If you couldn’t start your car and after checking the spark on the spark plug, it turned out that it simply didn’t exist, then you should check the entire VAZ 2106 ignition system and find a malfunction of a certain element.
In personal practice, I had several cases that were accompanied by the disappearance of a spark, and below I will give them and talk about each in more detail.
Again, I will make a reservation that this is not a complete list of all the problems that can cause, but I will try to list most of them. For experienced owners, you can supplement your thoughts on
Malfunction of one of the spark plugs
Failure of high-voltage spark plug wires or the center wire of the ignition coil
If there is no spark on any one cylinder, then try swapping the high voltage wires. If after that the work of the previous cylinder was restored, and the other cylinder, on the contrary, stopped working, this indicates a failure of the spark plug wire.
If the spark does not enter any of the VAZ 2106 spark plugs, then the integrity and operability of the central wire should be checked, in the same way as in the previous paragraph. Also, you should just try harder to stick the wire into the coil and the cover of the distributor, maybe just in one of these places the wire jumped out a little and there is no necessary contact.
Burnt contacts in the distributor or completely out of order
Open the distributor cover and carefully inspect the contacts. They could burn out and cause the spark to disappear. Also, check them for integrity. And one more important point: with the cover of the distributor open, turn the starter and see if the contacts open? If not, you need to adjust the gap between the contacts. If you are convinced that everything is fine at this stage, then you should pay attention to the next element.
Malfunction of the ignition coil VAZ 2106
If there is no spark even at the contacts, then there is a high probability that it was the ignition coil that burned out. You can check it either with an ohmmeter by measuring the resistance, or by installing a new one and see if that fixes the problem!
Failure of the switch or hall sensor
This item applies to owners. If there is no spark, then these two elements can cause this trouble. It is necessary to diagnose the malfunction of these parts and replace them with new ones if necessary.
If you have a BSC installed on your VAZ 2106, then you can carry a hall sensor with you in stock, which is the most common cause of a malfunction. Or, in extreme cases, do as I did, carefully fold the old contact ignition kit and let it lie in the trunk. It does not take up much space, but somewhere on the road it can help you out a lot if one of the BSZ elements burns out!
If one of the owners has encountered other reasons for the disappearance of the spark, then please share in the comments, I think that for many owners this information will be very useful!
Lack of spark on spark plugs is one of the two basic faults most often found on cars (the second is). A missing spark or a weak spark at the spark plugs indicates problems in the ignition system. Either high voltage or low voltage. In this case, the car engine will not start at all (both cold and hot), or it will start and stall (if there is a spark, but weak). Consider the main reasons for the loss of a spark on carburetor engines of VAZ 2105, 2107, 2108, 2109, 21099 cars with contact and non-contact ignition systems.
Before troubleshooting, it is necessary to more specifically determine the culprit of the missing spark and conduct a visual inspection of the high-voltage wires, ignition coil and distributor. A banal central armored wire that jumped off the distributor cover, a loose connector or an oxidized (fell off) terminal on the ignition coil will lead to the disappearance of the spark.
Then we remove the central high-voltage wire, insert a serviceable candle into its tip and put it on the engine (so that there is contact with the "ground"). While the assistant is turning the engine with a starter, you need to visually verify that there is no or presence of a spark on the spark plug. A spark appeared - the high-voltage wires or the ignition distributor in the distributor are faulty themselves. There was no spark, and there is no problem - problems with the switch, Hall sensor, ignition coil.
Missing spark, reasons for a non-contact ignition system
- Ignition coil failed.
Checking the ignition coil. At the ignition coil, winding resistance and insulation resistance are usually checked with a tester. For oil-filled coils (27.3705) and dry ones (3122.3707), the resistance is somewhat different. More details: . In the absence of a special device for checking, we use the replacement method - our coil, with another, known to be working.
checking the primary winding of the ignition coil - The switch is faulty.
Checked with an oscilloscope. Since not everyone has it, we use the replacement method - instead of our switch, we install a known-good one. It is very approximately possible to estimate the operability of the switch according to the readings of the voltmeter after the ignition is turned on (see).
- Hall sensor defective.
It is checked with a voltmeter according to a special connection diagram (see). If there is no voltmeter, use the replacement method.
