No power to my coil

Explain no kind of power to the coil. 12v or no spark out of the coil?? And how do you know, have you tested it with a meter?

a Dodge Dakota SRT 1997 96,000 miles with no power leading into the coil where i should have 12 volts i get 0.005 on my multimeter

Power to your coil comes directly from your SBEC )single board engine controller). It could be an auto shutdown relay. Check the voltage on the dark blue wire of you alternator with the key on. Here is the location in the diagrams below. Let me know

i dont have dark blue wire going to my alternator i have dark green and dark green with black both showed zero

Sounds like the auto shut down relay isn't on. It is also turned on by the SBEC. Either it is bad or the SBEC. It is in the engine compartment and with a breather hose running to it. It also houses the voltage regulator and is a high failure item. Good luck

are you talking about the auto shutdown relay I wished I replaced it earlier because that was the problem running great once again!

Nice work, we are here to help, please use 2CarPros anytime.

Engine Mechanical problem
1997 Dodge Dakota 6 cyl Four Wheel Drive Automatic

we have a 1997 dodge dakota, 318 that will not start. Just quit one day. we Have checked for fuel and spark. get spark to the coil but not out to make spark. we took coil to automotive parts store was told it was ok. put on new wires and cap, cps. checked the voltage going into the coil, both tested with light and meter. Is it possible that the coil, although tested ok, is just weak and isn't producing enough spark to fire?

Take the coil wire loose from the cap, hold close to engine ground, engine cranking, can you see a spark jump? If so, and the cap is new, I suspect the rotor.

Negative side of coil, black/gray, should have a pulse with engine cranking.

thanks, apparently, we have a pulse in the coil wires. We have spark going from coil to distributor cap. we have no spark coming out of the distributor cap. We replaced both the cap and rotor. Now what should we check?

1997 dodge dakota 5.2 lost spark driving home, no power to the coil. Anyone have a wire diagram?

You will only have voltage to the coil for one second after turning on the ignition switch. It will come back whenever the engine computer sees engine rotation, (cranking or running). If it does not, suspect the crankshaft position sensor or camshaft position sensor.

Special procedures are required to set the air gap of the crank sensor so don't just yank it out to look at it and stick it back in. If the Check Engine light is on there will be a diagnostic fault code that will tell which sensor has the problem. If there's no codes, you'll need a scanner that can display live sensor data to see which one is missing.

caradiodoc

I dug deeper, found a manual on line with wire schematics, I have power to coil + while cranking, also from B+ to coil- side of connector have I pulses. Going to pick up an ign coil. The pickup coil is under the cap so getting one of those just in case. 15 miles to town and only want to run once today in the darn snow. Thanks for your help.

You have snow too? Sorry to hear that. Everyone I know in WI is trying to get out to get away from the crazy property taxes.

Don't waste your money on the cam sensor in the distributor. If you're getting 12 volts to the ignition coil, the automatic shutdown (ASD) relay is turning on. The computer turns it on when it gets pulses from those two sensors.

If you also have pulses driving the ignition coil, it does indeed sound like it's bad. Normally I'd say that's not terribly common but I just solved an intermittent problem with my '88 Grand Caravan that I was fighting for 11 months. Acted just like a bad accelerator pump in a carburetor but turned out to be the coil.

caradiodoc

Funny you mention WI, I am here. Tony area, any way thanks to my GF and Car Quest. it was the $29.00 ign coil. Very seldom have I seen these fail but I guess as part of my complete tune-up at 195,000 miles I should have done that too.

I cant wait till the snow is gone and I can bring the Stealth back out!!!

Good day and Thanks
Den-Den

Never heard of Tony. I'm in Wausau, darn it! Driving in Chicago is much easier.

On hot days my 3.0L would totally cut out at anything over half throttle, and pick back up when I let off the gas. Acted like a fuel problem but they actually run worse when coasting when the pickup screen is plugged. Standing still it could be revved up just fine. Eventually it would sputter for a few minutes, then die, but could be restarted in a couple of minutes. Ran fine on cold days until about two months ago when it died completely. Finally I found no spark. ASD relay was turning on and scanner said it was calling for spark. Popped in a used coil from my other van and it's running great. Made a 570 mile round trip around the state and it's back up to almost 23 mpg. Yippee!

