when one goes bad how can you tell which one is bad?

or do you have to change all 6 of them at once?

 

best thing to do is get your check engine light check and they should be able to pick up a code and tell you which one is bad. its free @ autozone to check your engine light.

 

You can do one of two methods:

1. The easy way, is to to check if your yellow "Service Engine Soon" or "Check Engine" light is on. Have it read at a local Autozone or Advance Auto Parts for free.

2. If there are no codes, then the computer isn't certain that there is trouble yet.
So, to manually check for which one it is, turn on engine, and start unplugging the coil packs one by one to see which coil pack affects idle and which does not. The ones that affects idle are the good ones, while the ones that does not affect idle are the bad ones.

Some advice: Coils usually don't fail at idle. They more often fail at load, so if you do the above test and nothing happens, try using a multimeter. I don't know how to do that one, so search the forums a bit for that one.

 

On my 96 maxima when the coil boots were bad the computer did NOT pick it up. You could tell mine were bad because the car would shake a lot at idle. Then again this is just the boot not the ignition coil itself.

 

Very true my friend. I too had the stem melt away bu tthe coils themselves were still good. its said that the dealer does not sell the stem separate. You have to replace the entire coil so they can make money.

 

How do you test these coils using a multimeter? I've gone thru the haynes, chilton, FSM, maxima.org and have gotten different answers.

From placing the multimeter on pins 1 & 2 some say infinite resistance, others say 1.3 to 1.7 kilo ohms, others say 1.3 to 1.7 Mega ohms.... while others say no resistance?

 

I was told by a nissan mechanic the coil packs can test good on a multimeter but still be bad and vice-versa so your choice is to replace them all or replace them one by one until you find the source.

 

u shd be able to test per FSM.

 

ya i had already gone to my mechanic and he checked it with a computer and it says primary ignition something code 1320, he wasnt even sure if it was the coils or not til we called nissan.

and the checkers computer says its failure of distributer

 

I highly doubt we have a distributor...
Our cars are "Nissan Direct Ignition" meaning the ECU controls when the ignition coils fire directly, without a distributor.
Unless I'm wrong*

 

p1320 is page EC-331 of FSM.

Says to check CKPS(REF) or PCM for coils. Clean grounds on top of intake manifold. Inspect circuitry.

 

Replace only the ones that are bad. If your car is running good and a coil goes bad replacing that bad coil will make it run like new again. A good way to tell it to put a lot of load on the engine at the RPM where you think the misfire is and it will reveal itself it will missfire worse this is how I got my CEL to come on also. (ie 5th gear at 2000rpms while flooring it)

Multiple Cylinder misfire code tip.
If you do get a code and it is the multiple cylinder misfire code it may not mean that more than 1 coil is bad. In my case I had my #4 coil misfire (flashing CEL) stop then misfire again hours later. The code read multiple cylinder misfire. I reset the ecu and when I got the flashing CEL i checked the code almost immediately it showed #4 was bad. I replaced it (go to autozone) and it has run strong ever since.

 

What can I do if I am having a constant P304 Cylinder 4 Misfire CEL for the past few months, I have replaced the # 4 Coil Pack, All the Spark Plugs, #4 Fuel Injector, fuel filter, and the light still comes on though not as much, I have also noticed that the car is misfiring when the auto trans is in park , but when it is in gear (Drive) it idles smooth. Should I just replace all the coils or is it something else?

 

check if its actually the ignition coil by moving ignition coil 4 to say number 5. If the computer changes codes and now shows 5 then you know its the ignition coil.

 

u may have a bad wire harness for that coil too. I would also spray the MAF with some cleaner too. U be surprised how many issues u can get rid of with a clean MAF.

Either that PCM or ECU acting up.

 

Thanks guys, I will try cleaning the MAF, if it is a bad PCM or ECU how would I come to that conclusion, is there a way to test one?

 

so to check the bad ones just unplug one at a time then rev it until the one that doesnt effect the car is the right one??

 

Just keep it running at idle. No revving is needed.

If disconnecting the coil's connector has no effect on the engine then it's bad.

If you wanna try swapping coils then swap 4 with 2 or 6. Coils 1,3, and 5 are different:

Firewall
1 3 5
2 4 6
Radiator

 

If you want to test the resistance of the coil, here is what to look for.
.
The wire harness connector has 3 wires, labeled + G IB.
.
measuring between the + and G connections:
positive lead on + reads open (or infinity)
positive lead on G reads 7.7 megaohms
.
measuring between the G and IB connections:
reads 1.5 kilohms (polarity doesn't matter).
.
measuring between the + and IB connections:
positive lead on + reads open (or infinity)
positive lead on IB reads 7.7 megaohms

 

Hi All,

My 1995 Maxima with 264,762 miles had the Check Engine Light (CEL) come on. The car had NO drivability problems and it only set a Trouble Code 21 with no other codes.

I used the Factory Service to resolve the problem. I checked the coils with my Fluke meter and they ALL tested OK per the FSM that only uses open, shorted or resistance for the pass or fail.

I broke down and took it into the local Nissan Dealer who charged me $125.00 and could not identify which of the coils had failed. I spoke to the tech who stated whenever we get a TC-21 we replace ALL of the coils because we can't identify which is the failed coil. I was quoted $940.00 for parts and $125.00 labor.

I asked if Nissan had the resistance valves for the testing and not just the general open, shorted or resistance test. I was told that Nissan did not have a resistance value to find out which coil was bad so they just replaced all of the coils.

I gave them my money and went home to think it over and then I remembered a post from a while back that spoke about testing ALL of the coils, recording the specific resistance for each test from the FSM and just toss out the coil that didn't match the others.