- An open in the low voltage circuit.
In the contact ignition system, the list of malfunctions leading to the disappearance of the spark is as follows
- Faulty mechanical interrupter in the distributor.
Its contacts are oxidized, destroyed or burned. None between breaker contacts.
- Faulty ignition coil.
- "Open" in the low voltage circuit.
Notes and additions
- To quickly find the cause of the disappearance of the spark on the spark plugs, you need to know the principle of operation of both contact and non-contact ignition systems (for more details, see "The principle of operation of the ignition system"). The purpose of the ignition system is to generate a high voltage current at the right time and supply it to the spark plugs. This is done by interrupting the low voltage current in the primary circuit of the ignition coil. In a non-contact system, the switch interrupts the current by a signal from the Hall sensor, in a contact system, a mechanical interrupter with contacts, driven by a square on the distributor shaft.
If a spark has disappeared in your car's engine (injector or carburetor), it will triple or not want to start at all. This is not surprising, since if there is no spark on one or more spark plugs, the ignition process does not occur in the engine cylinders, and the fuel simply flies into the exhaust pipe. In this article, we will look at the main reasons why the spark disappears. You will also learn which elements of the ignition system need to be checked for such a malfunction and how to solve the problem.
Typical Causes of a Loss of Spark
Depending on the type of power unit, there are several factors due to which there is no spark on the spark plugs. In most cases, the reasons are:
- Discharged battery.
- Damage or failure of candles. They can also be filled with gasoline or oil.
- Malfunctions of the module, switch or ignition coil.
- Poor contact or damage to the insulating layer of high-voltage wires.
- Malfunctions of the crankshaft position sensor (DPKV).
- Malfunctions in the work of the distributor.
- Problems in the low voltage circuit.
- Bad ground contact.
- Malfunctions in the operation of the ECU (electronic control unit) of the motor.
Battery Diagnostics
The most common reason is a dead battery. If the indicators on the instrument panel dim when the key is turned to start the engine, the battery is discharged. Sometimes the reason lies in poor contacts at the battery terminals. These problems are easily solved:
- if the battery is simply discharged, you need to recharge it or replace another battery;
- if the problem is in the terminals, it is necessary to carefully clean them from corrosion and tighten them securely (it is recommended to apply graphite grease to the contacts to prevent further oxidation).
Methods for checking the injection and carburetor engine in the absence of a spark
If there is no spark on the engine, different diagnostic methods are used:
- check for "mass";
- checking with a digital multimeter (tester);
- using a special tester with a piezoelectric element.
The ground test is only recommended for vehicles with a carburetor. To do this, you need to take a candle and bring it to any metal part of the motor (a cylinder block is good). Another person in the cabin should try to start the engine by turning the key in the ignition. This determines the supply of a spark to a specific candle.
Important! This method is undesirable to use to check the spark on injection machines, since they use expensive electrical equipment that can fail due to such "diagnostics".
The use of a multimeter allows you to check the spark plugs themselves. The principle of diagnosis does not differ from the first method, but the probability of damage to the engine ECU is minimized. Checking the spark on a carburetor engine allows a special device called a spark gap. With the help of such a device, you can easily determine in which segment of the car's ignition system there are problems.
If there is no spark in all cylinders, the controller, ignition coil/module, or center wire may be the culprit. First you need to check the condition of the fuses. After that, we check the connection of the "mass" and high-voltage wires.
If there is no spark at the coil, check the condition of the high voltage center wire. The presence of damage to the insulating layer, breakdowns and other defects is unacceptable. If found, this element must be replaced.
Also, don't forget to check your spark plugs when looking for sparks. But it is advisable to do this only after you have reliably established that the spark definitely reaches the candles. The check is carried out in the manner mentioned above. The spark should be white with a slightly bluish tint. If there is a spark, but weak, check the condition of the contacts of the candles. In any case, replacing candles is inexpensive, so it will not be superfluous.
Checking the ignition coil for spark
It is necessary to pull the wire from the distributor. After that, the wire must be brought to the metal element and the engine must be rotated with a starter. If there is a spark, then the ignition distributor is out of order. If it is not visible, it is necessary to proceed to checking the coil.
