I just bought one without the knowledge of how to use it! After some searching I found the best explanation I could get! Thanks a lot! Best regards from Mexico.
You explained it well.. thanks. On My 01 mustang GT I tested bank 2. They spark at 10kv and they get weak close to 15-20kv. But I have a no start condition. So testing ignition at this point. This video helped me understand this tool better
Oh that's a pretty nifty tool, I need to pick one of those up. Always wondered how to test coil voltage because a multimeter doesn't have anywhere near the resolution to pick it up even IF it could support the voltage.
When you say coil are you referring to the coil in a 60s vehicle? What about the new ignitions? Also may mention to turn engine off before changing settings to avoid shocking yourself. I know that is self evident but the people that know this often aren't the ones watching these videos. Young people today know little about their cars. Before modern cars with their complex computer systems most guys learned to work on their own cars. So this lack of automotive savvy reaches into people's 30s. We kKnew thing like to set the point gap on a 6 cylinder engine use a matchbook cover same as a feeler gauge. I had to help a 30 year old coworker because he did not know how to change a tire. I have also had to help people because they thought they were out of oil when the mileage triggered “check oil” message came on. One coworker was sitting with a flat tire because a passerby mentioned he had a flat tire. When I got there it was low on air, not flat. Just had him drive to a gas station and pump some air into it and got the slow leak fixed later. People today know little about their vehicles and many need to be led step by step.
I'm not getting misfire codes but I am getting shaking when I first start up my car and it feels like it is misfiring....it is only when I first start it up and it is idling. I replaced plugs...still does it. I am not going to waste my money and energy now I want to be more scientific about it. I have a waste spark ignition coil pack. Can I test it on this and if I don't get 30 or 40k replace the coil?
So maybe I don't need an oscilloscope after all to diagnose my ignition coil. True? I'm having intermittent stalling issues on a 96' Corolla. Always after engine is warm.
What if you have bad spark at 30 kv and good spark at 25 kv? 2004 blazer with a rough idle, also showing small amount of misfires on every cylinder on the scan tool. No DTC. Also random -13 stft at idle when it bogs
@@realfixesrealfast Thanks, I did a fuel pressure test and all checks out, but I'm suspicious of a very small leak in the plenum, that or some kind of EVAP problem, but I'd imagine an EVAP issue would cause positive trims if intermittent, also suspicious of my MAP sensor
great instructions! ive had this tester for awhile but have never had to use it just yet. now im having a misfire and have already changed coil # 6 cuz resistance was no good but i forgot i had this damn thing lol anyways now i have a misfire in cylinder #5 which was weird all of a sudden haha what are the odds cuz i had just fixed it last month. glad i found this video on how to use it correctly. Also, i want to mention that i was told to pull the fuel pump relay to prevent the car from starting to check it? is that true? my old shop foreman told me this but how would check to see if it can continuously jump the 30kv test if im just cranking? wouldnt i need it to be running at all times to get a better idea if it weak or not?
i want to add that I'm using a Thexton Coil-on plug spark tester part#458. i got it from my Matco Tools guy haha. i also found the video from the manufacturer, Thexton, on here and they don't mention pulling the fuel pump relay?? odd. i just don't want to shock myself badly lol thanks again and awesome explanation!!
Ignition coils on modern cars can develop as Duane said 30-40kV. The amount of spark or voltage level is determined by the conditions inside the combustion chamber. When a spark jumps a gap outside the combustion chamber, the coil will only provide enough voltage to jump that gap. The same holds true inside the cylinder; the coil provides enough energy to jump the gap. So, at atmospheric pressure, the spark could jump a gap around 1/8" at 5Kv. But inside the combustion chamber, there are higher pressures which means that it will take more energy from the coil to jump, let's say a 0.050" spark plug gap. At idle conditions, that will run around 8kV or less. Under snap throttle conditions, the combustion pressures are higher and thus the voltage level to jump that gap goes higher. And if the cylinder is running lean, then it would take a higher voltage to jump that same gap. And if the cylinder is richer, then it would take less energy from the coil and thus less voltage to jump the gap. So, it's not just the gap itself, but all the other conditions that's inside the cylinder. That's why the spark gap tester is adjusted to at least 1/2"-3/4" gap to simulate the conditions inside the cylinder. If you can get a spark across that gap, then you'll know that it can easily jump the spark plug gap inside the cylinder.
WASTE OF TIME just use the test light. This screw unscrew thing is too slow FASTEST WAY when u change ur plugs gap the old ones at 0.6 mm and drive and see if the car drives better, fast way to see if u have any weak or leak coil issues. check out my MISFIRE FROM HELL No Codes video
+zloben9000 I watched your video. In a nutshell, you're saying you have to include the spark plug to test the coil because of the resistance in the plug itself. And that's not accounted for with the spark gap tester. Right?
I just bought one without the knowledge of how to use it! After some searching I found the best explanation I could get! Thanks a lot! Best regards from Mexico.
you are welcome, glad it helped.
Very informative video demonstration . Your Lisle 20700 is easy to adjust for spark strength and is reliable . 2/23
Awesome video! I always learn something new on your channel.
You explained it well.. thanks. On My 01 mustang GT I tested bank 2. They spark at 10kv and they get weak close to 15-20kv. But I have a no start condition. So testing ignition at this point. This video helped me understand this tool better
Thanks Duane! No one can explain it as well as you.
Very well explained! Thank you
Thankyou. Clear explanation and more than helpful. :-)
Good video this should help a lot of people 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Oh that's a pretty nifty tool, I need to pick one of those up. Always wondered how to test coil voltage because a multimeter doesn't have anywhere near the resolution to pick it up even IF it could support the voltage.
