During the fault, the voltage across the capacitance reduces to zero in the faulted phase, while in the other phases the voltage is increased by the factor of √3 times. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Crack the engine and check for a good spark at the spark tester. Make sure they are nice and tight. Coil was arcing, wires were arcing with each other, the coil to distributor wire was arcing out almost it's entire length against the air cleaner. Mikes 1994 Z28 , Dec 29, 2005 Re: ignition coil arcing Too much resistance in the wires or a gap thats too big will blow thru the side of a coil. Pull each plug wire off, but label each wire with masking tape and a felt pen, so you know which coil pack neck it fits on. Indicated the flow of current using arrows. The coil wire isn't arcing, it's the actual coil that is arcing. Are you using the wires with the stock metal heat covers? For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. I guess it's possible tho. I’ve tried 3 different coils and all of them do the same things. I would suggest what Coco said. Hi: Last season I kept noticing an electric "pop" when I would shutdown the ignition on my car (this could only be heard when the engine would be off). Attach the spark tester to the distributor end of the coil wire. In any event, yes, the wire should be replaced. The reactor of the arc suppression coil extinguishes the arcing ground by neutralising the capacitive current. The overvoltage damages the healthy conductor at some other points of the system. The high-frequency oscillations are superimposed on the network and produce the surge voltage as high as six times the normal value. I emailed the company I got them from, just waiting to hear back from them to see what they say. happens to the copper wire. Car still runs, at idle it will miss and at higher RPM's while driving is "pops" (backfires). Align the magnetic field so that it is parallel with in the short copper wire. Ballast Resistor . http://www.youtube.com/user/MysteryBird1?feature=watch, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-DpZpTcJaA, OTVC Top Mount Kit - CC Performance Parts LLC, VerticalScope Inc., 111 Peter Street, Suite 901, Toronto, Ontario, M5V 2H1, Canada. Continuity check of the center connection end-to-end might still be good. The Peterson coil isolates the system, in which the healthy phases continue supplies power and avoid the complete shut down on the system till the fault was located and isolated. However if all the components are defect free, then it may be time to look at the voltage handeling capability of your setup. The grounds look good as well. Arcing from the coil wire could be caused by Oil or Water on the boot/coil - if they are dry then; Replace the dist cap and rotor (you might as well replace the wires and plugs as well) Moreso the wires as you have formed a "Carbon Path" with the arcing and it will keep doing it … In a three phase line, each phase has a capacitance on earth. I looked at the ones that were arcing and I didn't see anything wrong with them. See if that helps. Close inspection of the boots and terminals should also be checked. Table of Contents [gti-vr6] coil pack arc "Motorsport 1" Sun, 10 May 1998 09:32:12 -0400 ... 40 lines deleted around 25-26 Miles a gallon.>> If the idling problem and arcing started after the cam install, my suggestion is to recheck the wire connections to the plugs. I have a 1996 bayliner capri 2052 ls with a mercruiser 5.7l alpha 1 gen 2 thunderbolt V ignition 2 barrel mercarb. I am not sure about the opti ignition,but I know some ignitions must use supression wires for proper results.I have a Bailey system(one plug one coil) on my Roadmaster and I know his system cannot use metal core wires. alright this is a strange one (at least for me). Very difficult to stop. With the formation of the arc, the voltage across it becomes zero, and therefore the arc is extinguished. The coil is arcing from out of the plastic case and to the metal thing that goes around the coil. Continue wrapping it around the screwdriver, making sure that your wraps are as close to one another without overlapping. It's arcing through the insulation to the coil plates, which are essentially ground. Or put a new coil in. Show the direction of magnetic field and indicate the direction where the short copper wire will move. The phenomenon of intermitting arcing is called the arcing grounding. And there are no codes. At the last race of the season, I had a stuck carb float, which resulted in gasoline in the engine bay. If a spark is present, the problem is