Ignition Coil lifespan

Post by **JRL1500** » Fri Apr 26, 2024 2:11 pm

Owned a 2009 Nissan Rogue S AWD for about a month a half now. 2 weeks back, car threw a Misfire in Cylinder 4 error code. Pulled a Scotty Kilmer and tested it by moving coils from Cylinder 4 to 3, clearing codes, seeing if the code followed the coil. It did, now the code is Misfire in Cylinder 3. Picked up a new coil, $70, put it back on Cylinder 4, as my thought was sitting under the intake, it got more heat, was more prone to fail. Fixed the car right up, quick fix.

Today, son just called me, said he thinks same thing happened again. Car starts shaking, Check Engine Light comes on, etc. Full Disclosure, I haven't been home to scan the car yet, it could be something totally different, but was curious if y'all had seen a rash of Ignition Coils dying over the years. Is it the norm?

Thanks.

Post by **worldbikr** » Fri Apr 26, 2024 3:54 pm

Could be your valve cover spark plug tube seals are leaking oil. Pull plug and check. I had to replace my cover.

Post by **VStar650CL** » Fri Apr 26, 2024 4:01 pm

It could just be old age, but check your engine grounds before condemning the coils. Resistance in the ground path is the biggest cause of multiple coil failures:
keep-your-engine-on-the-ground-not-just ... 28130.html

Post by **JRL1500** » Sat Apr 27, 2024 4:47 am

worldbikr wrote: ↑
Fri Apr 26, 2024 3:54 pm
Could be your valve cover spark plug tube seals are leaking oil. Pull plug and check. I had to replace my cover.

If that's the case, the spark plug should be fouled, right? I guess if that was the case, swapping the ignition coils wouldn't make the code move from one cylinder to another, so I'll check this route if the coil fails the "swap, clear code, wait and see" test. Thanks for the advice!

Post by **JRL1500** » Sat Apr 27, 2024 4:49 am

VStar650CL wrote: ↑
Fri Apr 26, 2024 4:01 pm
It could just be old age, but check your engine grounds before condemning the coils. Resistance in the ground path is the biggest cause of multiple coil failures:
keep-your-engine-on-the-ground-not-just ... 28130.html

Your writeup from 2020....gold! I'll scan the code a little later on today (need coffee), then go from there. Just happened to pick up a new multimeter last week for a different project, so looks like it'll come in handy twice. So from your Vdrop post, I'd put a lead on the negative battery terminal and check for drop at all the connections downstream? What's the best way to know where all to probe? Thanks again.

Post by **VStar650CL** » Sat Apr 27, 2024 5:05 am

JRL1500 wrote: ↑
Sat Apr 27, 2024 4:47 am
If that's the case, the spark plug should be fouled, right? I guess if that was the case, swapping the ignition coils wouldn't make the code move from one cylinder to another, so I'll check this route if the coil fails the "swap, clear code, wait and see" test. Thanks for the advice!

No, it will make individual coils go bad, but they'll fail one after another until the ground issue is resolved. The mechanism is heat, N-channel devices cook themselves when they have a "soft" ground. The "warts" that develop on the coils are from the N-FET's melting the epoxy shells around them.

Post by **D1dad** » Sat Apr 27, 2024 6:16 am

My 09 Altima is running an engine with 80k and the coils have almost 200k. I swapped out the engine with a low mileage replacement, pulled the low mileage coils and put them in a box. I’m sure I just cursed myself, but I’m also on the original starter but did replace the alternator, just to be safe. Cause we all know an alternator doesn’t go as you pull in the driveway. This car is now on my 2nd son, after I drove it for work for years. My 1st son drove it 1 way 400 miles to college for 2 years. Minus the fact that the rings never seated and it used oil and the cvt was replaced at 95k it’s been a bulletproof beast. I learned not to trust the dealership on fluid replacement. Had I known better I’d probably still be on the original cvt.

Post by **JRL1500** » Sat Apr 27, 2024 8:03 am

Official Cylinder 3 Misfire, per code scanner, but I haven't swapped the coils to see if the problem follows it from one to the other yet... Looks like I'm buying another coil no matter what, got 150K on the clock now, should I go ahead and replace the three original coils while I'm at it? Understand the ground could be the issue and will troubleshoot that during the process, but it's basically $100 and zero extra time/effort to have ALL new coils since I've replaced #4 already and #3 is on the books for today.

