Bench Testing Your Ignition Coil

By Matthew Wright, About.com Guide

The secondary winding of your ignition coil delivers the spark to the distributor to be sent to the spark plugs. If it's bad, you'll get a weak spark or no spark at all.

To test the coil's secondary winding, attach the test probes to the outer 12V pole and the center pole (where the main wire goes to the distributor). Determine the resistance and check to see if it's within the range indicated in your repair manual. If it is, your coil is up to the task. If it's even slightly out of range, your coil should be replaced.

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• Why Bench Test Your Ignition Coil?
• Testing the Primary Winding of Your Ignition Coil
• Testing the Secondary Winding of Your Ignition Coil

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