All I can figure is at higher rpm and load, it took a higher spark voltage and that's when the coil was breaking down. When it died and had to be trailered home, that was the first time in 22 years and 224,000 miles it didn't get me home on its own power.

caradiodoc

Driving in Chicago easier then Wausau? At least Wausau doesn't have them darn Tolls. Try Ladysmith during hunting season weekend...kidding, anyway my truck started hard a few months ago after a rain, so I replaced Plugs OE wires, cap, rotor and seemed to fix it till now.

Years ago I had a oscilloscope for cars ,but when electronic ign and coil packs etc came out I got rid of it. Didn't need it to watch the old points system anymore. Good old days.

When cranking no voltage to coil or to the ignition pick-up stator.

Not sure what you mean by "pick-up stator". Do you mean the camshaft position sensor in the distributor? Voltage to the coil, fuel pump or pump relay, injectors, and alternator field will only be there during engine rotation, (cranking or running). The Engine Computer turns the automatic shutdown (ASD) relay on to power those circuits when it gets pulses from the cam and crank sensors.

If the 8 volt supply to the cam sensor is missing, unplug either the cam or crank sensor, then turn the ignition switch off and back on to see if the voltage comes back. If either sensor or its wiring is shorted to ground, the computer will shut down that power supply to protect itself. As I recall, when the short is removed, the supply will not come back until the ignition switch is cycled off and back on.

caradiodoc

how do i replace the ignition coil on this truck

Should be the cylindrical object on your fire wall right behind the throttle body. loosen the screw and unplug the wires. Slide the old one out and the new one in and hook up the wires like you unhooked them. Make sure you match the positive with the positive and so on. hope that helps.

was driving and the truck just loss power like i turned off the key. sounds like it wants to start. doesnt seem to be getting power to the coil.

I've been having same problem with my '92/93 Dakota. Check the Auto Shutdown Relay. It controls the circuit providing power to coil. ASR is controlled by PCM, check for proper control signal from PCM.

How Can I Test My Coil To See If It Is Bad ?

Take the coil wire off the distributor cap, hold close to engine ground/metal part. Have helper crank it while you watch for spark to jump from coil wire to ground. If you have spark, I believe the coil is ok. If no spark, check for primary voltage to positive side of coil, I believe it goes hot/voltage with the key on. You may also have to check the coil wire.

Did you visually check for spark at the plugs with engine cranking?

With wires disconnected from coil, you can do an ohms test between positive and negative side of coil, 1--2 ohms.

To Answer Your Question, Did I Check For Spark From Coil Wire The Answer Is Yes And There Was None. Do You Think I Should Go Ahead And Replace The Coil And Also The Coil Wire To Make Sure ?

Can you do a little testing? If you don't have primary voltage at the coil, replacing the coil won't help.

If you want to replace coil without any testing, that's up to you, it your money. It might fix your problem?

Where Does Primary Voltage To The Coil Come From & How Do I Check To See If Their Is Any Primary Voltage Reaching The Coil ?

The positive side of the coil, key on, dark blue wire. That circuit is fuse protected, fuse 13 in your fuse box. The voltage to the fuse comes from ignition switch.

Use a testlite on both sides of coil with key on, anything there?

I Just Bought A New Coil And It Says On The Side Of It 12V Use With External Resister Utiliser Avec Resistance Extreme. What Does This Mean ?

It means you need a ballast resistor between the ignition switch and the coil

Where Would This Ballast Resister Be Located On This Truck ?

It probably has a ballast resistor-put the coil on and see what happens

Thanks Will Do.

how can I check the power supply to my coil ?

You should have 12v to the positive side of the coil.

I Understand What Are Saying About The 12 V, But How Do I Know That There Is Any Juice Flowing Through The Wires That Are Suppose To Supply The Current Needed To Feed The Coil ?

You need to use a volt meter to determine if there is power there.

When I Have Used A Volt Meter To Check And See If Their Is Any Power Being Supplied To The Coil And The Answer Comes Back No. What Will I Need To Do Now To restore Power To The Coil ?

Key on or off, checked relays. Nothing.