Understanding the Ignition Coil’s Purpose

Ignition coils are often ignored by individuals who are not mechanics simply because of lack of knowledge and understanding of their purpose.

On average, a vehicle has one ignition coil per spark plug. The main purpose of these coils is to transfer energy from your vehicle’s battery to the spark plugs, which produces the spark necessary for fuel combustion. In order to do this, each ignition coil uses copper wire and an iron core to create a small magnetic field. This field is then purposefully collapsed, creating a powerful voltage that goes through the spark plug to create a spark.

Clearly, an ignition coil is a complex system with several moving parts. Therefore, if even one of these parts malfunctions, the coil can break, thus impairing your vehicle’s functioning.

Signs of a Faulty Ignition Coil

Because your Audi’s ignition coils are so vital to its functioning, a faulty ignition coil can cause several noticeable problems in your vehicle. Often, the first symptom of a damaged ignition coil will be engine misfiring and loss of power. If an ignition coil is broken, it won’t be able to provide its matching spark plug with enough energy to produce a spark. In turn, this will limit the amount of power available to the vehicle, as the combustion process will be interrupted.

In addition to a loss of power, another symptom of a faulty ignition coil is reduced fuel mileage. When a vehicle suffers a loss in power, it begins to burn more fuel to compensate. Therefore, if one of your Audi’s ignition coils is broken, your vehicle will likely burn more fuel in fewer miles. If your vehicle is suffering from poor fuel mileage but you cannot identify an obvious cause of the problem, then you should perhaps bring your Audi to a professional technician to have the ignition coils examined.

A third common symptom of ignition coil problems is illumination of the check engine light. Often, performance issues and misfires are recognized by the vehicle’s onboard computer, which responds by turning on the check engine light. Additionally, the check engine light can sometimes illuminate in response to problems with the ignition coils themselves, such as shorts or burn outs.

Of course, there are various reasons that the check engine light might turn on, and many of them are completely unrelated to the ignition coils. However, if your Audi’s check engine light illuminates in conjunction with any of the symptoms mentioned above, then you may wish to have the vehicle’s ignition coils examined.

Perhaps the most severe symptom of a faulty ignition coil is complete engine failure. Although most vehicles have multiple ignition coils, some only have one that provides power to the system, and if that coil fails, the vehicle will be unable to start.

Alternatively, if the vehicle has multiple ignition coils that are all damaged, it will also be unable to produce the sparks needed to run. So, if you struggle to start your Audi but are able to rule out the normal culprits such as a dead battery, the problem may lie with the ignition coils.

Woodinville Sports Cars Will Help

Identifying the symptoms of a faulty ignition coil can be easy. However, determining which ignition coil is specifically broken is much more difficult, and replacing a broken ignition coil is harder still. Therefore, if you suspect that one of your Audi’s ignition coils is broken, you should bring your vehicle to a professional mechanic who can both diagnose and fix the problem.

Here at Woodinville Sports Cars, our team has the tools and experience necessary to identify and solve all ignition-coil-related problems. We are the go-to shop for European Auto repairs in Bothell, Kenmore, Kirkland, Mill Creek, Monroe, Redmond, Snohomish, and Woodinville, WA. We would love to help you keep your Audi in the best shape possible, so give us a call or stop by our shop today.

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