Can an ignition module cook coil packs?

[kgouldsk]

I finally put my GN back on the road after about a year and a half. I'd only been driving it rarely before I parked it, and for a very long time I'd had a "cough" occasionally under medium acceleration which looked like an entire electrical dropout. The dash gauges would drop to nothing when it happened. It would also do it under hard acceleration every time.

Right before I parked it, I put a new coil pack on to see if the problem would improve, but it did nothing. I have a coil pack tester, and it showed nice strong spark across the board.

I had the car in getting some suspension work done, and the mechanics noticed in the dark shop I had some arcing from my plug wires. There's an outfit here in BC that custom builds plug wires that they recommended so I ordered some up. As the car was parked, I never tried them. Finally when I got it out a couple weeks ago, I decided I'd do some maintenance. Found a hairline crack in a plug (plugs less than 4000 miles). I put the new plug wires on as well, and took it out for a run. Wow. The plug wires I'd been sold as premium before were obviously junk, I'd been running on them for 2 years, and stock wires before that. This has been my problem all along. The pop/cough is gone.

Friday on the way home from work, tooling along at 55 mph, exit the highway, and when I get out of the other traffic noise, I notice I sound "funny". Lean on it a little - no power. I have to drive several blocks to get to where I can stop, and by now I stink electrical burning. Have a quick look, smoke under the hood but can't see where. Drive a few more blocks to somewhere I can leave it, and have a closer look. The rear side of the middle coil pack is completely slagged. Less than 500 miles on the pack.

I figure it's a bad pack. I buy a new one yesterday, put it on, just had it out for a run and it's running hard again - very fast. Within 5 minutes it's dead again - running weak, 2 cylinders off. Parked it, and the back of the coil pack is smoking hot again. Damn.

So has anyone seen this before? Can I be positive it's the ignition module?

 

[Quick6'n'-K.C.]

Sounds like there is definitely something wrong there buddy!

Just buy a new module and coil pack.

www. nos 4 gn . com

Get rid of the spaces.

99.00 for the module and 39. for the coil pack.

Maybe when you put the coil on top of the module, you didnt get the pins pushed up toward the coils where the wires go on. Those metal clips work themselves into the module, and then usually pop a fuse.

If your dash lights flicker like that, check to make sure your positive battery cable is not arching against the pass side header. Do that before you install the new parts

Hows the married life?

How is everything?

Mom and Dad are doing great, Dads been enjoying the inflatable pool i put up for his fat ass
All new stuff done to the house last year, 17 new windows, 3 exterior doors, new concrete driveway and stairs, also had a huge rear patio put in. You could park 3 cars on the back patio its that big! I spent all last summer on it and finished up a new brick wall that wraps around the house.
No wonder i have back issues

BW

ps, cell phone was taken from me too

 

[GNRick]

I think I had the opposite dilema. I once installed a new coil pack and two weeks later the ig. module died.

 

[kgouldsk]

My new ignition module seemed to do the trick, it was running fine for several weeks.

Then a couple days ago, a new problem. Car had been parked at transit park and ride, started up, drove through the lot to the exit, checked for traffic and gently eased into the throttle, came slightly off idle, died. No sputter, shudder, anything, just quit. Cranking smells of fuel, and I 12v pulsed the ignition module connector C and the injectors seem to fire, but no spark.

Crank sensor or a fuse I'm guessing. Take another try at diagnosing tomorrow. I don't have all the tools I'd like, need to get an injector test light just to be sure - specialty tools are so expensive in Canada. A $20 tool in the US you can get at any tiny automotive store is only carried by the serious stores here, and is usually 3-6 times the price.

 

[kgouldsk]

My new ignition module seemed to do the trick, it was running fine for several weeks.

Then a couple days ago, a new problem. Car had been parked at transit park and ride, started up, drove through the lot to the exit, checked for traffic and gently eased into the throttle, came slightly off idle, died. No sputter, shudder, anything, just quit. Cranking smells of fuel, and I 12v pulsed the ignition module connector C and the injectors seem to fire, but no spark.

Crank sensor or a fuse I'm guessing. Take another try at diagnosing tomorrow. I don't have all the tools I'd like, need to get an injector test light just to be sure - specialty tools are so expensive in Canada. A $20 tool in the US you can get at any tiny automotive store is only carried by the serious stores here, and is usually 3-6 times the price.

BTW, confirmed the ignition module and coil pack are fine with a coil pack test tool.