Does Your Kia Have a Faulty Ignition Coil?

Each cylinder in your engine has an ignition coil that provides the spark plug with enough electrical voltage to ignite the fuel and power your car. This makes ignition coils essential for proper engine functioning. If one or more of your coils develops a fault, your engine will also start struggling. Here are a few common indications that you might need to visit your nearest Kia dealership to have a faulty ignition coil removed or repaired. 

Does Your Kia Have a Faulty Ignition Coil?

Rough Idling

When an ignition coil becomes fouled by carbon deposits or damaged by heat and vibrations, your engine will start misfiring. This makes idling feel much rougher than usual, with plenty of shaking and sputtering sounds. 

Sudden Stalling

A badly misfiring engine can sometimes fail altogether. This can be dangerous if you suddenly stall in traffic or at a busy intersection. 

Trouble Starting

When starting up, your engine needs a strong burst of electrical power. If one or more of the ignition coils fails to provide this voltage, your engine might take a while to start. At worst, it might fail to start entirely.

Lack of Engine Power

Misfiring engines also lose power: irregular sparks inside the combustion chambers aren’t burning the fuel as steadily as before. As a result, acceleration drops, making it harder to overtake other vehicles. 

Poor Fuel Efficiency

An engine with faltering ignition coils cannot burn fuel as well as it should. As a result, a full tank of gas will no longer provide as much bang for your buck. 

Thickened Exhaust Smoke

With misfiring cylinders, some of the fuel is going unburned. This unburned fuel eventually starts to escape through the exhaust system, where it might drip out or sometimes ignite, turning into thick smoke. If the fuel ignites inside your catalytic converter, the cat will probably be destroyed. 

Blinking Check Engine Light

The various engine problems resulting from problematic ignition coils will usually cause the check engine light on your instrument panel to light up. This warning light doesn’t tell you the exact source of the problem, but a technician can quickly diagnose it for you. 

How Your Kia Dealer Can Repair a Faulty Coil

Not all faulty coils need to be thrown out. It is sometimes possible to save a bad ignition coil by cleaning it. The technician will examine each coil for cracks, a burned-out electrode, or other structural damage.
They may also use a multimeter to test the conductivity. Some coils might only be fouled by carbon residue, which can sometimes be cleaned away to restore the coil’s function. But many bad coils need to be swapped out for new ones. 
Have your ignition coils inspected, repaired, or replaced today at Crain Kia of Fayetteville. We’re a local family-owned dealership, and we aim to treat all our customers like family as well. 

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