I was recently told that my ignition coil and spark plug wires need to be replaced, to the tune of about $1,000. That sounded like a lot, although I’ve since found out that a coil for this car goes for between $250 - $400.
Is replacing the coil a job that a novice, like me, can or should do? The coil looks like it is in a relatively accessible location.
And how about those spark plug wires? I thought that would be the simple part of this operation, but, gee, the spark plugs are way down in a hole. How can you attach these things where there is no room for your hands? Thanks for any help.
A four cylinder engine would be easier to work on than a V6 engine (you didn’t say which); but, a novice mechanic should be able to do both the ignition coil and the spark plugs and wires, on either. Auto Zone has the 4 cylinder ignition coil for about $100. For the V6, about $240. Wires: $60 To $100. Is there a REASON for changing the ignition coil? Is there a check engine light trouble code for it? If so, what is the trouble code? Someone here could have a different interpretation. Post it here.
Thanks for the post. Yes, there is a reason for replacing the ignition coil. I had the car, which has the VR6 enging by the way, in for some servicing. One of the things I wanted the shop to check out was the fact the engine was running a little rough, kind of missing, but it isn’t quite ready for a major service yet. The Check Engine light is in working order, but hasn’t been coming on at all during these symptoms or any other time while the car is operating. The car currently has 131,000 miles on it.
It was the shop’s opinion that the ignition coil was shorting out. They also suggested replacing the spark plug wires, which I can see need it, as I can see cracks in some of them. Thanks for any other input you can offer.
Parts at Auto Zone: coil $240; spark plug wire set $100; spark plugs $20 = $360. Shop price, parts (at least 50% more than listed) plus labor ($70 (?) per hour) = $1,000. Doing the math: $1,000 minus $360, equals … .several trips to the theater (opera, or ballet, or burlesque). It’s a hard decision to make. Not! This is simple enough that your neighborhood novice mechanic could do it for MUCH less. Go on, encourage a budding career!