Coil or spark plug wire(s)?

1994 HYUNDAI SCOUPE
4 CYL • MANUAL
Avatar
NDOWENS
  • MEMBER
  • 9 POSTS
I have a 1994 Hyundai Scoupe, non-turbo 4-cyl. My car started stalling one day while waiting for road construction workers let us go through. After on the way back from work to home, it seemed to do a little better, until the car got warm. Tonight, my dad and I looked under the hood in the dark, and I was looking at the coil and thought I seen a little bit of a blinking "light" and my dad seen it too and I looked at it again, then he noticed the spark plug wire(s) sparking blue, though I don't know if it is just one or all 4 wires. What do I need to check or fix?
Dec 2, 2010 at 7:10 AM
Advertisement
Avatar
MHPAUTOS
  • CERTIFIED EXPERT
  • 31,937 POSTS
The coil and leads are leaking voltage, replace them all.

mark (mhpautos)
Dec 2, 2010 at 10:15 AM
Avatar
NDOWENS
  • MEMBER
  • 9 POSTS
I know most of the sparks were going through the spark plug wire(s) to the spark plug, looked like a consistant flow of blue sparks as well if this helps anymore.
Dec 2, 2010 at 6:49 PM
Advertisement
Avatar
MHPAUTOS
  • CERTIFIED EXPERT
  • 31,937 POSTS
Any external shorting is not acceptable, replace the coil and leads.

Mark (mhpautos)
Dec 2, 2010 at 9:36 PM
Avatar
NDOWENS
  • MEMBER
  • 9 POSTS
Thanks for your replies. Sorry I am not a car kind of person. I am more of a technology person. So by leads you mean the spark plug wires?
Dec 2, 2010 at 9:41 PM
Avatar
MHPAUTOS
  • CERTIFIED EXPERT
  • 31,937 POSTS
Yes, leads refer to High tension leads or spark plug wires, High tension leads is the correct term.

Mark (mhpautos)
Dec 2, 2010 at 9:46 PM
Avatar
NDOWENS
  • MEMBER
  • 9 POSTS
Thank you :)
Dec 2, 2010 at 9:47 PM
Avatar
NDOWENS
  • MEMBER
  • 9 POSTS
Hmm also to note, it idles rough when cold, and today and last night while it was still cold it stalled. Tonight I didn't see blue sparks, I just seen tiny orange/red sparks going from one plug to the other. Most of the time I seen it around the 3rd cyl, sometimes at the 2nd, and 4th. All were the tiny sparks, though I could see the sparks sometimes in the middle of the wire.
Dec 3, 2010 at 2:30 AM
Avatar
MHPAUTOS
  • CERTIFIED EXPERT
  • 31,937 POSTS
same problem, change the leads, this will fix it.

mark (mhpautos)
Dec 3, 2010 at 5:36 AM
Avatar
NDOWENS
  • MEMBER
  • 9 POSTS
I replaced the plug wires and coil wire with Napa's Beldon Max Wires and it still stalls. Though I havent got the chance to look to see if there is a voltage leak or not, havent had time to day. What else should I look at if I can't see any voltage leaks?
Dec 15, 2010 at 7:53 AM
Avatar
MHPAUTOS
  • CERTIFIED EXPERT
  • 31,937 POSTS
Clean the throttle body and the IAC check that the base idle is ok and that there are no vacuum leaks.

mark (mhpautos)
Dec 15, 2010 at 8:48 AM
Avatar
NDOWENS
  • MEMBER
  • 9 POSTS
I pulled the lead wire off the spark plug and took out the spark plug out and put the wire back on and got my wife to tell me what color it was when I crank it. When I did, it shot her in the face even though she wasn't very close to it. I asked her what color it was and she said it looked like it was "blue and turned pink or orange" Though I would of course think it was blue and orange. If it is changing colors, could the coil be going bad? I set the plug on the front of the car on the metal frame above the radiator, if it matters.

Thanks
Jan 17, 2011 at 5:53 AM
Avatar
NDOWENS
  • MEMBER
  • 9 POSTS
I still am not sure if the coil needs to be replaced or not.
Jan 28, 2011 at 1:42 AM