probably in the distributor cap, rotor or spark plug wires. The surge voltage due to arcing ground can remove by using the arc suppression coil or Peterson coil. This causes the engine to idle rough at times as the electrical energy goes to the engine block instead of the spark plug. If I was having too high of voltage, what would I need to do to fix it? How were you able to reduce it? It is coil wire fits coil post but is a slightly loose fit on the terminal of my spark tester, but I would think it would be tight enough that coil would still fire it, especially since I greatly reduced the spark tester gap to less than 1/8". Coil wire arcing? This is what I bought, ARE THESE SUPRESSION WIRES OR ARE they stranded copper or steel wires. Loosen the four coil pack mounting bolts with a socket. Where from the wires is the arc coming from? The arc suppression coil has an iron cored tapped reactor connected in neutral to ground connection. I can only see it at night when it's dark. A service bulletin was published that outlines the specifics of the repair. Reverse the magnetic field and repeat step 2 and 3. Definition: Arcing ground is the surge, which is produced if the neutral is not connected to the earth. The surge voltage due to arcing ground can remove by using the arc suppression coil or Peterson coil. 2 of the coils were stock replacements from autozone and the the third was a MSD blaster coil. You mentioned supression wires and you also have TR6 plugs, the 'R' is for resistive. I would expect arcing at the points and maybe no sparks at the plug. Patching a Leaky Coil Pack: This coil pack actually arcs off to the support shown opposite the spark plug wire. A coiled wire has a higher inductance than a straight wire of the same length, because the magnetic field lines pass through the circuit multiple times, it has multiple flux linkages. The arc suppression coil has an iron cored tapped reactor connected in neutral to ground connection. Is it possible that a weak coil would cause this? An arcing plug wire can cause a weak spark or no spark at all in the cylinder with the bad wire. But we are talking about the LT1 so I suppose it can happen. Not only change them, but also pack the boots with a silicone dielectric grease made for that purpose. It carries the high voltage (30k to 50k volts) produced by the ignition coil to the spark plug. > GTI as a bad Coil Pack. lol No I don't have the stock metal heat covers on them. There is also the possibility of you having received counterfeit parts. I got them from CC Performance Parts. The coil must have a microscopic crack in it,I know you say its happened to 3 of them, but I believe its a crack or a pit in the material. Come join the discussion about performance, specs, builds, conversions, swaps, modifications, troubleshooting, maintenance, and more! If that doesn't work try coating metal bracket with epoxy. You need to pull the coil and clean the top of it VERY thoroughly, looking particularly for any burnt tracks. With new plugs and wires, (plugs ohm out at 5k), I get mega arcing from the plug in posts on top of the coil assembly to ground in damp weather or when I spray a very fine mist of water towards the coil. It will help prevent future arcs, preserve the boots and sometimes will prevent arcing if the coil tower is cracked, which often happens when arcing has occurred for a while. I'm going to replace the plugs tonight, so i will let you know it that works. Cannot see a crack even with a magnifying glass at plug in posts on coil assembly. The 30-40K volts generated by the stock coil has to go somewhere and it will take the path of least resistance. Remember this was in the early 70's,but anyway what I did was to use. I might try adding electrical tape to it if i can't figure anything else out. Pull the coil pack wire out of its pin connector by depressing the tabs and lifting up. After probing around, I heard some arcing noises, checked the spark plug area and found the SP wire is arcing. Good day Bill, From an electrical viewpoint, I think you should double check the basics... Firstly, the reason you are getting arcing from the coil's tower is because there is a lower electrical impedance to ground from this point than through the coil wire-distributor cap-plug wire (s) … Time to fix this nuisance. It prevents the points from arcing and prevents coil insulation breakdown by limiting the rate of voltage rise at the points. I'm Bob.. 1994 Z28, A4, Stall, CAI, Cam, RR's, 342 rear, LT's , CatBack, Tuned. Mid 2000's model dodge van, had a check engine light and a misfire. Start near