Check engine light issues can cause a lot of angst for vehicle owners. They can be triggered from something as simple as a loose or bad gas cap or leaking hose to more detailed issues like faulty ignition coils. What often happens with a Check Engine or Service Engine Soon light warning is that vehicle owners ignore the light instead of having it checked out right away. The problem with this is that whatever caused the light to trigger is causing an issue with engine performance. If the source of the Check Engine Light trigger is not fixed, further engine damage will occur. This is particularly true when it relates to the ignition coils.

We have a lot of helpful information on our site about the Check Engine light and what can trigger this light to come on. Click on the links to read:

Is Your Check Engine Light On?

What Should You Do When the Check Engine Light Comes On?

Both pages will give you a better understanding of how the Check Engine or Service Engine Soon warning light functions and how to best deal with it when the light comes on.

Why would a bad ignition coil cause the Check Engine Light to come on?

To answer this question, it’s helpful to know how an ignition coil works. In the simplest of explanations, an ignition coil converts the low voltage received from the car battery into the number of volts needed to create the spark for combustion. Your car’s engine has either one ignition coil for each spark plug or one for every two spark plugs. If the ignition coil goes bad, it won’t send the necessary volts to the spark plug so it can ignite the air/fuel mixture in the combustion chamber. This then causes the engine to misfire which in turn affects the emissions. That’s why the Check Engine light will come on. Over time, if not fixed, serious engine damage can occur ranging from damaged cylinders to needing to replace the catalytic converter.

Is there a way to prevent ignition coils from failing?

There sure is! Don’t ignore engine maintenance items like tune-ups. As you can see by our very brief explanation, the ignition coil and spark plugs work together. To make sure the ignition coil isn’t damaged by a failing spark plug, have the spark plugs and wires changed and the timing reset according to the manufacturer’s recommendations. Likewise, if the Service Engine Soon or Check Engine light comes on, bring it in to our shop right away to locate and fix the problem. Lastly, if one or more of the ignition coils need to be replaced, change out all of them. More than likely, if one is bad, another one will soon follow.

For Check Engine light or ignition coil problems, bring your vehicle to Geller’s Automotive where our trusted mechanics can assist you. Click here to schedule an appointment in our Byram, New Jersey auto repair shop now.