It does not make a safe approach to keep on driving when your car is malfunctioning. While some components are durable for some miles, it’s never recommended to lean on a faulty component, especially when you intend to drive several miles.
But how long can I drive with a bad ignition coil?
When you take a safer zone approach, you can drive your car more than 100 km with a bad ignition coil. You can drive with a bad ignition coil for about a week or maybe less than that.
Read Also: How to Clean Ignition Coil
However it will only bring in the stress on the running cylinders. Generally, the latest cars with ECU systems will halt the petrol supply to the affected cylinder which results in no fuel in the exhaust system.
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How do I know the ignition coil is bad?
The ignition coils in the car are an important component to keep the car functional. It amplifies the volts as the engine does not produce enough volts. However there are few signs that tell you it’s about time to replace the ignition coil.
If the ignition coil is defective, bad or not performing that way it should, it causes a number of further problems in the vehicle. The car can get lost in power or poor fuel mileage. Therefore, it’s most important to keep a keen eye on its performance so that you can timely change it.
Loss of power
The car will not perform fast and its slow performance is a sign of a bad ignition coil. Each time when you step onto the pedal, the car will respond slyly and feel too weak to move. It means that the fuel-air mixture is not ignited properly and it means that the ignition coil is bad.
Your car will stall and misfire
The car will misfire and backfire if the ignition coil is bad which means that either of the cylinders in the engine is not firing properly. It could also be possible that the cylinder is not working altogether.
Moreover, if the coil doesn’t send the required voltages, the car will not start and the vehicle will stall. It’s another sign of bad ignition coil
Odd noises
The odd noise from the cause odd sounds such as sputtering, coughing, and banging which is another indication. If your car is letting out such odd sounds it is time to replace the bad ignition coil with a new one. The loud banging sound can be from exploding unused gas in the combustion cylinders
The check engine light will come on
The check engine light will come on if the ignition coils are bad. This is because the car has several issues such as challenging to restart, misfire and backfiring of the engine and more. All these issues will make the check engine light and you will note that it can be due to defective ignition coil.
Vibration and roughly idles
The car will vibrate when idling and its another common sign of poor ignition coil. The problematic ignition coil will make the vehicle idle roughly and vibrate. This is because the faulty ignition coil is not sending the voltages that are needed to create the sparks. You may also notice the forward jerks during accelerator push.
What to do if my car has a bad ignition coil?
Bad ignition coils in the car will prevent it from smooth driving. Therefore, you should not keep on driving with the troubled component. Also the poor sparking and voltages can cause permanent damage to some of the components and that will be costly to repair. Therefore, it’s important to take your car to the mechanic for timely and budget repair.
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