If the problem is in the distributor, you need to start checking with its contacts. Problems can be caused by oxidation, breakdowns in the insulating layer, or rotor malfunctions. If you notice problems with the rotor, it must be replaced with a new element.
When diagnosing the ignition coil, check the condition of the winding. Usually the lack of spark is caused by a short circuit inside this part. If you find signs of it, we advise you to buy a new coil and install it on the car. Also, overloads caused by faulty high-voltage wires or spark plugs can damage the ignition coil.
The coil test is performed as follows:
- the car must be in a dry place;
- it is necessary to remove dirt from the cover of the ignition distributor-distributor and remove it;
- turn the engine crankshaft so that the distributor contacts are in the closed position;
- turn on the ignition and bring the high-voltage wire of the distributor to the metal part of the motor by 3-7 mm.
This will also tell you if the ignition coil needs to be replaced. The most suitable option is to test the coil on special equipment in workshops. This procedure checks the operation of the coil in different modes.
To check the spark on the candles, they must be unscrewed. Pay attention to the condition of the contacts, the presence of soot or oil. All elements of dirt must be removed before performing the diagnosis. Do not forget about the correct gap between the electrodes. If a discrepancy is found, the side electrode is carefully folded over. Like a coil, spark plugs can only be checked qualitatively with special equipment.
No Spark - Ignition Module Check
Possible signs of failure of the ignition module:
- tripping of the engine at idle;
- power drop, poor acceleration dynamics.
If the wires and spark plugs are in order, you need to test the ignition module. We connect one probe of the multimeter to the module connector, and connect the second to the "ground". After that, we try to start the engine. If the display of the device shows a value of about 12V, the module is working.
Low voltage circuit diagnostics
For this method, you need to find a control lamp with a power of 2-3 watts with a voltage of 12V. We connect one contact of the lamp to the low voltage contact of the distributor, and the second to ground.
The next step is to close the distributor contacts and turn on the ignition. If there is no problem in the low voltage circuit, the lamp will go out when the contacts are closed and stay on when the contacts are open. If opening the contacts does not lead to the glow of the lamp, the cause of the breakdown is the primary winding of the coil or low voltage wires.
If the lamp glows continuously, regardless of the position of the contacts, this indicates such possible breakdowns:
- oxidation of distributor contacts;
- damage to the wire connecting the distributor housing and its movable disk;
- damage to the wire between the lever and the distributor terminal.
Most often, the absence of a spark is caused by the failure of the spark plugs, so it is recommended to start checking from this part of the system. If you have any doubts about the performance of the ignition module, we advise you to install a known-good element on the car and find the source of the problem so quickly. This will speed up the spark search process. When disconnecting high-voltage wires from the coil or candles, do not forget to mark them so as not to confuse them later.
Bad for any car owner. Malfunctions with the ignition system are accompanied by problems in the engine. A clear sign that there is a malfunction in the ignition system is the absence of a spark or it is too weak. This often occurs in some VAZ models: 2106, 2109, 2114, and 2110. And this, as a rule, happens at the most inopportune moment.
Why is there no spark?
The list of situations in which there may be no spark is very large, anything can affect this. Let's try to highlight the most common causes on models 2109, 2114, 2110, 2106 of the VAZ automaker:
- weak battery charge;
- problem in BB wires;
- there are malfunctions in the ignition coil;
- low voltage circuit problems;
- problems with the ignition distributor.
Also, attention should be paid to the quality of the contacts and electrical components. Contacts, of course, can be checked quite easily by tugging them a little with your fingers. In addition, it is advisable to inspect all the elements. If there is dirt, oil, water on them, they must be immediately wiped with a dry cloth. After that, you can try to start the car.
Checking the battery
About situations when there is a problem with the battery charge, the fact that the sound of the horn has become barely audible signals. Also, on the instrument panel, at the time of starting the car, the lights go out. Therefore, the reason why there is no spark is problematic contacts on the battery terminals or its weak charge.
- If troubles arose due to the oxidation of one of the terminals, you just need to clean it and tighten it tightly. Graphite grease is also used to protect the contacts.
- If, however, the problem turned out to be a low battery charge, you can simply charge it and further monitor the charge level.
