Ignition Coil Packs

Coil pack replacement is easy right?

very easy, they are right on top.

NO 4 EVR wrote:

Coil pack replacement is easy right?

Eww...Good question. Here's another...Should the coil pack be replaced after so long? If you have 100k+ and have never replaced it, Is it just bad when it's out, or should it be a time change thingy? (you know this is going to get moved...don't cha?!:roll: )

I would only replace it if you have a problem.

They aren't exactly cheap, either.

So what is the least expensive price members have found for a coil pack?

junk yard ones are cheap
autozone has them for $24 each, but the dealer will have the best ones IMO, since mine are still stock at 125k miles. they have a good reputaion

What makes you think you need to replace a coil pack?

I've seen bad plugs or wires mislead techs to replacing unneeded coil packs. They rarely fail.

Number 2 blew, which leads me to believe that 1 and 3 COULD go any time now. My roommate found some online for 54 bones I believe.

I know they are on top but I wasnt sure if things would fly out at me like springs or something. For some reason I get the idea there is loose parts under it.

The Coil packs in my 95 lasted 7.5 years and 135K miles. The part number for the
95/ L36 Coil Assembly is 10472401. GMpartsdirect.com sells them for $33 each. The dealer installed mine and they are covered by the GM Goodwrench Limited Lifetime Warranty.

Thanks for the info lionfish

anyone on here using high output coil packs? If so or if not even, which are better: MSD or ACCEL?

MSD
http://www.msdignition.com/coil_blaster_9_8224.htm
ACCEL
http://www.accel-ignition.com/ProductDetails.aspx?brandId=3&productID=8382910&majID=545&minID=5451&selection=3&minselection=0

stock L67 coils have the same output as MSD or ACCEL. #800 cars in the 11s still use stock igntion. No need to upgrade.

Good to know

GM coils do put out some really hot spark.

oldsman105 wrote:

stock L67 coils have the same output as MSD or ACCEL. #800 cars in the 11s still use stock igntion. No need to upgrade.

I beg to differ. 30k volts and 45k volts are not the same output. but i understand your point and aa's that the stock coils are sufficient.

tell me if this just sounds retarded but i figured a higher output coil would allow use of much colder (4 ranges or so) spark plugs in everyday driving and racing without any fouling or incomplete burns

where did you get the 30k - 45 k specs from?

Most of the fastest cars have stock ignitions. there are better ways to spend $120.00

The error in reasoning that higher ignition voltage will allow you to run colder plugs is: you assume higher voltage has something to do electrode temperature, which it does not. The temp of the plug has more to do with cylinder temps, resulting from a combination of factors (not spark).

Even if higher voltages did create extra heat in the plug, going cooler would only bring you back to where you started, so no gains to be had. Read our FAQ on plugs: https://rivperformance.editboard.com/Supercharged-3800-Tech-c2/Series-II-FAQ-f19/Which-spark-plugs-should-I-use-t26-0.htm

The biggest difference with aftermarket coils is the color of the housing. You can easily paint the OEM cases red or yellow to get the same effect.

Just putting it out there...

The high performance DIS ignition coils that ACCEL makes, in addition to having no measurable benefit, are a very poor product as I have experienced in the past few months.
I got the three and installed them and in a about a week, two of them just quit almost at the same time while I was driving the car. I exchanged the two and got about another two or three months out of them before one failed again. (I was 40 miles away from a good coil so that sucked - one way to really test your cats ability to neutralize hydrocarbons)

In addition to the obvious failure, one or more of them had apparently been the cause for a less easy to point out WOT, high rpm misfire condition for a couple weeks before the one failed altogether. If it hadn't failed, I would still be scratching my head at the condition today that I suspected the cat. of causing.

Thankfully, I didn't pay for them so I'll just consider it an inconvenient product trial.

long story short, don't invest in these coils. They do nothing but cause headaches. I should clarify that I have no experience with the coils that MSD make so I cannot testify that those are an equally poor product. But we don't sell those at my work so I can't test them.

Sorry for your troubles with those coils. Most of what I've read indicates that the OEM coils perform as well as any aftermarket parts. I went with OEM coils this summer, and kept my originals as backups.

I hear more about aftermarket coils failing than OEM. I've never had a problem with my originals.

I used to work at a speed shop. Accel ignition parts definitely had a failure rate higher than normal, and I had a few bad experiences personally. I never have problems with MSD stuff.

Somewhere I thought I read that MSD used the same internal parts as OEM, or vice-versa. So you're paying more for the red plastic, basically. Anyone know about this for sure?

My coils haven't gone bad yet but the posts are very corroded. I plan on changing them out today. I have heard that the aftermarket coils (MSD, Accel, etc...) are made for the 3800 normally asperated engines. OEM are the only good replacement for SC applications from everything I've heard...

Have the coil posts always been corroded, or is this something that you see happening over time?