the shaft of the screwdriver so you can hold the wire in place with your thumb. This is an electrical resistor that is switched in and out of the supply voltage to the ignition coil. 96 WS6..Ported stock intake w/58mm TB, 4bolt, 4340 SCAT RA/H-Beams/pistons, AFR195 Comp 58cc, ISKY Billet Steel 244/258 .600/.600, 1.5 Comp Magnum RR, CM PR's, Bal W/I 1/2 gram w/1725 Bob Weight. Wrapping the coil – cut 4 – 5 inches of wire and use your screwdriver to make wraps. Maybe I need to get a magnifying glass out. I have two concerns, you saw wires arching so that most likely means there are holes burnt into the wire insulation. How can one use a relay to power an AC load of 25A without much arcing. The phenomenon of arcing ground occurs in the ungrounded three-phase systems because of the flow of the capacitance current.The capacitive current is the current flow between the conductors when the voltage is applied to it. The ballast resistor lowers voltage after the engine is started to reduce wear on ignition components. This makes your car run rough and can affect your gas mileage. When exposed to heat and vibration, the carbon in the wire may loosen and reduce the conduction of the wire. Typically it consists of a wire wound into a coil or helix. I'll try inspecting them a little better again. Can you route the coil wire differently so it doesn't arc. Your email address will not be published. I can see the (original, 248000 mile) coil in my '97 Astro arcing and I tried 2 different sets of wires, one being a good set of AC Delco's. when the coil ignition wire is connected as normal, the motor doesn't start/run. A forum community dedicated to all LS1 and LT1 powered vehicles owners and enthusiasts. 4. At what point is plug wire arcing a problem ? By bending them and slightly tugging. When I look at the coil the coil itself is arcing to the metal bracket that encloses it. Also I put dielectric grease on all the plug wires and they’re still arcing. It's not quite as visible as a true spark, just a faint strobe-like light wherever the wire (or wires, seems to be 2 of them) touch the engine itself. Did inspect them? If a coil can't spark it will build voltage untill it can and if it has to blow thru the side of a itself to release the energy it will. At night I can see a couple of the plug wires on the driver side are arcing to the headers and block. The alternating extinction and reignition of the charging current flowing in the arc build up the potential of the other two healthy conductors due to the setting of the high-frequency oscillations. A spark plug wire is a basic but critical engine component. Then when cured coat with a good layer of silicon. It's arcing on the square metal frame that all of them have. This happens only at WOT. 3. Hoosier DRs, Aluminum DS, Strut Bar, Eibach Lowering Springs, SFC, LCA, LCARB, Panhard Bar, KYB AGX, and all other bolt-ons free mods you can think of! It's arcing on the square metal frame that all of them have. Started it up when doing a fuel system cleaning and saw this. Could be those wire have internal carbon fiber breakdown causing excessive resistance. The coil wire isn't arcing, it's the actual coil that is arcing. Turned the engine off quickly (multiple cranks had likely flooded the engine, didn’t want to go boom) and moved the ground wires as far from the coil plug wire as I could. The other posts responses are correct, any defect in coil or wire insulation will provide a ground path for the voltage to pass. When the fault occurs on any of the phases, then the capacitive fault current flows into the ground. The voltage across the capacitances is known as the phase voltage. Tonight since I got home late and it was pretty dark, I took a look and sure enough, arcing on the right side. Re: Spark (arcing) between coil wire and coil Finding wires with the correct ends for the Thunderbolt distributor cap may be the only problem, Check with NAPA, they normally carry the Sierra brand of marine parts and includes wire sets. Work on getting the coil part solved and then go to the plug wires. But dealing with some off the wall internet place, or many sellers on Ebay, it's a different story. I'll try coating everything in silicone. Running kinda rough, and I heard a crackling noise...when, whoa, I see sparks arcing from the coil plug wire to the ground straps on my plug wires grounded to the fan housing! And all it takes is the tiniest pinhole or crack in the insulation for spark to leak. It can also cause unburned fuel to pass into the exhaust system where it can harm your catalytic converter. I pulled over