Ignition Coil Amplifiers - Do they damage your Ignition Coils?

[Ken4]

Im thinking of trying either of these products for a stronger spark in my '00 Camry 2.2L:

http://www.xtreme-101.com/ S$150 each. 1 year guarantee. Made in Malaysia. Dealer says 1 unit is enough. It simply amplifies the supply voltage to the ignition coils from 12v to 14v. Dealer claims it does not shorten the life of the Ignition coil.

http://www.ultimatesparks.com/index.html S$228 each. Made in Germany (or so he claims). Dealer recommends I install 2 units. Amplifies voltage 12v to 18~19v. Also claims it will not damage my ignition coils.

What do you guys think? Should I or should I not risk it? Thanks for your comments.

 

[Leo]

I always thought about making device to boost the voltage of the primary wires of the coil eg to 16 or 18V. That for sure would bring results to ignition systems which are on the bleeding edge.

 

[George7941]

Don't waste your money on either. Your coil will run hotter, especially on 18v and will have a shorter life. Most of the domestic cars used to have 8v coils which were run on 12v only during starting. If your car is so then you can modify your car wiring so that the coil runs on 12v all the time, which would have the same results as a 12v coil running on 18v. If higher ignition energy is what you are after your best solution is to buy a performance ignition coil from Accel, MSD, Mallory etc. These, ulike your modified stock coil, were designed to put out higher energy and will be reliable.

 

[LarryL]

Send me twenty bucks, instead. I will pray while reading your VIN number, late at night. I promise better results, for less money, that is if one nothing can be rated as better than another nothing. Another method that works as well as a booster coil is to rub peanut butter on your nose before getting in your car. It's cheaper than a booster coil, and works better. Listen to George, even though he's from Canada, he's right.

 

[Ken4]

Thanks for you advice. They always mention only the pros and never the cons.

 

[Ken4]

Larry if I send you thirty, can you make my car run like Lightnin' McQueen?

 

[Steve S]

Ken, your coil*s} put out all the spark needed as is.

 

[Leo]

But is there any merit in these devices? To up the primary voltage? I know that on my car the coils are maxed out and I have to close the gap. I'm sure a couple of extra volts could help in reopening them up again. Car is a pure weekend warrior so longevity isnt an issue.

 

[robbobster]

I only have experience with these on modular Ford 5.4L motors.

I've seen small gains of the Plasma Coil ingition booster on blown 5.4L engines. But minimal to no gain on non-blown 5.4L engines.

 

[Winston]

For modified High Output engines it is difficult for the spark plug to make a spark under high output conditions. Under these conditions, a higher voltage from your coil will provide a more reliable spark to the cylinder.

Under normal driving conditions your spark plug probably only needs 10k volts to make a spark. So, under normal conditions the high voltage coils are worthless.

 

[Quest]

LOL!

Another one of those "so-called" spark boosters that falls under the same field as magnetic fuel atom re-alignment toys, vortex add-ons, etc.

Modern solid state ignition modules can generate an exceedlingly high spark voltage that grandpa could ever dreamed about some 30+ yrs ago. (more so if yours is a CDI unit). Why waste additional $$ on silly things??

p.s. any burnout happened to your ignition module (aka "ignitor") or coils, you'll be paying for that (and not Toyota).

 

[George7941]

Leo. If you need more voltage (and spark energy) the thing to do is to buy a performance ignition coil and if you really want to splurge get a performance ignition module like the ones MSD makes. These will be far more reliable than simply increasing the primary voltage to the coil.

 

[LarryL]

Ken, that would take fifty, sorry, oh and that's US Dollars.

 

[Lazy JW]

quote:

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Originally posted by Leo:
But is there any merit in these devices?...

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Yup. It will remove dollars from your wallet and place them in theirs

If you truly are maxing out your ignition then you need to upgrade the system. Just sending more voltage to a coil that wasn't designed for it will only shorten what life it has left, and you already stated that it is maxed out.

There are a number of excellent aftermarket ignitions available. The CD type (Capacitor Discharge) is a very good choice.
Joe

 

[mechtech]

Try increasing your spark plug gap .002"-.004" over the recommended specs. You can probably go .010", but this is safe.
Of course, make sure your present ignition is in great shape, first.
This will maximize the benefits of what you already have, and should work great. At idle and light loads, it will help fire the mixture better. That is 99% of where you drive on the street.
Good ignition doesn't make power, it can only keep it where it should be.