Awesome explanation, thank you so much!
Thanks a lot for your good explanations.
can you show exactly how you use this and it in action?
What about for cars that have a distrubutor, how many kV do you need then? Also explains why getting shocked by spark plug wires hurts so much.
On the Nissan VG33E (Nissan Quest / Mercury Villager) what kilovolts should I set the tester? I don't want to overstress the system
When you say coil are you referring to the coil in a 60s vehicle? What about the new ignitions? Also may mention to turn engine off before changing settings to avoid shocking yourself. I know that is self evident but the people that know this often aren't the ones watching these videos.
Young people today know little about their cars. Before modern cars with their complex computer systems most guys learned to work on their own cars. So this lack of automotive savvy reaches into people's 30s. We kKnew thing like to set the point gap on a 6 cylinder engine use a matchbook cover same as a feeler gauge.
I had to help a 30 year old coworker because he did not know how to change a tire. I have also had to help people because they thought they were out of oil when the mileage triggered “check oil” message came on. One coworker was sitting with a flat tire because a passerby mentioned he had a flat tire. When I got there it was low on air, not flat. Just had him drive to a gas station and pump some air into it and got the slow leak fixed later.
People today know little about their vehicles and many need to be led step by step.
I'm not getting misfire codes but I am getting shaking when I first start up my car and it feels like it is misfiring....it is only when I first start it up and it is idling. I replaced plugs...still does it. I am not going to waste my money and energy now I want to be more scientific about it. I have a waste spark ignition coil pack. Can I test it on this and if I don't get 30 or 40k replace the coil?
Thank you soo dang much!!! This was helpful
So maybe I don't need an oscilloscope after all to diagnose my ignition coil. True? I'm having intermittent stalling issues on a 96' Corolla. Always after engine is warm.
excellent video. To the point!
thanks very good videos olways
Thanks! You'd think that Lisle would explain how to use their product but they don't.
What if you have bad spark at 30 kv and good spark at 25 kv? 2004 blazer with a rough idle, also showing small amount of misfires on every cylinder on the scan tool. No DTC. Also random -13 stft at idle when it bogs
with just that data, the difference between 30 & 25 KV is not a concern. I would focus on the -13 STFT
@@realfixesrealfast Thanks, I did a fuel pressure test and all checks out, but I'm suspicious of a very small leak in the plenum, that or some kind of EVAP problem, but I'd imagine an EVAP issue would cause positive trims if intermittent, also suspicious of my MAP sensor
good video amigo exselente video
great instructions! ive had this tester for awhile but have never had to use it just yet. now im having a misfire and have already changed coil # 6 cuz resistance was no good but i forgot i had this damn thing lol anyways now i have a misfire in cylinder #5 which was weird all of a sudden haha what are the odds cuz i had just fixed it last month. glad i found this video on how to use it correctly. Also, i want to mention that i was told to pull the fuel pump relay to prevent the car from starting to check it? is that true? my old shop foreman told me this but how would check to see if it can continuously jump the 30kv test if im just cranking? wouldnt i need it to be running at all times to get a better idea if it weak or not?
i want to add that I'm using a Thexton Coil-on plug spark tester part#458. i got it from my Matco Tools guy haha. i also found the video from the manufacturer, Thexton, on here and they don't mention pulling the fuel pump relay?? odd. i just don't want to shock myself badly lol thanks again and awesome explanation!!
thanks
whats the best spark tester to buy?
Cool! Cheers!
How does the coil or computer know how much kV is necessary to bridge the gap.
Ignition coils on modern cars can develop as Duane said 30-40kV. The amount of spark or voltage level is determined by the conditions inside the combustion chamber. When a spark jumps a gap outside the combustion chamber, the coil will only provide enough voltage to jump that gap. The same holds true inside the cylinder; the coil provides enough energy to jump the gap. So, at atmospheric pressure, the spark could jump a gap around 1/8" at 5Kv. But inside the combustion chamber, there are higher pressures which means that it will take more energy from the coil to jump, let's say a 0.050" spark plug gap. At idle conditions, that will run around 8kV or less. Under snap throttle conditions, the combustion pressures are higher and thus the voltage level to jump that gap goes higher. And if the cylinder is running lean, then it would take a higher voltage to jump that same gap. And if the cylinder is richer, then it would take less energy from the coil and thus less voltage to jump the gap. So, it's not just the gap itself, but all the other conditions that's inside the cylinder. That's why the spark gap tester is adjusted to at least 1/2"-3/4" gap to simulate the conditions inside the cylinder. If you can get a spark across that gap, then you'll know that it can easily jump the spark plug gap inside the cylinder.
+stuzman52 The kV's are determined by dwell time? How does the computer know how much dwell time each cycle needs?
Thanks for adding all this good info. I'm sure it will help many understand it better
Always glad to help Duane and looking forward to your instructional videos. Take care...
My coil will produce 20kv but not 30kv. Is my coil still good
Master you forget to mention the primary side voltage
How do you use this??? Plug it in where??? Hate these videos that don't explain
WASTE OF TIME just use the test light. This screw unscrew thing is too slow
FASTEST WAY when u change ur plugs gap the old ones at 0.6 mm and drive and see if the car drives better, fast way to see if u have any weak or leak coil issues.
check out my MISFIRE FROM HELL No Codes video
+zloben9000 I watched your video. In a nutshell, you're saying you have to include the spark plug to test the coil because of the resistance in the plug itself. And that's not accounted for with the spark gap tester. Right?