Ignition coils are vital components inside each of your engine’s cylinders. Every time a spark plug fires, it needs a huge 25,000 to 40,000-volt surge of electricity, which is provided by the ignition coil. When one of your coils starts to fail, the corresponding spark plug and cylinder falter too. So if you notice the following signs of a faulty ignition coil while driving around Silver Spring, MD or anywhere else, it’s best to have it cleaned or replaced right away.
Sputtering, Coughing Sounds
When a spark plug no longer has a reliable supply of electricity due to a failing ignition coil, it can’t ignite all the fuel being injected into the combustion chamber. This causes the engine to start misfiring.
As the engine struggles and misfires, you’ll hear it sputtering and coughing. You might also feel it jolting and shuddering while on the road.
Rough Idling
Misfiring becomes most noticeable when you slow down and pause in idle, perhaps while stuck in traffic or waiting at traffic lights. Idling is quite strenuous even for a healthy engine to maintain for long. An unhealthy, misfiring engine will clearly be struggling in idle and might even stall.
Sluggish Acceleration
When one or more of your ignition coils is no longer keeping the cylinders pumping smoothly, your engine will lose power. In particular, you’ll lose accelerative force.
Watch Out for Intersections in Silver Spring, MD
Reduced acceleration becomes dangerous when you need a quick burst of speed, such as when crossing one of Silver Spring’s busy downtown intersections. It’s also unwise to attempt to overtake another vehicle when your acceleration is diminished.
Falling Fuel Economy
Without consistently firing spark plugs, your fuel won’t be burning as efficiently as it should. This soon leads to a drop in gas mileage and more frequent stops at the gas station.
Black Tailpipe Smoke
Unburned fuel can build up inside combustion chambers when spark plugs fail to ignite the fuel properly. This unburned fuel eventually begins to seep back into the exhaust system, where it will eventually work its way out of the exhaust in the form of thick black smoke.
Backfiring
If you hear a sudden bang followed by a burst of smoke from your exhaust, then your car has backfired. This often happens when too much fuel has built up inside a cylinder.
The fuel-air mixture in the cylinder is unbalanced, which slows down the combustion process. With the system knocked out of proper timing like this, the exhaust valve can sometimes open while the fuel is still igniting. The explosion thereby spills out of the cylinder, creating a loud bang.
Have your ignition coils inspected, cleaned, or replaced today at DARCARS Toyota of Silver Spring, or visit our blog to learn more about maintaining your Toyota!
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