Porsche 944 - Ignition Coil Testing & Replacement Tutorial
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- Опубликовано: 8 сен 2024
- This video demonstrates and explains the work involved in replacing the ignition coil on a Porsche 944, including an overview of voltage and resistance testing to confirm it's functional condition.
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I have owned a 1988 944s for about 4 years now (my first and only car) and I have to just say a major thank you NC944er! You have single handedly kept my car alive and running with your in depth tutorials and attention to detail. Its almost like I can have a problem and just look at your channel to find out what is wrong without wasting 5 hours researching the problem and getting 17 headaches and not even 1 step closer to solving the issue. I am very grateful to have my car but I'm even more grateful to have this channel to help me maintain my vehicle through all its problems without any confusion. Thank you.
Thank you for the thoughtful comment! I’ve definitely put multiple 100’s of hours into researching, recording, and building out the channel to be as helpful and accurate as possible for fellow 944 owners. Though there probably isn’t much benefit to folks outside the enthusiast community, it’s come to be invaluable to all of us trying to keep these cars alive, and if I can help save a few more, I’m all for it! I’ve also come to learn that 944s generally suffer the same failure points over time, so we’re all simultaneously and collectively fixing the same things in different geographical locations. Pretty wild… pass me a virtual beer and keep on wrenching! 😂
Just picked up my first 944 yesterday. 87 , 951. Now Creating a watchlist. Very nicely done, please keep it going with content. Subscribed.
Congrats and welcome to the club! Definitely lots of fun to be had… whether driving it or chasing down issues, it’ll keep you busy. 😁
Good stuff again! Thanks. Anxiously awaiting the MAF upgrade video!
Excellent how-to. Thanks for the help 👍
Another excellent video! Keep em coming.
Thanks Robert, appreciate the feedback!
Great content! You make me want to super clean my engine bay and buy all new hardware. Apparently I have 944-based OCD.
I was just thinking how clean the engine bay looked.
A word of caution… it is very addicting! 😂
This video is SO helpful!
So glad to see you posting again. Definitely excited to see what you have in store
I was chasing an engine issue and thought the problem could be related to ignition and ordered a new coil from Porsche. While waiting for the part to arrive, I figured out my current issue was NOT ignition related, but decided to keep the coil and replace it anyway. I got the same Brazil made silver coil you show in the video. The one I removed from my 87 was black in color. The old label was no longer readable, but guessing the coil was original to the car. The new coil has a smaller circumference and Porsche supplies a foam band to make up the extra space so it fits into the mounting bracket the same as before. The new coil has a smaller center post, so Porsche supplies a rubber sleeve to make up the extra space so the boot fits tightly as before. The new coil has a + and - post but unlike the original coil, both posts are the same diameter as the smaller post. I liked the original design with two sizes so it wasn't possible to mix up the connection. I also needed to source a new nut to fit the second small post. I'm not sure if this is a case of "less is more" or "less is less" or "doesn't make any difference so get a life." What do you think?
@@hampsonlaboratory1363 Interesting! I know Bosch has cut back on production for the coils, only doing production runs every so often, which results in lengthy periods of being back ordered. Although I have not seen any differences in design you mentioned, but as long as the new part works, it’ll be better than an old part with an unknown history.
Thank you! You have the clearest explanations and videos available. I have a beautiful 1987 944 I bought new in 1987. I am now replacing some electrical components that are within my limited ability. When replacing the original ignition wires, the toughest part was trying to get the coil cover off. I moved the power steering reservoir and unsnapped the cover and pulled until my hands were bloody. No luck. To complete the wiring, I carefully cut a hole in the top of the coil cover so that I could replace the old wire from the coil to distributor. Many folks on line have had the same problem with the coil cover. Please consider a video just dealing with that cover. I would still like to replace my now damaged coil cover with a new one.
You’ve had a long life with your 944, that’s amazing! 😎 The ignition coil cover is a ridiculously tight fit. You are on the right track with moving the PS reservoir. The cover can usually be removed at that point with much twisting, wiggling, and pulling, but sometimes it also requires loosening the ignition coil bracket as well as the headlight motor mount. With some clearance from those pieces, the cover will pop right off.
Going to go do this now because I've been suffering similar symptoms.
Great video. Thanks for sharing the coil specs. I also learned the coil has a cover. I've never had a 944 with one.
Yeah, the covers often go missing over the years. About $30 for a replacement - part #: 944-602-801-00
Thanks. I have a cart waiting for checkout with sunset for seals. I guess I'll add this to it, and the headlight relay cover I forgot.
Great video love watching them! But then it makes me want to go tear apart my decently running 87 na. 😂
It’s hard to fight the urge, and then not end up replacing 14 other things while you’re in there. 😂
@@NC944er you are doing a great job. I have already done the timing belt job and kick myself for not replacing/cleaning other parts while I was in there.
