Thanks for the tip. I tried what you said. Pulled out both the new coils and installed them again. Still having the same problem. Any other ideas? Is there any lubricant or anything I should be using? Should I also change the spark plugs (Changed them a few months back)?

 

are they different oms numbers to test 5.5 gen coils?

 

i get the same response. I think we doing something wrong . any one ??

 

Anybody ever figure out what the story is if you only get a reading on 1 and 2? I'm going through the same thing right now.....

 

bump....I just used this method once again successfully to diagnose and replace coil #2. Thankfully I keep some spare coils around in the basement, a few of which are still good

 

I would just like to update and say that over a year ago I replaced only my bad two coils and not had one single problem since. Why pay the extra money for something that is not broken? Every coil will not fail in every car so save some money and replace only what you need to.

Fat

 

Great post guys.

Now that it's my turn to get the famous misfire SES light, I need some opinions.

I have a DMM, but it doesn't give me an 20K Ohm option. Unfortunately I just had a 'ohms' option and thats what I used. Here are my readings

Coil #1

+1, -2 = 1.485
+1, -3 = 2.871
-1, +2 = 1.481
-1, +3 = ----
-2, +3 = ----
+2, -3 = 2.867

Coil #3

+1, -2 = 1.480
+1, -3 = 2.931
-1, +2 = 1.476
-1, +3 = ----
-2, +3 = ----
+2, -3 = 2.946

Coil #5

+1, -2 = 1.489
+1, -3 = 2.957
-1, +2 = 1.493
-1, +3 = ----
-2, +3 = ----
+2, -3 = 2.971

Coil #2

+1, -2 = 1.466
+1, -3 = 2.870
-1, +2 = 1.457
-1, +3 = ----
-2, +3 = ----
+2, -3 = 2.980

Coil #4

+1, -2 = 1.592
+1, -3 = 2.188
-1, +2 = 1.557
-1, +3 = ----
-2, +3 = ----
+2, -3 = 2.582

Coil #6

+1, -2 = 1.548
+1, -3 = 2.408
-1, +2 = 1.518
-1, +3 = ----
-2, +3 = ----
+2, -3 = 2.562

The only 'out of the ordinary' coil I see is #2. The +1,-2 reading is lower than #4 and #6.... or #4 and #6 is bad. All I know is that I have at least 1 coil bad and it doesn't misfire for long. As soon as I feel the misfire, I can turn the car off and then back on to stop the misfiring. The SES light will stay on, but the SLIP and TCS light goes away. Let me know what you guys think.

-Thanks

 

Thanks everybody for sharing your experiences.

My 2000 Maxima also got P1320 and 0300 codes. It looks like I will have to replace some coils as well.

Today i went to rockauto site trying to order the ignition coils. There are two diffenrent mdel or made available for 2000 maxima,

One is STANDARD MOTOR PRODUCTS, Part # UF363 ( Left Bank) & UF348 (Right Bank)

Another is AIRTEX Part # 5C1163 (Front Coils), & 5C1162 (Rear Coils).

I am confused which one to order. Is anybody know the differences?

 

great post helped alot!!!!!!!!!!!

 

thanks bigfatty. That was a very detailed and comprehensive description. I just replaced my coil # 3 and the maxima is purring like an angel. FYI, the bad coil had infinite impedances all around except +2-3.
Thanks a ton once again!

 

I know that you performed this on a VQ30DE-K, is it the same method for a VQ30DE? If so, for future reference I will bookmark this page...Great writeup.

 

So would sluggish performance in higher gears be possibly indicative of having a few bad coils? The reason why I ask is because the 2000 SE that I drove seemed more hesitant at higher speeds. It didn't respond as quickly as it should in my opinion. The lower gears were still quick as they should be.

 

Changed all 6 coils a year ago, saved the old ones and decided to test them to see maybe which ones i can throw out.



+1, -2 .....1.45...... 1.52....... 1.51..... 1.55....... 1.41.......1.42

+1, -3 .....3.05 ..... 3.02 ...... 3.04......3.03........3.10.......3.09

-1, +2......1.46...... 1.54 .......1.50 .....1.56 ........1.42......1.42

-1, +3--------------------------------------------------------

-2, +3--------------------------------------------------------

+2, -3.....2.77...... 2.74 ........2.72.....2.77.........2.84.......2.84

There is not much of a difference between these coils, so I still don't know which one is bad.

