Ignition Coil Brands/Preference?

[R13]

So, from a longer thread, a short story:

I partially need and partially want to replace my ignition coils.

Obviously the OEM packs will be the optimal replacement. I know this (please avoid "duh" responses :wink.

What I would like to know is if anyone has any experience with other brands. Coils seem to be fairly straight-forward devices (read: "hard to screw up").

One other Item, and maybe this will spare someone else trouble: "Duralast" coils (autozone house brand), work, but will not fit under the plastic coil-covers due to the shape of the casing around the mounting bolt holes. I used one of these to find an intermittantly arcing coil because it was cheap and close to hand.

So, a few questions:

-What brand are the OEM coils? NGK?

-Apart from afore-mentioned cheap-o coils from autozone, has anyone had good/bad experiences with new coils of another brand (Bosch/AC Delco/etc.)?

-What is the difference, if any, between the front bank and rear bank coils on a '92 NSX? Most of the non-OEM coils only come in one flavor that I can tell, but the OEMs are specifically labeled.

I found lots of info elsewhere about checking coils and such, but nothing about brands/differences.

Any advice/opinion is appreciated.

 

[Briank]

Coils are very durable and fail almost never so replacment for replacment sake is a waste of money and time. The coils can be checked with a ohm meter per the service manual and as long as they pass that test and have not been affected by water getting in the covers they are good.

For replacment OEM is the way to go.

 

[R13]

I'm not the type of person to spend $500 on a whim really, but if I know that one of them has failed due to age (possibly original on a 200+k mile car), is it wise to just replace the one, and not the others as well?

I have no point of reference really as to what the car should sound/run like...at least not with regard to any NSX idiosyncracies. I am not sure I would know if the others are a bit flaky as well?

Thanks for the feedback.

 

[Briank]

Coils are simple devices that don't wear out. As noted above change any that fail the service manual OHM check or have seen water around the spark plug.

 

[LoveNSXs]

I hate to bump a dead thread but I'm shopping for coilpacks here . my rear bank coilpacks have been exposed to water/moisture and at one point, oil. I've also heard that rust on the plate is a goof sign that it's time to replace.

Does anyone have experience with aftermarket coilpacks that are a good OE replacement? Advance Auto sells some from intermotor. I've heard about some owners getting Bosch. Any suggestions or reviews of these particular pieces?

I do have AEM series 2 ems if tuning is required, though not preferred.

Thanks in advance

 

[ftuhy]

I took a chance and ordered one Airtex and two Borg-Warner coils from Rock Auto about 3 years ago. They were on a closeout sale at $45 each. First of all, if they weren't made by the OEM provider, someone spent a lot of time copying every dimple, dot and flashing on the rubber and plastic. And, more importantly, they have been working fine for 3 years.

I would be confident w/Bosch, but have no experience w/Intermotor.

 

[davidf]

Well, if you spend $50.00ish for a Bosch or some other aftermarket and it last for more than a year, you've really lost nothing. I am an anal OEM replacement person, but I'm first to admit that some OEM parts for these cars is utterly ridiculous.

 

[R13]

Couple of points:

1) If you aren't having any problems, then there is no need to replace. As BrianK points out, they are simple devices. They either work or they don't.

2) I replaced my bad coil with a $45 (at the time) from a local Autozone that just happened to have one in-stock. Half a dozen years later I have had no issues out of it at all, and the other 250,000+ mile coils are still going strong.

The main thing is to fix the water problem. Make sure the gasket is present on the coil cover and avoid spraying a hose directly in the vent at the base of the rear hatch glass. Rainwater won't go in at a large enough volume on its own to cause issues from my experience.

 

[hashiriya]

Hi R13,
One of my 1991 FR coils went out. Did you have any issues with the differences between front coils and rear coils? Does the Autozone coil have front and rear? if not did you have a problem connecting the coils to the coli plug connector?
Thanks,
Dean

 

[nigel]

Most of the aftermarket parts from Auto-Zone is Chinese junk and either won’t fit or won’t last. If you must change them, try and stay with Advance and a brand name part. Check to see if there’s “rust or corrosion” on the mounting surfaces of the installed coils. If so, clean and treat them and they should be alright, as said before, but the corrosion can make them weak or inop.

