How To: Ignition coil spring stretch mod

[cld12pk2go]

Remove ignition coil:



Pull apart to reveal the coil spring:



Stretch the two smaller sections of coils by ~1/4-1/2'' each.



Put back together. You will now have more contact force on both ends, which some people have found to help.

It is really that easy.

[dadasracecar]

I stretched mine at least two inches more than that.

[cld12pk2go]

Originally Posted by dadasracecar I stretched mine at least two inches more than that.

I have never seen the actual distance specified before. It will be interesting to see how much other people stretch theirs...

I did this mod because I had spark blowout after installing my PG manifold above ~13 PSI.

Turns out that I had evidently altered the gap on one plug to ~0.055'' when I checked the gaps to assure they were all ~0.030'' during the manifold install.

I don't know how the hell I did that, but evidently I did.

Setting all my gaps to 0.029-0.030'' coupled with the coil spring stretch mod eliminated the spark blowout. However, I am 99% sure my issue was related to the fat ass gap on that one plug.

[devils10]

interesting

[Darksun280]

Ha i stretched the middle part of mine. Think that hurts any?

[cld12pk2go]

Originally Posted by Darksun280 Ha i stretched the middle part of mine. Think that hurts any?

I thought about that, but that will just make the middle part kink up in its zone without applying additional force to the two ends.

Or at least that was what I was thinking while doing the mod.

[kopf]

What does this do exactly? What are you trying to fix or prevent with this mod?

[turbochris700]

Originally Posted by kopf What does this do exactly? What are you trying to fix or prevent with this mod?

+1

[steven88]

anybody else stretch their springs further than OP pictured above?

[cld12pk2go]

Preventing spark blowout via producing a better electrical connection.

[Bonafide_Spd3]

This is interesting. I'm suprised nobody else has mentioned anything about this

[BrianZX10R]

im gunna do this

[cpolly69]

replace that coil spring with a copper or silver spring and see what you get.....

[cld12pk2go]

Damn, it is difficult to believe I started this thread over 2 years ago...

What a weak ass car I had back then...

[11cruzito11]

Originally Posted by cld12pk2go Damn, it is difficult to believe I started this thread over 2 years ago... What a weak ass car I had back then...

I just did this mod and messed up on two, I stretched them from the middle part, any consequences from that?

[cld12pk2go]

Originally Posted by 11cruzito11 I just did this mod and messed up on two, I stretched them from the middle part, any consequences from that?

As long as you can get it back together and it runs, then you are probably fine.

[11cruzito11]

Originally Posted by cld12pk2go As long as you can get it back together and it runs, then you are probably fine.

the spring went in fine and the car starts/idles normal. Should I be ok? I know Darksun mentioned he also stretched it from the middle.

[BlackMS6]

Originally Posted by 11cruzito11 the spring went in fine and the car starts/idles normal. Should I be ok? I know Darksun mentioned he also stretched it from the middle.

You'll be fine... it wont harm anything

[Nataphen]

I just remembered to do this since I'm changing plugs for the first time right now. I wanted to make sure that I knew how to pull the coil packs apart without breaking them, LOL. Thanks for the pics.

[Monotonous ONE]

i did it last week


its really easy to not break the springs...just dont be a fucking idiot

[Nataphen]

Did it. With the new ITV22 plugs@.028 and stretched coils, I logged 0.0 KR on three 0-100 pulls with hard launches while FFS on all shifts. Guess it's time to advance timing some more.

[mysleeper6]

Changed plugs and did this. I found it helpful to use a flathead screwdriver to seperate the two halves of the coil. They were easier to pull apart that way.

[blue_train]

sorry to revive this, but where is the ignition coil located?

no0b question, bare with me

[SLOWHATCH]

Originally Posted by blue_train sorry to revive this, but where is the ignition coil located? no0b question, bare with me

Underneath the top mount intercooler.

[mysleeper6]

They sit directly on top of your spark plugs.

[midlifecamry]

My 2006 MS6 (Cobb Stage 1) has always had stutter/hesitation issues. Colder plugs helped, replacing the plugs when worn/fouled helped, but there was never a time when WOT, even above 3K rpm, didn't present the prospect of epic fail instead of epic acceleration.