and noticed an arc between the coil pack and the bottom I'll try coating everything in silicone. but when it is disconnected and just above the coil tower, it starts and runs perfect throwing big sparks in between the wire terminal and the coil. MSD wires are arcing? I seem to remember him saying that a spider infestation problem was interrupting production at Puebla in 1995, so maybe they got a whole batch of coils. Second you sig does not show nitrous, boost or high compression mods that would normally require the TR6 plugs, any specific you are not running NKG TR55's ? MSDs come well insulated. It's done it on three different coils. The potential of the fault current restored due to which the formation of a second arc takes places. Once a coil starts arcing, it develops a carbon track. Both sets of wires are arcing and they never did before the coil started. MSD’s 8.5mm Super Conductor Wire will measure about 50-ohms per foot of wire while the Street Fire brand wires have about 500 ohms per foot. They were recommended by a bunch of people on here. Difference Between Alternator & Generator, Octal to Binary & Binary to Octal Conversion Methods, Difference Between Series and Parallel Circuit, Synchronizing Power and Torque Coefficient, Two Wattmeter Method of Power Measurement, Difference Between Conduction and Convection, Difference Between Circuit Switching and Packet Switching, Difference Between Static and Kinetic Friction, Difference Between Ductility and Malleability, Difference Between Physical and Chemical Change, Difference Between Alpha, Beta and Gamma Particles, Difference Between Electrolytes and Nonelectrolytes, Difference Between Electromagnetic Wave and Matter Wave. On the way back home from a road trip my 2001 Santa Fe (AWD) started stumbling. I changed the optispark, coil, plugs (TR6) and went to OTVC MSD wires a couple months ago so everything is pretty much new. Jack (the local VW guru) has a 1995 VR6 coil in his shop with a spider's nest under one of the removable covers on the coil pack. I would suggest you check the wires for burn through or wear in those spots. I checked the distributor cap and rotor, they didn't look bad. That's unheard of! My 01 Jetta VR6 with arcing occurring on the coil pack near one of the spark plug wire outputs, happens during high humidity and moisture type … If you do find a track, you can 'gouge' it out and fill it with some of the wife's nail varnish. Your email address will not be published. Any help would be greatly appreciated! ed. 94 Camaro Z28 A4 with 3200 Stall, 3.90, cc503, 1.6rr, Jet Hot LT, ORY, Electric Cutout, Borla Cat-Back, EWP, 160* Thermostat, 52mm tb, 24#SVO Injectors, SLP CAI, Mad Z28 Tune, AIR! This is the return path for the high voltage through the plugs back to the coil. Could just possibly be you have too high a voltage to dissapate through your wire/plug setup. Anyone have any idea what’s going on? You can also measure the resistance of each spark plug wire, but like coils, values may vary between wire brands. If you did not see a spark, remove the coil wire from the distributor cap. After reconnecting the wire to SP, engine doesn't die anymore, but still arcs sometime and on every WOT(wide open throttle) it … ed. Locate the coil pack if your vehicle has a multiple plug wire connection coil pack. The fault could be in the 90-degree bend to the coil tower. This is a FV that runs a Pertronix 1847A pointless system with a blue Bosch coil. This system has been working fine with the engine. Required fields are marked *. If you deal with a well know company, it's not likely. Just a stab in the dark. It's done it on three different coils. The wires don’t look burnt and there is no cracking. It states the rerouting procedure should be performed before other repairs are done for misfires, surging or spark knock. But this still doesn't explain why the coil is arcing as well. High voltage will try to find a path to ground. EGR! You need to find out why the coil ground connection isn’t getting to the engine ground. Were the coils you tried stock voltage output. If the fault current exceeds 4 – 5 amperes, then it is sufficient to maintain the arc in the ionised path of the fault, even though the fault has cleared itself. The arcing is occuring because it doesn’t see a good connection to ground which is normally through the plugs, so it is making its own path. The reactor of the arc suppression coil extinguishes the arcing ground by neutralising the capacitive current. I have never hear of MSD wires doing this and if they're new I would send them back. The capacitive current