 

These are my "updated" grey dot coils. The values seem significantly lower than the "good" coils that aren't being replaced by other members. Also, I couldn't get any other readings besides -1,+2 and +1, -2. I had it on 20k.


Rear (Cylinder #1)
+1-2 1.52
+1-3 ---
-1+2 1.47
-1+3 ---
-2+3 ---
+2-3 ---

Rear (Cylinder #3)
+1-2 1.52
+1-3 ---
-1+2 1.52
-1+3 ---
-2+3 ---
+2-3 ---

Rear (Cylinder #5)
+1-2 1.54
+1-3 ---
-1+2 1.52
-1+3 ---
-2+3 ---
+2-3 ---

Front (Cylinder #2)
+1-2 1.54
+1-3 ---
-1+2 1.54
-1+3 ---
-2+3 ---
+2-3 ---

Front (Cylinder #4)
+1-2 1.48
+1-3 ----
-1+2 1.48
-1+3 ---
-2+3 ---
+2-3 ---

Front (Cylinder #6)
+1-2 1.55
+1-3 ----
-1+2 1.54
-1+3 ---
-2+3 ---
+2-3 ---

 

I am getting the same. only get a reading between +1-2 and -1+2 of "1.5" on #2, #4, #6

This is 5.5 gen by the way and have been getting lots of P0300 code, reset it and it comes back in a day or two. Once got P0302 code but after taking measurements there is no difference between #2 or #4 or #6 coils...
Could they be all bad? or failing?

 

I believe I am having this problem and would like to run this test. If either fat or irish could explain to me what to do with the mutlimeter that would be great. What do you do with the positive and negitive and the pins.. Sorry for being klinda slow but if someone could help me out on this one I could post some results.

 

hi, i'm pretty inexperienced with car maintenance but my '02 is at 95k miles and from what i've been able to figure out via the forums i should be due for new spark plugs. this thread makes it look like i should get a check engine soon light if any of my coils is bad. a local shop was going to replace all of the coils and spark plugs for ~$500 but i think a big chunk of this is the coil cost. can anyone recommend to me what i should do? i'm thinking i may just have them replace spark plugs.

 

Ummm, read the first two post to this thread. With your '02, it will be a little tougher getting to your back three plugs/coils but you have a pictures and write up on how to change them. You can pay your mechanic $500 or pay $250 and start to learn how to fix your car. That is also assuming you chamge all 6 coils, which I feel is a waste.

 

You don't have to replace coils just because you are doing the plugs. People usually do the plugs because they have torn down for coil problems and it will save having to tear down again just for plugs when they are old.

To do the plugs, just eliminate the coil testing part of the writeup.

 

My story... if it matters...

I first got a SES light in May 2007 (the day after a 2000+ mile trip). The car was showing no noticeable difference in performance so I ignored it. I cleared the light and it never reappeared.

Finally in December 2007 one of the coils completely kicked the bucket. Total failure, engine misfire, SES light, etc. I bought three new coils and replaced them.

WOAH! Total difference in engine performance. No more engine knocking under load, and I could actually feel the secondaries opening! (So fast!!) My gas mileage substantially increased too --- to the point it was when I bought the car two years (49k miles) ago, or better.

I kept putting off the repair because I thought it was wicked expensive and difficult. How wrong I was. Totally recommend doing it immediately when the car first starts exhibiting any symptom. The decrease in gas mileage and engine performance was gradual, enough that I didn't notice it occurring.

Long story short, I wish I had seen this topic and pictures earlier.

 

That doesn't hurt anything when you pull the plug on the coil like that? I thought that doing that could cause problems. Probly not though.

 

Just wanted to say thanks to Bigfatty and everyone else who contributed to this thread. I recently pulled P1320 (shortly after fixing a P0171 MAF issue) without a specific cylinder code, and went looking here for some answers. I followed Bigfatty's diagnostic procedure of pulling the electrical connections one by one as the car was idling, and noticed that, although slight, only pulling cylinder 5 didn't affect the car's idle further. I pulled all 3 back coils and tested them with the multimeter, and sure enough, coil #5 had no continuity betwen +1, -2; +1, -3; and -1, +2 whereas the other 2 did (sorry, I had a cheap dial MM, so I didn't get numbers to contribute). I am going to go to Autozone and replace it this afternoon.