Excellent video very well put together I just bought my first Porsche 944 it's actually my first Porsche ever and I'm literally about to start this job I just decided to check RUclips and your video popped up extremely helpful keep up the good work
Thanks and congrats on your 944 purchase! You’ll find similar content here on the channel for many common repair/maintenance jobs for the 944. Best of luck! 👍🏼
Your content is absolutely godsent man, especially since we both live in NC, so I can use the same the specs in accordance to climate temperature that you use.
Been coming here for a lot of minor maintenance, please keep the uploads going! Maybe someday we'll meet in a cars & coffee or Rockingham Dragway by chance
Thank Charles, I’m glad you’ve found the information useful!
Cars & Coffee events have been hit and miss in my area, often a low turnout and nearly all American muscle, one guy thought my 944 was a Saab. 😂 I’ll be attending the “First Saturday” event on 10/1 at Southpoint Porsche in Durham, usually some pretty cool cars there, they have a 959 in the showroom right now.
Also, let me know if you ever need help with a larger job on your car, timing belt, etc. As the restoration finishes up on mine, I’d be interested in taking on some side work. Cheers!
Yeah cars & coffee in Fayetteville can get ghetto as f*k so I try to steer away from my area 😂.
I hope that event turned out well man! I'll be attending car events after November, I'm in Germany right now. Definitely will be attending all the major events, and maybe some cars & coffee with high attendance. I'll come say hi if I ever find your 944! Maybe you can give me some pointers on mine
Excellent video and explanation! My 911 is suffering from some of the symptoms you listed. An issue with a bad ignition coil wire cooked my coil pack. Even with a new wire, I see arcing on the green wire. I’m hoping the new coil pack I ordered does the trick.
Oh man, that doesn’t sound good. I hope the new parts get it up and going for you. I appreciate the feedback! 👍🏼
Good and clean job Brother , Have 1985 944 NA , can you restore it for me ?
Thank you! While I’d love to help, I’m afraid I barely find the time to keep mine going. 🤣
It's hard to see but does the black cap on the coil engage with the flange on the coil? It looks like it should but on my car it's just perched on top. Glad it's not missing, though. My ignition wires are fitted with a series of protective sleeves which is nice but keeps them from fitting into the designated retainers. Since yours fit so nicely I guess you removed the rubber sleeve?
That’s too funny… the cover on mine was just sitting on top as well from the last person who was in there, but yes, there’s a ring on the lower section of the cap that bulges out and the flange/ridge on the coil sits inside there. It won’t slide all the way down if the coil isn’t up high enough in its mount.
I have seen sets of plug wires with those protective sleeves on very low-mileage example 944s and believe that is how they came from the factory. Usually there are some gaps in the covering that allow the wires to be pushed into the retainers. My wires were replaced under prior ownership and didn’t come with those sleeves.
I've recently been dealing with a really poorly running car, initially it was only at cold starts I would notice the car struggle to hold and idle or hunt around, and if driven it would sputter and hesitate and backfire, but the symptoms would go away once warmed up more. Now, it's gotten progressively worse where 80 percent of the time it exhibits these symptoms regardless of engine temperature and intermittently will run better sometimes, run normally out of nowhere rarely, or run horribly whenever it feels like it. I am really unsure of where to begin with this and was hoping you had some insight or can guide me in the right direction to begin. 🙏 thank you
It sounds like a failing reference sensor… I would inspect and test the speed/reference sensors (the wiring breaks down at the connections behind the intake manifold) and if those check out, I would test for spark. Here are a couple articles to check out…
clarks-garage.com/shop-manual/ign-02.htm
www.clarks-garage.com/shop-manual/ts-01.htm
@@NC944er Thank you I'm going to check those out! You're a class act man. Your content and videos help so much in the 944 community I couldn't imagine trying to tackle half the stuff I did these past couple years without your videos. Hope you never stop doing what you do 😁
What do you consider most important on the ignition system and why ?
Sounds like an essay question. 😂 In terms of the individual components, they are all relatively equal in importance because without any one of them, the car won’t run. In general though, the most important thing is probably keeping up with recommended maintenance just like any other system. The spark plugs, distributor, and rotor are the most wearable items that require periodic replacement. The coils are pretty robust and usually last well over 100k miles. Age of these cars presents a unique issue with the rubber ignition cables drying out and/or cracking. Even the DME computers aren’t immune to age, as the ignition over-current protection can lose its calibration over time, causing the driver to heat up, softening the solder joints on the board which fatigue and eventually crack.
Extremely helpful as my son and I renovate his 944. Question if no voltage at all on the ignition coil when key is in ‘on’ position (but is when starting) does that mean ignition switch may be faulty ? Thanks and wonderfully clean car !
