Has anyone replaced their ignition coils at the same time they changed their spark plugs? Is it a do it yourself job?

How much are the coils each?
I assume that you need to buy 6 of them is that correct?

THanks

 

Shameless Bump
/Bump

 

i have not replaced mine yet but have been told it is easier than changing plugs. you will need 6 and the best price will probably be found from Dave B and you can find his contact info in the FAQ at the top.

 

Yeah the coils are pretty expensive.. Cost like $300 for a full set or around there new.. It's pretty simpy. Just unscrew the two screws on each coil and replace.

 

You don't have to replace your ignition coils when you replace your spark plugs. Replace the coils only when they are bad. Also, you don't have to replace all coils at the same time ( even though your dealer will tell you that you have to) Replace just the ones that don't work (That's what I did). They are around $65 at the dealer, and I think about $40 or so from Dave (last time I heard). Replacement is very simple, easier than changing spark plugs.
Good luck.

 

OK, that leads me to my next question.. how do u know if they are bad?

TIA

 

SES Code P1320

Brian

 

Bad coils usually show up as a bad idle or moderate to severe power loss. Also, you'll probably have your SES light turn on. You may also notice your fuel milage slip considerably.
Changing the front coils are easy. Take off the cover with the appropraite size allen wrench (cover says maxima or V6 I think on my 2k Max) then use a ratchet to take off the bolts holding your coils in place and pull them off. Be careful, the coils tend to get a little hot if you dont let the engine cool off. The rear coils can be a ***** to remove if have big clumsy fingers. It helps to remove the throttle cables that are in the way. They can be easily reconnected. Then carefully remove the coil bolts. I say carefully because I've lost 2 just by dropping them into the engine compartment. I you have these symptoms just head over to a Pep boys or auto shop and they should "pull you codes" to identify the misfiring coil. Then look in your owners manual. It should show you the correct position of each cyclinder in relation to the engine and each other. Also, you should know that the front and rear coils are different and cannot be swapped between them. If you need a new coil, just email Kaleb at Courtesy Nissan. He gives a discount to Maxima forum members.
Good luck.

 

Thanks for the advice.. My SES light is on and I did have an extremely rough idle.. Im waiting for Nissan to call me this morning with the diagnosis....I am thinking that it is either a bad coil, MAFS, or O2 sensor...

[QUOTE]Originally posted by cyclecrazy55
[B]Bad coils usually show up as a bad idle or moderate to severe power loss. Also, you'll probably have your SES light turn on.

 

next time, just got to autozone for free ODBII diagnostics. Will save you $$$ (unless you still under warranty)

 

Doh.. ok.. Ill do that.. We have autozone here, but not PepBoys... Thanks for the info

 

1) Autozone works.... lemme know if you want to order a bunch together, maybe we can get a deeper discount.

2) Anyone know how you can tell if it's the front or rear coils? Should all 6 be replaced at once?

3) Isn't there a TSB on this?

-Brian

p.s. I usually sh*t on people who ask 3 questions in one, but I am lazy today.

 

I was at Superior Nissan in Puente Hills and they told me that one coil was bad, but could not determine which one, so they would need to replace all 6, with parts and labor would come out to $600. Thanks for the heads up, going to take it to a friend and have him earn some cash for his work. Not the damn dealer trying to rip me off again.

 

I just got off the phone with the dealer and it was in fact 1 bad coil and not the MAFS or O2 sensor.

 

Ask him if he knows which one, and how he found out.

B

 

The receipt said coil #1.. I don't know if that means 1 coil was bad.. or the #1 coil was bad. I am not sure how he diagnosed this, but my check engine light was on. Is there a code that would indicate a bad coil?

 

I found this on alldata.com

Ignition Coil - MIL ON/Spark Knock/DTC P1320 Set
Classification:
EC01-023

Reference:
NTB01-059

Date:
September 6, 2001

2000-01 MAXIMA; MIL "ON" WITH DTC P1320 AND/OR SPARK
KNOCK (DETONATION) DUE TO IGNITION COIL(S)

APPLIED VEHICLE:
2000-01 Maxima (A33)

APPLIED VINS:
Vehicles built before:
JN1CA31A31T112164 (w/side air bags)
JN1CA31A31T316031 (w/side air bags)
JN1CA31D911627134 (w/o side air bags)
JN1CA31D91T830089 (w/o side air bags)

APPLIED DATE:
Vehicles built before: March 16, 2001

APPLIED ENGINE # :
Engines built before: VQ30-463753

SERVICE INFORMATION

If an applied vehicle exhibits one or both of the below symptoms:

^ MIL "ON" with DIC P1320 stored in the ECM Intermittent spark knock (detonation)

 

2. If the coil is bad, then the cylinder under that coil will missfire. ODBII code pulled from your car should specifically tell you which cylinder it is, thus you will know which one to change.
And no, you don't have to change all six coils at once. You seem a bit too lazy to even read the whole post, cause I mentioned it already.
Good luck.

 

Teser -

Thanks. I did read your post, but I must have skipped over that line. I distinctly remember reading the pricing. In any case, I got the P1320 code pulled @ Autozone, but that doesnt seem to match up w/ any specific coil.

Brian

 

Yep, P1320 means "ignition signal primary circuit fault".
In my case I also got another code with P1320. It was P0302 -"Cylinder no2 misfire detected".
So you should have the second code like P030X , where X is the number of the cylinder that misfires. Cylinder location for our engine is:
1 3 5
2 4 6
when you look at the engine.
Good luck.

 

Ok - I never got the second code... thats why I was a little confused.... I'll go back to Autozone today and see if I can get it pulled again.

Thanks for all your help, Teser.

Brian

 

Thanks for this, was surprisingly hard to find!

 

Ok I still technically own 3 5th gen maximas. I am still waiting to get finished being paid for the 2k from the girl I'm selling it too. Ebay ignition coils ($80 for all 6) on the 2k they have over 100,000 miles on them. My white 03 (my daughters car) ebay coil pack same price and they have been on for 48,000 miles. My car I just got back I July and put a set of the coils off eBay and now have 4000 miles on them.
They are very easy to replace and will take about 45 minutes to an hour to replace them and the spark plugs. If it's a 5.5 gen. Less for a 5 gen