Well i was checking out the plugs/coils today...(preventative maintenance)
and decided to see how bright the sparks get... i was sadly disappointed.. they are ALL incredibly weak? are they supposed to be like that... you could barely see the spark on all the coils... (all plugs are new laser platinum)
I guess my question is are they supposed to be that weak..?

 

Judging spark energy by brightness is like judging the condition of your oil by the color.

it's useless.

 

why would you say that?.... you need a good spark for good ignition... thays why people put on perfromance ignitions....

 

So you are saying you can tell the difference between a 20,000 volt spark and a 50,000 volt spark as it jumps across a .044 in gap just by looking at it?

 

no im saying that a good coil will give a bright well defined spark.. and a coil that is bad will not.. thats all.... besides both the FSM and the haynes manual test the coils using that method...

 

It would be more acurate to test it with a device that will give some type of a read out.

Judging it by sight can leave room for error. Does your car feel like its giving a weak spark?

 

Well there i a HUGE power loss... i feels like it's missfiring when i accelerate harder and when normal driving... it it boggs/ struggles to go...

 

The stickies do tell you a procedure to test the coil packs to see if they are faulty or not, but you do need an ohm meter. Or if the coil IS misfiring, it will usualy set a code tripping the CEL. Have the codes read to determine which cyclinder is misfiring, Then test that coil. If no codes are being set, Are you sure it's your coil that is at fault. Coils are not the only thing that will cause lack of power.

 

Thats how I judge the condition of my oil..What other way is there to do it ??

-matt

 

You have to do a used oil analysis (UOA)... http://www.blackstone-labs.com... thats the only way to tell how much life is left in your oil... (additives, wear indicators, etc.).

 

so.. anywayz.. .has anybody tested their coils that way... and gotten similar/different results....

 

Tasting my oil usually werks fer me...

 

Seriously, though.. I think power loss can be related to a wad of things:

Bad fuel pump,
Bad octane on gas (you need premium),
bad air filter,
etc..

 

The power loss you are describing sounds like bad coilpacks to me.

 

Thats what im beggining to think... but i dont think they are all bad at once?