Ignition Coil or Electronic Ignition Coil

Stinky

Stinky

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My Sister-In-Law has a Subie.  I have no idea of what kind of motor that it has.  It had a mis-fire on cylinder #?.  It had been in the shop before that before.  I don't know what they did before.  Anyways, this time, they changed the Electronic Ignition Coils, on the motor....I think all, 6, of them....but don't quote me.  

Here is the Q....does it even have Electronic Ignition Coils?  To me, I am of the impression that a coil is not electronic.  Electronic, to me, implies that it has a brain of some sort and/or that it changes the way that it operates based on a signal from some other gizmo, and that it can vary the way that it operates.  

To me, an ignition coil receives an impulse and transforms voltage into a higher voltage....nutN electronic to it....am I wrong?

 
Coils do wear out.  Especially if there are other issues going on with the motor. 

The Subaru I had in 1985 had electronic ignition.  

 
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"Here is the Q....does it even have Electronic Ignition Coils?"

Or are they just Ignition Coils?

 
I'm not sure I understand what your asking.  Every internal combustion engine has at least one coil.  Points ignition systems have different coils than electronic ignition systems.  Some ignition systems have more than one coil and all of the new ones have a coil per plug.  

I'm willing to bet it has an efi system and electronic ignition.  

 
That is the question....are electronic coils really any different than a points coil.

Take an old-fashioned silo-shaped coil....the only differeance between the two is once has a resister in it to operate  at 6v, and the other operates at 12v.

Isn't a plug mounted coil just a a funny shaped ignition coil???  They work the same way, based on electrical theory....or not?

 
They do work the same.  Low voltage primary, high voltage secondary.  However how they do it is different.   Generally speaking the correct coil should be used for the correct ignition system.  Especially now days with smart coils. 

 
As just mentioned, they perform the same function for points, electronic ignition with a distributor, or electronic ignition without a distributor. Current flows through the primary winding and then is abruptly stopped by some mechanism, causing the magnetic field to collapse which induces a high-voltage  current in the secondary winding and fires the plug. Pretty much the same idea as a transformer in an AC circuit, which can only operate with a varying current. In this case it is a pulsating DC current instead of AC.

The only real difference I can think of between coils is that many distributor-less cars that aren't "coil on plug" use coil packs, which are essentially pairs of coils that share a primary winding and have each end of the secondary winding going to a spark plug wire terminal. In this system, both of those spark plugs are  fired at the same time and on every revolution, creating a waste spark on the exhaust stroke for one of the two cylinders.

 
@azyxzer, you are taling about a wasted spark type of ignition system.  COP is not wasted spark.  

 
Kraut_n_Rice said:
Wasted spark is done with COP.  But, not all COP are wasted spark.
Click to expand...
super Interesting.  I dont think ive ever seen a wasted spark setup with a COP configuration.  now that I think about it, I dont see how it could be.  the secondary has to go through both plugs.  the coils have to be joined for that to happen.  there could be more than one ignition event, which fires the 2nd plug, but if they are not physically connected.........

sounds like I need to do some research.  what kinds of ignitions have Wasted spark with COP?  I would like to read up on it. 

thanks

Bob

this is how I know it to be:

Wasted spark, Coil Near Plug

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Coil On Plug

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Not really COP, but close enough

image.jpeg

 
Bobalos said:
super Interesting.  I dont think ive ever seen a wasted spark setup with a COP configuration.  now that I think about it, I dont see how it could be.  the secondary has to go through both plugs.  the coils have to be joined for that to happen.  there could be more than one ignition event, which fires the 2nd plug, but if they are not physically connected.........

sounds like I need to do some research.  what kinds of ignitions have Wasted spark with COP?  I would like to read up on it. 

thanks

Bob
Click to expand...
Yeah, I over spoke a bit.  They can  be.  My Jeep is wasted spark and it has this wierd COP configuration

 
what year & make & motor?  Id like to check it out.  IMO, it is a pretty interesting emissions strategy.  There are down sides to burning fuel in an exhaust system though.  LOL. 

 
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