 

Great writeup bro

 

As a follow-up, runs like a champ now with the replaced coil. Hopefully I can buy a few thousand miles before I inevitably have to change another one.

 

Just a note on determining which coils are misfiring.. You can get the specific cylinder # that's misfiring if you pull the codes at the right time.
Apparently, if OBDII detects a misfire, it stores the cylinder misfire code (P0303 cyl 3 misfire in my case) and P1320 (ignition signal primary) as pending trouble codes, but doesn't turn on the SES light. The pending codes will eventually be cleared unless the condition is detected again within a certain number of drive cycles - then the SES light comes on.
What I've noticed is that as long as I've had this misfiring problem, I've never seen the P0303 code get stored permanently when the SES light comes on - only the P1320. I recently got AutoTap for my laptop, and I've been checking the codes frequently. I've seen the #3 cylinder misfire code in the pending list a few times now, so I guess it's safe to assume that's the bad one.

So basically, as soon as the SES light comes on, or if you feel a misfire even before the light comes on, try to get to some place like AutoZone before you complete another drive cycle, get the codes pulled, and hopefully the pending cylinder code will still be there. Then you won't have to go through the trouble of testing every coil.

I forget exactly what a drive cycle consists of, but it's something like: cold start, idle 2 minutes, accelerate to 55mph, decel to 20mph.. etc.

btw, if anyone is thinking about getting AutoTap, I wouldn't recommend it for Nissans at this time. I'll probably start a new thread for that. They don't make it at all clear on their site that Nissans aren't fully supported by their software yet.

Additionally - when ordering coils, the firewall side is either identified as either rear or right-hand side, and the front is the left-hand side.
1 3 5 -> Rear/RH
2 4 6 -> Front/LH

thanks for the writeup bigfatty! This thread was helpful when I replaced my first bum coil last year

 

Having already replaced all of the 6 original coils, I didn't expect to go through this again-at least not so soon! I've had the new coils (dotted) for maybe 1.5yr and it seems like all of them went to hell. The only readings I'm getting are +1, -2 & -1, +2 on all of them. I'm getting code P0305 (5th cylinder misfiring), as well as code P1320 (Manufacturing control ignition system or misfire)....hmmm, what could this mean exactly? I guess it's maybe trying to tell me all of my coils pretty much crapped out!

Here are the numbers:

Rears:
Coil #1
+1, -2 = 1.56
+1, -3 = i
-1, +2 = 1.56
-1, +3 = i
-2, +3 = i
+2, -3 = i

Coil #3
+1, -2 = 1.53
+1, -3 = i
-1, +2 = 1.53
-1, +3 = i
-2, +3 = i
+2, -3 = i

Coil #5
+1, -2 = 1.6
+1, -3 = i
-1, +2 = 1.6
-1, +3 = i
-2, +3 = i
+2, -3 = i

Fronts:
Coil #2
+1, -2 = 1.45
+1, -3 = i
-1, +2 = 1.45
-1, +3 = i
-2, +3 = i
+2, -3 = i

Coil #4
+1, -2 = 1.56
+1, -3 = i
-1, +2 = 1.56
-1, +3 = i
-2, +3 = i
+2, -3 = i

Coil #6
+1, -2 = 1.47
+1, -3 = i
-1, +2 = 1.47
-1, +3 = i
-2, +3 = i
+2, -3 = i

I got these coils from a guy on eBay (he says they were brand new, but I should have tested them when I got them. It's funny they only lasted me 1.5 yrs.
Now I'm debating wether I should get my next 6 coils from Dave B or same dude on eBay? Any recommendations?
Thanks in advance!

 

I'd only replace coil #5 and see what happens. No point replacing all 6 every time one coil goes bad unless you have the original coils. Prices went up on coils 4/1/08. Current prices are about $440 shipped for all 6.

I bought mine from ebay and some of them have gone bad too. I wonder if they are selling new but outdated ones. Otherwise, where does he get them from?

 

I also have a misfire on coil #5. Im replacing it on monday. Can I expect all the other ones to go one after the other or is this just a case of on bad one in a bunch.

 

FWIW, I had to replace the #4 coil on my Y2K Max (2000.5, actually), and I had to buy at AutoZone, since I was at work and it was the nearest store to the office. I observed that the new Duralast coil has the same raised Nissan logo on the shaft as the originals, but it was ground down so as not to be a complete logo. Ergo, it appears to be an original Nissan part. I did not yet know to check for the gray dot, so I have no info as to whether or not it has the dot or not.

