may be able to check it easier.by removing the cam sensor and spinning it by hand slowly the only way i see one melting is constantly being on and it would heat the windings up enough to me lt. I can't remember if there is three wires I believe just two but if there is three there will be another ground. But your gonna have a wiring issue most likelyg

[float_6969]

Bad ignitor or bad ecu. The circut is being held closed on that coil and it's overheating and melting. I'd replaced the ignitor (ignition amplifier in Nissan terms) first. It's much more likely. It's also possible that you've got a wiring problem that's causing that particular coil to ground out and overheat.

Keep in mind how a coil works. They're not designed to have current pass through them for long periods of time. If that happens, they overheat and melt.

[mr_ca18det]

What i meant to say is the multimeter is gonna have to come out to narrow it down

[D_Stirls]

I would be asking the tuner what dwell setting he was using, if they are wrong then the coil can be constantly charged (or charged longer than they need to be) and hence the reason why your melting them.

EDIT!!
What boost are you running? If you are up around the 1 BAR range then you should be going 1 heat range cooler with your plugs not hotter, i.e. 7's not 6's.

[ca18hatch24]

Bad ignitor or bad ecu. The circut is being held closed on that coil and it's overheating and melting. I'd replaced the ignitor (ignition amplifier in Nissan terms) first. It's much more likely. It's also possible that you've got a wiring problem that's causing that particular coil to ground out and overheat.

Keep in mind how a coil works. They're not designed to have current pass through them for long periods of time. If that happens, they overheat and melt.

I am leaning toward it being the ignitor as well, now that I have done some research. I asked one of my 240 buddies here locally, who also happens to be an elec engineer, and that was the first thing he suggested. Basically, the way I understand it, the ignitor has four parallel resistor circuits, one for each coil pack, and it could be that the circuit for the #3 cylinder is screwed up.

On that note, anyone have an ignitor they will sell me?

I will check on the other suggestions as well.

[ca18hatch24]

I would be asking the tuner what dwell setting he was using, if they are wrong then the coil can be constantly charged (or charged longer than they need to be) and hence the reason why your melting them.

EDIT!!
What boost are you running? If you are up around the 1 BAR range then you should be going 1 heat range cooler with your plugs not hotter, i.e. 7's not 6's.

Yeah, I am currently running 6's from when it was a stockish setup.....but the 7's are in the mail to be put on monday. I will ask my tuner about the dwell time. It's a nistune ecu, by the way.

[float_6969]

If it was a dwell issue, they would all be having issues, not just the one coil.

[ca18hatch24]

Hey guys, I recntly replaced the ignitor chip, and instantly all my problems are solved!! Runs like a champ again. Thanks for the help. Float, might be a good idea to drop this into a FAQ section....just a thought.

[float_6969]

My MIND is a FAQ section! LOL, honestly, this is the first time I've heard of an ignitor failing in this manner in probably 10 years, so I'm not super worried about it.

[ca18hatch24]

It sure is, lol! Anyways, thanks for the help man...you nailed it on the head.

[float_6969]

Glad to help!