Kia Sorento Ignition Coil
Troubleshooting Tips for a Kia Sorento Ignition Coil
The ignition coil plays an important role in the ignition system. It serves as a transformer by multiplying the low voltage of electricity from the battery source-creating the spark to ignite the fuel and start up your engine. However, prolonged use of this part will eventually lead to wear and tear. And if it wears out, you have to either replace it immediately or push your car manually. So before the ignition coil of your Kia Sorento quits, here's how you can diagnose its problems:
If you have been experiencing troubles starting your engine, chances are, your Kia Sorento ignition coil is the problem. You may test this by simply pulling a spark plug from the engine, cranking the engine, and inspecting the center electrode of the plug for a spark. You should be able to see a bright blue spark every time you fire the cylinder. If you don't see a spark or only a weak orange spark, then your ignition coil is the culprit. You have to check the resistance levels of the coil using a digital multimeter. Set the resistance range to 20K-ohm setting and check the primary and secondary windings. If the multimeter reads under 1.6 for the primary and less than 11.00 for the secondary, then your coil needs to be replaced.
A bad ignition coil also results in car stalling or loss of power. You may check the resistance of the secondary terminals using a multimeter. It should read 8,000 to 12,000 ohms to ensure that it is in good condition. If it exceeds the required ohms, then it should be replaced. Driving with the coil in this state would cause the vehicle to stall occasionally, although the engine would seem to be unaffected. There will also be trouble starting the vehicle, so it is best to replace the coil if it failed the multimeter test.
Decrease in fuel economy
Have you been noticing a sudden increase in your fuel consumption or a decline in your gas mileage? Then this might be caused by a defective coil. Since the coil cannot produce the adequate voltage to start the engine, this loss in performance could possibly cause poor fuel economy. It takes more fuel for the car to run when there is a minimal power to reach the spark plugs. Replacing the coil is the best solution for this problem.