I recently stretched my coil pack springs by approximately 1 inch (shame on Mazda and FoMoCo who actually makes the coils for such a horrific/cheap design). Granted, I also replaced my plugs with NGK LTR7IX-11 (one step colder, equivalent to the Denso ITV22).

I can't emphasize enough the dramatic difference in performance. It's been two weeks and the car relentlessly surges forward in any gear, even at lower RPMs. I have been unable to reproduce the hesitation problem in any gear at any reasonable combination of RPM or speed.

To recap, here is what I think helped, in no particular order:

o stretching the coil pack springs. Do your stretching from the ends, and when you're done, roll them over a flat surface to make sure they aren't cockeyed, especially at the spark plug end. They should be centered in the boot.

o switching to the NGK plugs. The NGKs have a solid tip where they contact the coil pack spring. The Denso's don't. Their design is more like a "collar" around the electrode which doesn't leave a flat surface for the spring to make contact.

o gapping the plugs. I bought a high quality feeler gauge and set the gap to .30. It was *not* correct out of the box. Maybe the Densos are, but I would recommend checking regardless of brand.

I hope this helps someone. The difference is seriously not subtle at all. I finally feel like I can enjoy this car.

[btstarcher]

I might be trying this. Subbing.

[m4tic]

I just stuck copper rods in my coil packs, tossed the springs

[midlifecamry]

Effing brilliant. What did you use for materials? And did you cut the rods to a specific length? Or are you just messing with me? ;-)

[m4tic]

Home depot racing, #4 AWG bare copper. About 2-3/8" each.

[PakmanMS3]

Originally Posted by m4tic Home depot racing, #4 AWG bare copper. About 2-3/8" each.

What plugs did you use with this set up?

[cld12pk2go]

Still helping people after 4+ years...this must be a good thread.

[m4tic]

Cheap ass autolite xp iridiums xp5263

[midlifecamry]

Thanks m4tic for the Home Depot Racing tip.

I have to agree, fancy, expensive plugs are kinda bunk. I think the best approach is to replace whatever you're using on a yearly basis. Direct injection, contrary to what the manufacturers claim, is dirty and prone to carbon buildup.

fwiw, I used NGK (6510) LTR7IX-11, and I still think the solid tip where the coil spring pack makes contact is a plus. They cost about $7.50 per plug. But I bet a $4 Autolite would work just as well.

Also, an update -- it's been close to two weeks and I still can't get this engine to misbehave even if I abuse it with WOT at lower rpms. This has never been the case in the past when I replaced plugs, so I have to believe the real issue is with proper contact between the coil pack spring and the plugs.

And again, I think proper gapping is key. This time around, I checked/adjusted the gap to .30, which I'd never done in the past.

[memin]

Originally Posted by midlifecamry Thanks m4tic for the Home Depot Racing tip. I have to agree, fancy, expensive plugs are kinda bunk. I think the best approach is to replace whatever you're using on a yearly basis. Direct injection, contrary to what the manufacturers claim, is dirty and prone to carbon buildup. fwiw, I used NGK (6510) LTR7IX-11, and I still think the solid tip where the coil spring pack makes contact is a plus. They cost about $7.50 per plug. But I bet a $4 Autolite would work just as well. Also, an update -- it's been close to two weeks and I still can't get this engine to misbehave even if I abuse it with WOT at lower rpms. This has never been the case in the past when I replaced plugs, so I have to believe the real issue is with proper contact between the coil pack spring and the plugs. And again, I think proper gapping is key. This time around, I checked/adjusted the gap to .30, which I'd never done in the past.

be carefull with the zoom, zoom, BOOM

[PakmanMS3]

What about getting the Denso IV22 the step colder ones would you have to get longer copper rods because they are shorter. and is the NGK step colder ones the same length as the stock ones?

[himurax13]

I might try this out tonight. Even with the NGK 1 step colder plugs gapped to .028, I am getting more knock than I would like. I wonder if using multi strand 4 guage stereo wire would be more effective than 2-3/8" #4 AWG bare copper since there is more surface area.

[m4tic]

Home Depot Racing #4 AWG bare copper

[himurax13]

Hmm, I did the mod and I didn't notice any difference in my logs.

[m4tic]

it's not an hp mod... It's more for consistency.