Electronic Ignition Coils

[Stinky]

My Sister-In-Law has a Subie.  I have no idea of what kind of motor that it has.  It had a mis-fire on cylinder #?.  It had been in the shop before that before.  I don't know what they did before.  Anyways, this time, they changed the Electronic Ignition Coils, on the motor....I think all, 6, of them....but don't quote me.  

 

Here is the Q....does it even have Electronic Ignition Coils?  To me, I am of the impression that a coil is not electronic.  Electronic, to me, implies that it has a brain of some sort and/or that it changes the way that it operates based on a signal from some other gizmo, and that it can vary the way that it operates.  

 

To me, an ignition coil receives an impulse and transforms voltage into a higher voltage....nutN electronic to it....am I wrong?

[datzenmike]

Nissan went to EI (electronic ignition) basically the use of a magnetic pulse and transistors to make and break a contact to ground thus eliminating the mechanical points in '78. (earlier on some California models) Pretty sure Subaru would have done the same.

 

Points limit the amount of current that can pass through them, generally about 4 amps with a 12 volt supply. They arc and being mechanical, they wear out. With an EI system the current flow is more like 12 amps and the coil can be designed to handle it.  

 

Now on the later EI set ups they have coil on plug but it works about the same. The electronics use a CAS (crank angle sensor) Think of it as the distributor but instead of a magnetic pick up it's a circular dial with 360 marks and a photo cell that reads the marks as the spin past, and multiple sensors sent to the computer that generates a timing advance solution and sends a signal to each coil on each plug to fire. 

[Crashtd420]

2 hours ago, Stinky said:

My Sister-In-Law has a Subie.  I have no idea of what kind of motor that it has.  It had a mis-fire on cylinder #?.  It had been in the shop before that before.  I don't know what they did before.  Anyways, this time, they changed the Electronic Ignition Coils, on the motor....I think all, 6, of them....but don't quote me.  

 

Here is the Q....does it even have Electronic Ignition Coils?  To me, I am of the impression that a coil is not electronic.  Electronic, to me, implies that it has a brain of some sort and/or that it changes the way that it operates based on a signal from some other gizmo, and that it can vary the way that it operates.  

 

To me, an ignition coil receives an impulse and transforms voltage into a higher voltage....nutN electronic to it....am I wrong?

If it the flat 6 then it looks like it is a coil on plug system.... I'm sure there is a main control module for them but not sure.....

Easy trick to try is swap the number 1 coil to the opposite side of the motor and see if the error follows the coil....

And then go from there.....

[datzenmike]

That's the logical thing to do but mechanics today... just replace all plug coils to hopefully get the bad one that they know is on #2.

 

[Stinky]

Datzen....yes, but they Coils are pretty much the same, w/the exception of the resister, correct?

 

The question....are the coils actually electronic?

Edited January 17 by Stinky

[datzenmike]

I don't think there are resistors. A points coil needs a ballast resistor but not these I think.

 

It's just two coils of copper wire, a primary and secondary, basically a step up transformer. If you define electronic as having electricity flowing through it then yes. If you define electronic as something operating with the aid of other small components like micro chips, resistors, transistors, capacitors and such then no.

[Stinky]

DAtzen....your last sentence answered my question and confirmed what I thought.