Hey Alex! Yes, you’re thinking is correct. The coil wiring should have switched voltage when in the “on” position. I would check the ignition switch and the wiring leading to the switch. It’s fairly common for them to fail over time.
@@NC944er Hello, I’m the son. After replacing the switch, I’m still not getting power to the coil in the “on” position. It did run about 2-3 months ago and then I worked on the speedo cable and now it hadn’t started again.
I haven’t checked the wiring at the moment to the coil, is there some pins I can test on the power wires on the wiring that go to the coil from the dash? Is there a way to see if there’s a problem there? Thanks!
@@Gunt4sh The black wire from the ignition switch runs through the central electric panel and then over to the coil. If the key is on, there should be 12v at the coil. There are a couple issues that can happen at the panel, the pins can burn in the socket or become loose, causing a bad connection.
Try running a new wire (or using jumper cables) from the battery positive terminal directly to the + post on the coil and see if the car starts when turning the key with that jumper connected. If it does, you’ll know there is a problem with the ignition switch to coil wiring somewhere on the circuit.
@@NC944er thank you very much
@@NC944er I just tried the positive post suggestion and it still had a slow start. I’m smelling fuel and I see touch bounce. I’m half wondering if my starter is dying. Cables look okay and very minimal wear. I’m assuming because I smell fuel that the dme is working.
Any tips for stereo wiring? My ground wire seems to have no power
Outside of replacing the factory speakers, I haven’t really dig into the stereo wiring, but cleaning the ground connections and ensuring all connected ends are properly seated is a good place to start.
Another excellent video. Thank you! My 1989 944 turbo engine shut off while I was driving and it failed to restart. After watching this video, I tested the coils and found that it had no resistance across the green and black terminals. The secondary resistance was normal at 6400. I tried to order a resistor but seems to have trouble finding one online. Seems like everyone is out of stock. Where is a good source for the ignition coils? I tried all the usual places such as pelican, fcpeuro, autohauz, .. no one seems to be in stock. I may have to try the dealer and see if it is available.
Yeah, the ignition coils have been back ordered for quite some time. I was able to get one from PartWorks in Germany, but it appears they are sold out now as well. Bosch provided an update earlier this year that the back ordered parts should be available around September of 2023, so they still plan to produce them, but they only do something like 1 production run every year. For the mean time, I’d look for a preowned one… here’s one available from a trusted eBay seller I’ve used in the past - www.ebay.com/itm/276006358482?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=_67jZtoRRHO&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=E3wwf34yQjS&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
@@NC944er Thank you!
This process work with a 924 turbo? We have it starting just fine, but stalls after about 2 seconds, starts fine again … ??
It would work for the 924S. The 924 Turbo uses a different part number, so the spec could be different.
I have a 1987 944s that won't start. I'm measuring 4.55k ohms between the coil output cable terminal and the negative terminal. You had indicated a range of 5k to 7.2k ohms in this video. Do you think my measured value could cause a no start condition?
Hey Bryan, that reading is out of specification, indicating that the coil is starting to fail. This could cause hard start, firing issues, and potentially a no start condition. If you can, it may be a good idea to confirm spark at the plugs using a spark tester before purchasing a new coil. It’s generally a good idea to first test some of the more common failure points as well - bypass the DME fuel pump relay to confirm a working pump and relay, test the battery, check terminal connections and clean grounds, check for a damaged ignition rotor, factory alarm control unit, etc. The ignition coils do fail, but they are generally more robust than some of the other components, but again that resistance reading is not ideal.
@@NC944er Thanks for the info. I'll check for spark before purchasing a new coil. I researched the type of coil that's currently in my car 'MSD Blaster PN: 8202' and it does not specify that it fits a Porshe 944. I'll probably go ahead and purchase a new one anyway but I'll start with some more common failure modes first. It has a new fuel pump so I don't think it's a fuel pressure problem.
I just tested my ignition coil, got a primary resistance of 0.3ohms. Been having an issue with fluctuating idle and intermediate stalling. After looking for a new coil, I can not find one anywhere. I noticed they were discontinued, so where is everybody getting new coils? I see aftermarket but non with the required voltage and resistance specs. Does anyone have recommendations to a brand/website where I can find a new/refurbished either OEM or plug n play aftermarket coil.
Yeah, the ignition coils have been back ordered for quite some time. I was able to get one from PartWorks in Germany, but it appears they are sold out now as well. Bosch provided an update earlier this year that the back ordered parts should be available around September of 2023, so they still plan to produce them, but they only do something like one production run every year. If you need one now, I’d look for a preowned one… here’s one available from an eBay seller I’ve used in the past - www.ebay.com/itm/166291672290?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=jDpueT61Swq&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=E3wwf34yQjS&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
@@NC944er Just got my ignition coil in the mail and installed it! Car is running much smoother now, thank you for your videos and help.
@@jacobhumphrey7711 Awesome, glad to hear it! 😎