 

Anyone who needs coils, just call ( 1-888-254-6060 ) and ask for Dave B!
They're pretty pricey, but I hope once I'll get them installed, they will last a lot longer than the ones from eBay. I'm sick of dealing with coil issues!

 

Seems like my existing coils are fine...got pretty much same multimeter read-outs from Dave B's brand new coil pack....so there is something else that's wrong. I pulled the 5th cylinder spark plug and it was oily around the thread-meaning the fuel is being sprayed into the cylinder, but it misfires or doesn't fire at all. I called up my local mechanic and he'll take a look at it sometime this week. He said it could be a lot of things....one of them he mentioned was compression. We'll see what the $$$ damage will be-I just hope they won't have to tear down the whole engine to figure out what is causing the misfire.
Wish me luck!

 

Replaced all the 6 spark plugs without replacing any coils, and it's all fixed! When I tested Dave B's new coils, I still only got readings from 1, 2, so I knew my existing coils were fine.
I'm totally stoked!

 

I got the dreaded P1320 SES code after I changed my spark plugs. So Did the test. I took out every coil and I tested them with an multimeter. From 1-6 in this order:

1-3-5
2-4-6

Here are the readings. The reason for K Ohms and M Ohms, is because my multimeter only had the Auto Ohm option, I couldn't choose 20k Ohms to test.

#1
+1, -2 : 1.427 k Ohms
+1, -3 : 8.19 m Ohms
-1, +2 : 1.423 k Ohms
-1, +3 : i
-2, +3 : i
+2, -3 : 8.52 m Ohms

#2
+1, -2 : 1.540 k Ohms
+1, -3 : 7.12m Ohms
-1, +2 : 1.538 k Ohms
-1, +3 : i
-2, +3 : i
+2, -3 : 7.23 m Ohms

#3
+1, -2 : 1.438 k Ohms
+1, -3 : 8.01 m Ohms
-1, +2 : 1.438 k Ohms
-1, +3 : i
-2, +3 : i
+2, -3 : 8.18 m Ohms

#4
+1, -2 : 1.601 k Ohms
+1, -3 : 7.46 m Ohms
-1, +2 : 1.607 k Ohms
-1, +3 : i
-2, +3 : i
+2, -3 : 7.47 m Ohms

#5
+1, -2 : 1.453 k Ohms
+1, -3 : 8.28 m Ohms
-1, +2 : 1.455 k Ohms
-1, +3 : i
-2, +3 : i
+2, -3 : 8.33 m Ohms

#6
+1, -2 : 1.59 k Ohms
+1, -3 : 7.48 m Ohms
-1, +2 : 1.59 k Ohms
-1, +3 : i
-2, +3 : i
+2, -3 : 7.60 m Ohms

ANY HELP IS APPRECIATED! THANKS

Which one seems bad? The SES light is still on.

 

WOW thanks so much for the info.. I will keep this for future reference..
thanks a lot

 

Thanks, Great information!!

 

As it turned out, the #3 was indeed the next one to fail, about 6 months after I originally did this test...

 

Hi everyone, got a new one for you after changing the middle front ignition coil and turning on the engine white smoke started to come out from the top part the plastic really melted, it was one of those Duralast bought at autozone, I think some of the dielectric grease that I put in the boot got beetween the spring and the spark and cuased a short circuit, but I´m not sure and dont want to plug in the new exchange coil until I hear your suggestions.

Is a 2001 Nissan Maxima SE with 97k miles

Also, should I change them all our just that one? I noticed that the one from autozone is not the same manufacturer from Nissan.

 

I used to work at Autozone, the one you got there is not a Duralast part. Someone bought a new Duralast, put in in their car and put their old, bad Nissan coil back in the box and returned it to Autozone for a full refund. I seen it many times and a lot of the people that work at Autozone don't know enough what to look for in returns. As long as the part is clean and appears un-used, they will take it back

 

Thanks for the detailed analysis. I am just starting my own sequence in troubling shooting the P1320 code. Went to Murray's, used their scanner (free), but no additional codes by which to tell which cylinder / coil it may be.

 

Before you guys start changing your coils, replace the spark plugs first to make sure that is not the issue. Worth saving some doe before shelling out all the money on coils.