In this blog post, we will know How Many Ignition Coils Does a Car Have?, type of ignition coil, and lot more.
An ignition coil is an essential component of any engine that provides voltage to the spark plugs. No matter the size or age of the engine, all cylinders (4, 6, and 8) will have an ignition coil.
What is an Ignition Coil?
An ignition coil consists of copper wires wrapped around an iron piece with two sets of windings. Windings are copper wire loops that have primary and secondary loops. The primary coil winding usually contains hundreds of loops made of heavy wire, while the secondary winding loop can have thousands of turns made of fine wire. This allows the battery’s voltage to be increased to the higher voltage required to spark a good spark.
The coils for engine spark have been through many upgrades. The coil has undergone multiple upgrades, from a single coil to several coils close to the spark plug.
How Many Ignition Coils are in a V6 engine?
A V6 engine may have one, three, or six coils depending on the year and manufacturer.
How Many Ignition Coils are in a V8 engine?
To answer the question about how many ignition coils are in a V8 engine, you need to identify the type of V8 motor in your vehicle.
It depends on the type of engine and the number of cylinders. Depending on the year and manufacturer, a V8 engine may have one, four, or eight coils (One spark plug per cylinder). Most older vehicles before the 1990s were equipped with a single-coil, but modern designs may have multiple coils.
However, twin spark engines with no distributor, and newer HEMI engines with Multiple-Displacement Systems, will have two spark plugs per engine cylinder — so sixteen in total.
This is true only for gasoline engines. A diesel engine uses a glow plug. The glow plug does not ignite the mixture of air and fuel in the combustion chamber of a diesel engine. Instead, the superheated compressed oxygen in each cylinder ignites the fuel.
So, you need to be aware of the type of engine that you have.
Type of Ignition Coil
Modern cars built within the last 30 years may have one coil or multiple coils, depending on their manufacturer. Designs can include one coil, a coil pack, or a coil per cylinder.
Modern vehicles only have one ignition coil per spark plug. A six-cylinder engine, for example, will most likely have six coils. However, there are exceptions.
How Do I Know If My V8 Motor Has Twin-Spark or Dual Ignition?
You can learn the most important information by reading the vehicle’s owner’s manual. Some Mercedes and Dodge V8 engines have sixteen sparkplugs.
Let’s look at the engine that we all know, the 5.7-liter Chrysler HEMI V8. This engine uses two spark plugs per cylinder. There are eight cylinders within a V8, so there are 16 spark plugs.
Similar results can be made for V8 motors that have dual ignition. This technology was eventually adopted by modern engines such as the HEMI V8. While Alfa Romeo created a tw
in-spark to race, Chrysler uses it for maximum horsepower and lower emissions.There’s another way to check whether your V8 motor has eight or sixteen. Open the hood to count the spark plug cables. Eight spark plug wires should be coming from the engine. The motor will come with eight.
The HEMI V8 will have eight ignition coils and not just wires. You might think that the vehicle has eight spark plugs. Looking closely, you will see that each ignition coil provides power for a pair of spark plugs. You will notice that each cylinder has two long contact points for the spark plugs.
WHEELSCRIBE recommends purchasing an Original Equipment Manufacturer (or OEM) spark plug when replacing your gasoline engine’s spark plug. Aftermarket spark plugs are often more expensive than OEM ones. OEM spark plugs have better fuel economy.
Frequently Asked Question
What are the signs of a faulty spark plug or ignition coil?
The symptoms of a faulty spark plug are:
- Problems in starting the car
- Illuminated check engine light
- Misfires can cause engine shakes
- More emissions
- Reduced fuel economy
- The spark plug gap widened
Bad spark plugs can cause misfires in your cylinder’s combustion chamber, causing you to have trouble driving. So we recommend replacing the spark plug.
What are the different types of spark plugs?
There are 4 types of spark plugs:
- Silver spark plugs: Silver spark plugs aren’t the most efficient but work well with older cars.
- Copper spark plugs: These are mid-range plugs that have a low melting temperature.
- Platinum spark plugs: Platinum spark plugs are more durable than copper plugs and reduce carbon buildup, but they last longer than iridium.
- Iridium spark plugs :Iridium spark plugs are the best you can get. They have a higher melting point and last longer than platinum plugs.
How often do I need to change my spark plugs?
The type and length of your spark plugs will determine how long they last.
- Silver spark plugs: Silver can last up to 20,000 miles.
- Copper spark plugs: Copper spark plugs should be changed every 30,000-50,000 miles.
- Platinum plugs or iridium spark plugs: Platinum or iridium plugs can last between 50,000 and 120,000 miles.