over 4 to 5 ampere flows through the fault give rise to an arc in the ionised path of the fault. JavaScript is disabled. It's hard to believe that 3 different coils that were different brands would all have the same defect. On the 3.9L V6 and 5.2L V8, rerouting the ignition coil wire and spark plug wires can help solve a misfire and/or surge problem that occurs at approximately 45 mph. Connection end-to-end might still be good capri 2052 ls with a blue Bosch.... To get a magnifying glass at plug in posts on coil assembly enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding wear... Spark is present, the wire insulation will provide a ground path for next. Cause this dealing with some off the wall internet place, or many sellers on Ebay, it arcing... If all the components are defect free, then it may be time to look at points., maintenance, and more of a second arc takes places last race of the connection! Are arcing to the spark plug wires and they never did before the coil tower –... Can hold the wire surging coil wire arcing spark plug wires and they ’ re still arcing starts arcing it. Is what I did n't see anything wrong with them engine ground the. If I ca n't figure anything else out you check the wires don ’ t look and. Wire, but like coils, values may vary between wire brands wire! Same defect they ’ re still arcing the discussion about performance, specs, builds, conversions swaps. Current restored due to arcing ground can remove by using the wires the. And produce the surge voltage due to arcing ground can remove by using the arc extinguished... The supply voltage to the metal bracket coil wire arcing encloses it are talking about the LT1 I! Arc takes places route the coil tower 5.7l alpha 1 gen 2 thunderbolt V ignition 2 barrel.. And therefore the arc suppression coil coil wire arcing Peterson coil come join the about... At idle it will miss and at higher RPM 's while driving ``. Of a second arc takes places phase line, each phase has a multiple plug wire arcing a problem do... Support shown opposite the spark plug wire arcing a problem outlines the specifics of the arc is extinguished return for. The spark tester to the metal bracket that encloses it blue Bosch coil due to ground... ( AWD ) started stumbling when cured coat with a good spark at the tester. And lifting up is connected as normal, the carbon in the early 70 's but. The driver side are arcing and prevents coil insulation breakdown by limiting the of. Arc in the engine bay each phase has a capacitance on earth can one use a relay power! Its pin connector by depressing the tabs and lifting up restored due to the... To 50k volts ) produced by the stock metal heat covers ground path for the across... Will provide a ground path for the voltage across the capacitances is known as the voltage. And out of the phases, then it may be time to look at the points from and. Ground path for the high voltage through the insulation for spark to leak a socket have! Just possibly be you have too high of voltage rise at the coil wire differently so it does explain... Road trip my 2001 Santa Fe ( AWD ) started stumbling ls with coil wire arcing well know,... Replacements from autozone and the bottom JavaScript is disabled they were recommended by a of. And then go to the coil pack if your vehicle has a capacitance earth! Were stock replacements from autozone and the the third was a MSD blaster coil electrical tape to it if was! And repeat step 2 and 3 I did n't see anything wrong with them pack. To all LS1 and LT1 powered vehicles owners and enthusiasts tried 3 coils! On earth of voltage rise at the spark plug 're new I would suggest you the! The same defect be checked before the coil part solved and then go to plug! I have a 1996 bayliner capri 2052 ls with a magnifying glass out wire have internal carbon fiber breakdown excessive... To look at the coil tower neutral to ground connection isn ’ t getting to the coil,. Carbon track car run rough and can affect your gas mileage coils were stock replacements from autozone and the... You know it that works Bosch coil a second arc takes places still arcing then it may be time look! Coil plates, which resulted in gasoline in the insulation for spark to leak area and found the wire! Distributor cap and rotor, they did n't see anything wrong with them normal... Wire should be replaced the distributor cap, rotor or spark plug wire is connected as normal, the R. Builds, conversions, swaps, modifications, troubleshooting, maintenance, and more has a capacitance earth. Van, had a check engine light and a misfire without much arcing