That made sense because how many times did 2 coils fail at exactly the same time????

I did the test, found the oddball coil, went to AutoZone, spent $57.00 buying 1 rear coil, reinstalled the coils + 1 new one, cleared the codes and went for a drive.

The car drove the same but no check engine light.

A coil can be out of resistance range, set a trouble code and still not cause a miss.

So if you have a Trouble Code 21 or think that you have a coil problem and have no miss or drivability problems check for the oddball coil resistance.

Last but not least, a thanks to everybody that worked to solve a problem that Nissan won't solve.

Bob

 

Hi - first time responder - I have a 1999 max and have had coil problems for the last five years. The cylinder code would pop and the car ran crappy. I replace it and all is well but the new replacements "genuine nissan" dont seem to last more than 1.5 years. Anyone using another brand beside the hanshins with the nissan logo? Is there a replacment part from nissan?

 

jus get from AutoZone. Dont need to buy OEM.

 

autozones still expensive.... $79.99 so is checkers

 

I just bought a full set of used from a JY for 90 bucks from a '99. Then found out MY '99 was when there were problems with the coils.... DOH.
Well, I'll try them at least. I'm tired of the skipping/misfires. Wish me luck.

 

On my 98 Maxima Im looking to replace the coils, so i went online and started looking everywhere, finally I decided on Hitachi coils, then I called my mechanic and asked about something related to them, then I asked him what the difference was between direct ignition coils and ignition coils? He said I need to buy direct because they have 1 for each spark plug. I cant seem to find any decent looking direct coils, but I thought it was funny because my coils look exactly like the ones I had planned to buy? Someone please help, I'm confused out the ***, because I dont see why I cant just buy 6 ignition coils.

 

Give us a link.... To me it sounds like you're talking about the same thing Direct Ignition = Ignition coil....

 

THIS

 

http://www.autopartswarehouse.com/se...n&No=10&Npp=10

Its the 2 Hitachi ones about halfway down the page. They dont say direct ignition coils but they say OE replacement. Thats why im confused, nd I really dont want to buy the wrong damn parts. If you go to this site, after I went down the menu on the left side, select ignition coil, then fill in Nissan Maxima for the vehicle, there will be green lettering that says featured parts, and under it there are 3 selections: Direct Ignition Coil, DI Coil Boot, and Ignition Coil. This is why I am confused.

Here is the site, near the top are the options I am talking about

http://www.car-stuff.com/store/parts...=ignition_coil

 

1 year warranty<lifetime warranty

BWD brand
Rear-$75.99
http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/de...2767&ppt=C0334
Front-$69.99
http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/de...2767&ppt=C0334

 

I looked on pepboys and Advance Auto for these, and pepboys has these 2, but they also have one thats positioning is the left. Disregard this and just buy 3 front and 3 rear?

 

you need 3 left and 3 rights....aka front and rear. Orieleys has the best price Ive found on the BWD brand AND you get a lifetime warranty

 

I just checked, pepboys has the same prices on those two parts, nd then the random left position coil, but thats not required. Thanks dude, you saved me 5 days of waiting through the mail and questioning whether I bought the right thing.

 

BTW, for anyone trying to using a multimeter and other than what I have read on how to test a coil, megohms means 1million ohms of resistance which is something any regular multimeter cannot test. You would have to use something called a megger. It is actually going to use a higher voltage to test.

 

I just replaced them all after one went out. It's a good bit of money to spend at one time but I can't be arsed to wait until they all go out individually, and it's less troubleshooting for problems with similar symptoms in the future. They'll all inevitably go out anyway, just do them all for the peace of mind.

 

HAHA! I'm new here and NO I'm not here trying to sell anyone anything. Have never been a salesman!
Anyway all I was saying was that from doing "google" research led me to believe that in order to properly diagnose a coil was to put it under load cause of problems with insulation. That all, just my 2cents.
Also I think if your coil finally went bad it would let you know. I finally got a cel and says I have a #5 misfire. Will be changing that out soon.

 

I'm sorry, to me that is just a wast of money and materials...Its nice if you can afford it. Most people that drive a 16year old car, nice car, don't want to spent $400 if they can replace the broken part for $55-75, ...$12 at junk yard...test the coils!

...missfire can be caused by a large number of things as I recently learned. If you have spark (good coil), check spark plug, or injector. (injector resistance could be tested with and ohm meter, should be 11ish to 12ish. Back injectors could be tested from the 8pin harness plug, top left of intake manifold.

"They are arranged in two rows of four pins.
The pins are numbered 1 - 4 (top row) and 5 - 8 (bottom row).
Measure the resistance of:
- injector #1 between pins 1 and 2.
- injector #3 between pins 1 and 5.
- injector #5 between pins 1 and 6.

If not injector, could be the ECU not sending signal, i'm about to replace mine for that very reason, I was missfireing on cyl5, for 2weeks. Then died. I broke down and took it to nissan, $177 and a week later, got confirmation of bad ECU...Nissan wanted $800+ ...LKQ $100, I'm gona go with that...good luck to us all! I love cars!!! HA!

 

this has solved my problem, thanks to the trend

 

Sorry to raise this issue.

05 Maxima with P304. can someone direct me to where this cyninder is? i changed the plugs at 60k mikes back, and not afraid to operate again.

Help with this locating cylinder 4.

 

Clynder 4 is in the middle of the bank on the radiator side.

Firewall
1 3 5
2 4 6
Radiator

Since you have a 2005 MAX you want to make your remaining posts in the 6th Generation Forum.

 

Thank you for the info. it so happened that i search and got this forum/generations first, then noticed the different generations.

but thanks to the help, and insight.