Problem with Ignition Coil on Nissan

[walt]

My dauhgters 2001 Nissan with 1.8 Liter started running very poorly. I pulled the spark plugs and noted the #1 cylinder was not fireing. Replaced the ignition coil and the car ran great for an hour before the same condition returned. Pulled the igntion coil and it looks to be fried.

Took the car to the stealer for a diagnosis but, they could not run it because the ECM was bad. But, they also said the ECM was not causing the coil problem. Stealer wanted $1000 for the ECM and replacement coil.

Any thoughts on what might be causing the coil to go bad? Thanks.

[asphaltgambler]

Check the secondary ignition for high resistance. IE: worn distributor cap and rotor, wires. If the secondary resistance is very high the coil will be at max output all the time using all of it's energy which in turn will cause it to overheat and fail.

I would be wary of a faulty DME for this issue unless the dealer can absolutely prove this is the root cause.

[Scott R]

Originally Posted by asphaltgambler

Check the secondary ignition for high resistance. IE: worn distributor cap and rotor, wires. If the secondary resistance is very high the coil will be at max output all the time using all of it's energy which in turn will cause it to overheat and fail.

I would be wary of a faulty DME for this issue unless the dealer can absolutely prove this is the root cause.

Well 01' is ODB II, so they plug the reader in and get nothing, they diagnose as a bad ECU. And on Nissan I've seen a few bad ones.

[asphaltgambler]

Again they would have to prove beyond a doubt..........

[onewhippedpuppy]

Is the battery good? I had intermittent misfires on my wife's Cadillac SRX with coil packs. Replaced all spark plugs and coil pack in question, still had a misfire and CEL at WOT. Battery had been weak the entire time, finally died. Now with a replacement battery, there's no more issue. Just a suggestion, I know the battery never crossed my mind as the issue.