Post by **VStar650CL** » Sat Apr 27, 2024 8:39 am

I'd do them all. Even if it turns out to be a ground issue, you'll only be replacing one that was damaged enough to fail. That won't mean the others are good, they may just not have failed yet.

Post by **JRL1500** » Sat Apr 27, 2024 10:25 am

VStar650CL wrote: ↑
Sat Apr 27, 2024 8:39 am
I'd do them all. Even if it turns out to be a ground issue, you'll only be replacing one that was damaged enough to fail. That won't mean the others are good, they may just not have failed yet.

Sounds like a plan. If I were to check for Vdrop in the ground at the same time, is there a list of where all I should check? Guessing I could start at the negative battery terminal and work my way down, but wasn't sure what all I might be getting into.

Thanks!

Post by **VStar650CL** » Sat Apr 27, 2024 11:45 am

Post to block and post to chassis are the first places to check. Aging Nissan cars and crossovers are pretty much all infamous for rotten chassis grounds. The middle lug on the ground cable usually bolts to the frame directly underneath the battery, so over time the battery fumes (which are heavier than air) can make a big, invisible mess.

I have seen a few QR25 harnesses which developed issues with one or more of the individual coil grounds. To check those, use a small T-pin or safety pin to back-probe the ground wire for each coil, measuring to the post. The readings should be similar to the post-to-block reading. If they're a lot higher then the individual grounds have an issue. Fortunately the terminus for the coil grounds is easy to get at, it's one of the two ground rings on the upper engine mount directly above the alternator. So if the problem is in one or more specific wires, there's nothing wrong with rewiring a bypass to the same ground point.

Post by **JRL1500** » Sun Apr 28, 2024 9:00 am

VStar650CL wrote: ↑
Sat Apr 27, 2024 11:45 am
Post to block and post to chassis are the first places to check. Aging Nissan cars and crossovers are pretty much all infamous for rotten chassis grounds. The middle lug on the ground cable usually bolts to the frame directly underneath the battery, so over time the battery fumes (which are heavier than air) can make a big, invisible mess.

I have seen a few QR25 harnesses which developed issues with one or more of the individual coil grounds. To check those, use a small T-pin or safety pin to back-probe the ground wire for each coil, measuring to the post. The readings should be similar to the post-to-block reading. If they're a lot higher then the individual grounds have an issue. Fortunately the terminus for the coil grounds is easy to get at, it's one of the two ground rings on the upper engine mount directly above the alternator. So if the problem is in one or more specific wires, there's nothing wrong with rewiring a bypass to the same ground point.

Wealth of knowledge, thank you. Replaced coils on Cylinders 1-3 yesterday, it was literally a 10 minute job. Pressed for time and needed to get the car running, so didn't start digging into ground yesterday...it would have ruined my "10 minute brag" to the wife. Did notice that the battery terminals (both, but mainly +) had corrosion at the terminals, so will clean that off soon. When doing that, probably a good time to pull the battery, get under the battery tray, see if anything's hiding at the ground point you mentioned.

Post by **VStar650CL** » Sun Apr 28, 2024 10:39 am

You're most welcome. Nissan hot lugs have a nasty habit of going invisibly-green around the post once the plating goes south. When you remove it, if you see a lot of green and copper where there should be silver, don't clean it, replace the lug. I'm pretty sure your Rogue takes the usual 24340-7F000 and they're not expensive even at the dealer, about $15 last I looked and about $8 online. I've seen a lot of blown ECM's and other sundry failures over the years from people screwing around with generic parts store lugs that don't fit, get the right lug and let the car and battery thank you. If you want to protect it for the future, anodizing battery-protector paint works better than anything else, it will usually give you a solid three years and will prevent corrosion even in areas that have lost the plating.

Ignition Coil lifespan

Ignition Coil lifespan

Re: Ignition Coil lifespan

Re: Ignition Coil lifespan

Re: Ignition Coil lifespan

Re: Ignition Coil lifespan

Re: Ignition Coil lifespan

Re: Ignition Coil lifespan

Re: Ignition Coil lifespan

Re: Ignition Coil lifespan

Re: Ignition Coil lifespan

Re: Ignition Coil lifespan

Re: Ignition Coil lifespan

Re: Ignition Coil lifespan

Nissan Forums

Infiniti Forums

Datsun Forums

Technical Forums

Classifieds / Marketplace

Nissan Motorsports

General Forums