Cheers
nigel

 

[Old Guy]

Hi R13,
One of my 1991 FR coils went out. Did you have any issues with the differences between front coils and rear coils? Does the Autozone coil have front and rear? if not did you have a problem connecting the coils to the coli plug connector?
Thanks,
Dean

The difference between the front and rear coils is front coils have FR stamped on them and the rear coils have RR stamped on them and the base gasket is rotated 180 deg (I think there is a drain slot or tab or something in the gasket). If you need to confirm that, pull a front and rear coil and look at the base gasket. Rotate the base gasket 180 deg and the FR should fit in the RR position just fine (and vice versa). The electrical connections will not be a problem.

If you have a 1991, don't try and fit the later OBDII coils. They are a no go.

At one time Acura sold a service pack of a set of six new ignition coils for about 50% more than the price of a single replacement coil. Hard to beat that price. A couple of years back you could still get the service packs for the OBDII cars. I don't know whether they were available for the pre OBDII cars. You would have to search Prime to find the part number for the service pack because you won't find the part listed in any of the on-line part search engines.

Edit: The part number for the 6-pack of OBDII coils 06300-PR7-305. The part number still appears to be valid. I was wrong about the price. It looks like you can get the 6 coil ignition kit for about 40% less than the price of a single ignition coil. Some MBA needs to explain the business case behind that little pricing oddity to me.

 

[hashiriya]

Dear Old Guy,
Thank you.

 

[hashiriya]

Dear Nigel,
Thank you.

 

[Creasian21]

i know that the 91 are expensive maybe $100 for 1?, the fr and rr are the same anyways. if you want honda/acura ones, you can use acura tl or Rl? i use them as an alternative, but the cover will not fit. acura tl/RL are the same two prong clips and same resistance. i think they should go for less. dont ever buy cheap ones since the insulators will get stuck in the spark plug holes and the top peice will seperate. i know this from expericnce. hope this help.

 

[drew]

If you are up for a project: you can buy all six for $100
https://www.acuraoemparts.com/oem-parts/acura-ignition-kit-06300pr7305

The problem is that you need the taller covers which are not inexpensive.
And you need to repin your connectors to the 3-pin, which be purchased or robbed from a RL/TL I believe.
I suppose you could recover some money by selling your old coils too.

I haven't done it personally, so you need due diligence
http://www.nsxcb.co.uk/showthread.p...-Full-set-of-6-brand-new!&p=104196#post104196

(looks like [MENTION=26435]Old Guy[/MENTION] posted some of this. I didn't see it, it can be done)

 

[Old Guy]

At $210 (discounted price) per cover, the cost of the later coil covers do serious damage to the economics of trying to retrofit the 1995+ coils to a pre OBDII car unless you absolutely need to replace all 6 coils and can pick up the ignition coil kit for around $100. For a single coil replacement, an OEM 1991 - 1994 coil from Amayama is around $100. If you want to go aftermarket Rock Auto has them for less than $50.

 

[hashiriya]

Thank you everyone, I am going with Acura parts.

 

[R13]

[MENTION=8669]hashiriya[/MENTION] - Sorry, just now seeing this. I think the broad answer of "when in doubt, order the factory part" is not a bad one so don't regret if you've already purchased.

The long answer is that, as stated earlier, coils are hard to screw up to an extent and simple devices. Acura Legend coils (commonly available from 3rd parties for ~1/6th the cost) do work electrically, but need modification to physically fit under the coil covers. I recently produced a video on the subject (link below). Video description contains links to the coils I used if you're down for some light fiddling. If you'd rather not fiddle, then I will not dissuade you from buying the intended-for-nsx parts.

https://youtu.be/CVAd98OPvx0

 

[Honcho]

Another thing to consider is K-coils. A lot of the tuning houses in Japan are using these in their hi-performance NSX builds. It requires a plug adapter and adjustments to dwell time in the ECU.

 

[RYU]

Another thing to consider is K-coils. A lot of the tuning houses in Japan are using these in their hi-performance NSX builds. It requires a plug adapter and adjustments to dwell time in the ECU.

My tuner has done this in his NSX. Just can't reuse the cover but it worked well 10+yrs ago. He was on the HKS F-Con though with adjustable dwell.