Troubleshooting - Ignition Coils - BorgWarner

Troubleshooting - Ignition Coils

Off-center winding and other deficits of ignition coil replicas can result in expensive follow-on costs.

Ignition coil replicas are often cheap. And that is how they are made: from low-quality materials and a large number of individual components are put together, they do not achieve the electronic properties and thermal stress-bearing capabilities of the original coils. The replicas work in only a few engine versions with coils with integral electronics in particular. And the replicas are often manufactured without reliable quality controls - unlike the original BorgWarner branded ignition coils. To avoid expensive follow-on costs, you should refrain from selling and using these dubious products. Although these cheap replicas are often almost identical in appearance to the original, the quality is not even close to comparable. That is why BorgWarner has looked more closely at a few ignition coils - both the original and a cheap replica.

The winding

Clean chamber winding

Original

High production accuracy guarantees precise chamber winding.
Imprecise chamber winding

Replica

Loose wires that poke into the neighboring chamber will inevitably result in a short circuit. It is just a matter of time until the coil falls out.

The soldered connection, contacts and power transmission

Optimum soldered connections

Original

Printed circuit board with bus bar connections enables automated production processes and optimum process control and, thus, permanently uniform quality.
Poor soldered connection

Replica

There are various foreign bodies in the coil (see arrow tips), which leads to the conclusion of untidy production. Depending on their position, material and thickness, there may be subsequent short circuits and coil failure. What can also be seen: a slipped or badly installed part.
Exactly placed and welded bus bars

Original

Exactly placed and welded bus bars and components fixed straight in the housing in the original from BorgWarner - a sign of quality and long life.
Wires in all direction

Replica

Wires in all direction, distorted contact fields in high-voltage connection, crooked coil bodies and boards: Premature failure of the ignition coil is predestined here.

The casting compound and impregnation quality

Ignition coil with even casting compound

Original

BorgWarner ignition coil with even casting compound: Here, the filling material was cast into the ignition coil housing in a vacuum, thus preventing the formation of air bubbles.
Ignition coil replica

Replica

Ignition coil housing and high-voltage cable have been filled with gravel to save expensive casting compound. Air bubbles have formed in the gaps, meaning that the impregnation quality suffers, especially in the high-voltage part: If air collects in the secondary winding, it is ionized – i.e. the air becomes conductive and eats through until a mass potential has been reached. Then, there is a short circuit or disruptive breakdown and the ignition coil falls out.

The centering

Centering - Original

Original

The exactly machined ignition coil lies centrally in the spark plug shaft.
Centering - Replica

Replica

The ignition coil fixing does not fit exactly - as a result the replica coil is offset in the spark plug shaft and can be assembled obliquely on the spark plug, as a result of which additional bending forces are asserted on the spark plug ignitor. Possible consequences range from: cracks in the insulator right up to failure of the spark plug.

Overlay Title

close