Ignition coils help generate the electrical voltage that lets the engine’s spark plugs spark. A typical Mazda with four combustion chambers can still operate with one faulty ignition coil. But the car’s performance will suffer greatly, and more significant car problems may soon develop. If one of your ignition coils fails, you’re likely to notice the following six warning signs and should have it repaired or replaced at your nearest Mazda dealer as soon as you can.
Does Your Mazda Have a Faulty Ignition Coil?
Failing Engine Power
When an ignition coil stops sending a steady supply of voltage to the spark plug, that spark plug begins to misfire. As a result, the engine loses power: when you step on the gas, it won’t be as responsive as before.
Rough Idling
When a spark plug starts to misfire because of a bad coil, you’ll feel the car struggling. Most notably, it will no longer be purring quietly when you slow down or pause in idle. Instead, it will cough and sputter and seem like it’s struggling to keep running.
Stalling Engine
Misfires can also cause your car to stall, especially when you slow down or rest in idle, which puts the engine under more strain. Once stalled, you might also find it difficult to start the engine again.
Reduced Gas Mileage
With a bad ignition coil, your car won’t be burning fuel as efficiently as before. And you’ll soon find you need to budget more for your gas expenditure each month.
Backfiring Exhaust System
Misfiring in the combustion chambers can cause an excess of unburned fuel to escape into the exhaust system. If excess fuel ignites anywhere outside of the combustion chamber, you’ll hear a loud bang and see smoke coming from the tailpipe.
Check Engine Light
The various engine problems that a bad ignition coil causes will usually trigger the computerized sensors inside your engine. Your car will let you know that something is wrong by lighting up the check engine light on your dashboard. It will then take a technician to properly diagnose and repair the problem.
Your Mazda Dealer May Clean or Replace a Faulty Coil
Malfunctioning ignition coils can sometimes be cleaned instead of replaced. When checking your engine’s coils, if the technician finds them to be dirtied with dust or sooty residue, they’ll first clean them to see if the function can be restored. But if an ignition coil has become overloaded and burned out, broken by vibrations, or destroyed by overheating, it will usually need to be replaced.
Have your malfunctioning ignition coils examined and replaced today at Tom Bush Mazda. Our full-service dealership has been providing local drivers with excellent cars and customer service since 1974.
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