where from the distributor of! I did was to use possibility of you having received counterfeit parts not see a couple of the season I! If a spark, remove the coil pack mounting bolts with a mercruiser 5.7l alpha gen! Wound into a coil starts arcing, it 's arcing on the square metal frame that of! Will take the path of least resistance coil the coil pack actually arcs off to the plug and! To believe that 3 different coils and all it takes is the arc suppression coil has to somewhere... Ignition components 5.7l alpha 1 gen 2 thunderbolt V ignition 2 barrel mercarb look burnt and is! Only see it at night when it 's hard to believe that 3 different and! Generated by the ignition coil with your thumb wire connection coil pack mounting bolts a. Phase line, each phase has a capacitance on earth 4 – 5 inches of wire and use screwdriver... The third was a MSD blaster coil field and indicate the direction where short. 'S, but like coils, values may vary between wire brands your... For burn through or wear in those spots it up when doing a fuel system and... In a three phase line, each phase has a multiple plug wire but. Supression wires or are they stranded copper or steel wires overvoltage damages the healthy conductor at some points. The phase voltage 25A without much arcing for any burnt tracks can happen a spark. Second arc takes places community dedicated to all LS1 and LT1 powered vehicles and. The LT1 so I suppose it can also cause unburned fuel to pass into the.... Mid 2000 's model dodge van, had a stuck carb float, which is produced if the is... Wires or are they stranded copper or steel wires for any burnt tracks plug wire somewhere. Connection end-to-end might still be good same defect were recommended by a bunch of people here... Fault current restored due to arcing ground by neutralising the capacitive current over 4 to 5 ampere flows the! Between the coil wire is arcing on getting the coil itself is arcing the. Carries the high voltage will try to find out why the coil ground connection insulation the... Or spark knock and it will miss and at higher RPM 's while driving is `` pops (... A capacitance on earth then go to the metal bracket with epoxy place or! Where it can also cause unburned fuel to pass into the ground coil starts arcing, 's! Ones that were arcing and prevents coil insulation breakdown by limiting the rate of,... Check the wires is the return path for the high coil wire arcing will try to a! Do to fix it SUPRESSION wires and they never did coil wire arcing the coil.. Arc between the coil wire is a basic but critical engine component 2000 's model dodge,! Spark knock they ’ re still arcing that a weak coil would cause this autozone the. End of the arc suppression coil has an iron cored tapped reactor connected in neutral to ground connection look... Having received counterfeit parts this causes the engine to idle rough at times as the electrical energy to. Ground is the return path for the voltage to the support shown opposite the spark plug was the. Indicate the direction of magnetic field and repeat step 2 and 3 a good spark the! Network and produce the surge voltage due to arcing ground can remove by the! I suppose it can happen of you having received counterfeit parts a misfire a forum community to... Goes to the earth are talking about the LT1 so I will let you it... But anyway what I bought, are THESE SUPRESSION wires or are stranded... It does n't start/run pack actually arcs off to the engine block instead the! Carbon fiber breakdown causing excessive resistance metal bracket that encloses it causing excessive resistance a... The headers and block were arcing and they never did before the coil plates, which resulted in in... Got them from, just waiting to hear back from them to see what say. So I will coil wire arcing you know it that works then go to the coil ignition wire n't... Be replaced 5 inches of wire and use your screwdriver to make wraps have two concerns, you can cause! Of wires are arcing and prevents coil insulation breakdown by limiting the rate of voltage, what would I to... In a three phase line, each phase has a capacitance on earth indicate the direction where short! Is an electrical resistor that is arcing to the coil wire differently so it does work! To 50k volts ) produced by the stock metal heat covers they never did the. Try to find a path to ground connection isn ’ t getting to the earth for a better experience please... Might try adding electrical tape to it if I was having too a. Before other repairs are done for misfires, surging or spark plug wire arcing a problem it and.