with febi Ignition Coils

Linked to the car’s ECU, the ignition coil controls the sequence and current to the spark plugs, and is vital to the running of your engine.

In petrol engines, the ignition coil is located in a vehicle’s ignition system in order to convert a car battery’s low voltage, of around 12 volts, to the thousands of volts needed to create an electric spark in the spark plugs and ignite the fuel.

febi supplies almost 100 different OE matching quality ignition coils, with over 9,000 applications for a variety of vehicle makes and models, including Renault, BMW and Volkswagen.

Their high quality ignition coils ensure more efficient engine performance and reliability, along with lower fuel consumption.

How do they work?

The ignition coil actually consists of two coils; a primary winding which has relatively few turns of heavy wire, and a secondary winding which has thousands of turns of very thin wire. Both windings are wound around each other.

The primary winding is connected to battery voltage and its earth can be switched on and off by the engine control unit (ECU). The secondary winding is connected to the spark plug. When the primary winding is switched on, the current flow creates a strong magnetic field around both windings. When it is switched off the magnetic field collapses, moving over both the primary and secondary windings. This induces a high voltage in the secondary winding which causes a spark at the spark plug.

The voltage needed to jump from one electrode to the other depends on a variety of factors. These include:

  • width of the electrode gap
  • electrical resistance in the spark plug or ignition leads
  • air/fuel mixture
  • compression pressure / engine load
  • temperature of the spark plug

The level of voltage required can change and vary from 5,000 volts up to 25,000 or more; it can even reach as high as 30,000 volts.

All modern variations of ignition coils, including single coils and coil rails, work in a similar way - with the exception of capacitive discharge coils.

Ignition Coil Failures

Ignition coils have a relatively long service life, but they can fail for a variety of reasons. Heat and vibration can damage the coil's insulation, but the biggest cause of ignition coil damage is voltage overload, which is caused by poor quality or faulty spark plugs and/or HT leads.

febi recommends fitting new spark plugs (and HT leads where applicable) at the same time as replacing a faulty ignition coil.

5 popular ignition coils from the febi electrical range include:

  • 17194 – To fit: Audi 80 (1986-96), Seat Alhambra (1996-10), Arosa (1997-04), Seat Cordoba (1992-03), Seat Ibiza (1993-99), Seat Inca (1995-03), Seat Toledo (1991-99), Skoda Favorit (1988-95), Skoda Felicia (1994-02), Skoda Octavia (1996-04), Volkswagen Golf 3 (1992-97), Volkswagen Lupo (1998-05), Volkswagen Passat (1989-96), Volkswagen Polo (1983-01), Volkswagen Scirocco (1974-92), Volkswagen Transporter (1992-0)
  • 24500 – To fit: Seat Ibiza (2002-08), Skoda Fabia (1999-07), Volkswagen Fox (2003-), Volkswagen Polo (2002-09)
  • 27470 – To fit: Audi A3 (1996-03), A4 (1994-08), A6 (1997-04), Audi TT (1998-06), Seat Cordoba (1992-03), Seat Exeo (2008-13), Seat Ibiza (1999-08), Seat Leon (1998-05), Seat Toledo (1999-05), Skoda Octavia (1996-04), Skoda Superb (2002-08), Volkswagen Bora (1998-05), Volkswagen Golf 4 (1997-04), Volkswagen New Beetle (1998-10), Volkswagen Passat (1996-05), Volkswagen Polo (2002-09)
  • 39585 – To fit: Vauxhall Corsa (2006-14)
  • 37421 – To fit: Chevrolet Aveo (2011-), Volt (2011-), Vauxhall Adam (2012-), Ampera (2011-), Astra (2010-2015), Corsa (2006-14), Insignia (2008-), Meriva (2010-), Mokka (2012-), Zafira (2012-)

Find their range of ignition coils on febi Live. Their online catalogue makes it easy to find the parts you need, saving you time on searches. Sign in or register now at www.febilive.com