Checking high voltage wires
Another reason for the disappearance of the spark may be in high-voltage wires. First of all, all wires should have a normal appearance, there should not be any shabby places and areas with broken insulation. If this cannot be eliminated, the BB wires must be replaced.
The search for a spark must begin with wires that depart. It is necessary to carefully examine all the contacts and caps that are put on the candles themselves. Candles all together just like that rarely fail, so you should not complain about them.
Checking the ignition coil
To conduct, you need to get the main wire from the distributor cap. Next, we try to crank the starter in order to see a spark from the wire.
- A spark has formed - this indicates the health of the coil. So the problem is with the switch.
- If there is no spark, the fault must be in the ignition coil.
If it was determined that the problem lies precisely in the ignition coil, then it will have to be changed. In "middle-aged" VAZ cars, especially 2109, 2106, 2114, 2110, this phenomenon is by no means rare.
Checking the ignition distributor
If there is a possibility that the problem lies precisely in the breaker, then in order to diagnose, you need to inspect its cover from the inside:
- Visually, the cover is intact and has no signs of breakage - rinse, preferably with gasoline, and put in place.
- There are any visible signs of breakage or there are any cracks - the cover needs to be replaced.
You also need to check the central contact on the breaker for the presence of “freezes”. This is easy to do: just move its carbon tip.
Another check that can and even needs to be made is to check the insulation of the breaker rotor. It is done like this:
- First, the central BB cable is located at a distance of five to eight millimeters from the electrode.
- Next, you need to close and open the contacts several times. All this must be done with the ignition on.
If even the slightest spark jumps in this small gap, this indicates a malfunction of the rotor. In such situations, he goes under the replacement.
Checking the low voltage circuit
To diagnose such a circuit, you can use a 12-volt test lamp with a power of up to three watts. This bulb must be turned on with one contact to the ground of the car, the other - to the low voltage terminal. After manipulating the connection manually, the breaker contacts close and the ignition is turned on. If the circuit is working, then when the contacts are closed, the light goes out, when the contacts are open, it burns. When this does not happen, you need to start looking for a problem in the coil winding or in the cables.
If the lamp is constantly on, then this indicates one of the types of malfunctions:
- The breaker contacts are heavily oxidized.
- The wire leading from the lever to the breaker terminal is broken.
- The wire that connects the housing to the movable disk is broken.
Oxidized wires must be cleaned, after which the system will work. In any other case, more in-depth intervention is needed.
Lost spark on engines with an injector
If we consider an engine with an injector, then everything is much more complicated. It is not always possible to check the presence of a spark in the candles using the “ground” method, and in certain cases it is very dangerous, you can “kill” the entire electronics control unit. Therefore, in a system with an injector, it is better to check in some other way.
Summing up
Spark plugs play a vital role in the operation of a car. If at least one candle fails and does not give a spark, accordingly, one of the cylinders will not work, the car will have increased fuel consumption and will be less dynamic. Searching for the cause of the disappearance of the spark is a very difficult task, since several units may be “guilty” of this. However, for normal functioning it is simply necessary.
This part is available in power units running on gasoline. It is one of the main components of the ignition system. Failure creates problems for the driver, the engine refuses to work, or runs with great interruptions. In some cases, it will take a couple of minutes to fix problems, their solution is quite within the power of drivers. But there are times when it is possible to identify the source of the malfunction only with the help of special diagnostic equipment.
To ignite the combustible mixture of gasoline and air compressed in the working zone of the cylinder, a high voltage is required on the spark plug. Its value exceeds the value equal to 30 thousand volts. The onboard voltage of the car in most cases is 12 volts. To obtain the desired value, the ignition coil is intended.
This unit of the car must be given due attention; in case of failures of other systems, the car can independently get to the parking lot, to the service center. In the event that there is no spark, this cannot be done. You will have to look for a towing vehicle or call a tow truck.
A little about her device
The part is used in all types of ignition devices, contact, non-contact, electronic. It is a step-up transformer with two windings. One is low voltage and the other is boost. They are wound on an iron core. The low-voltage winding is wound with a thick wire, it can have about 150 turns. For a high-voltage winding, their number can vary from 15 to 30 thousand turns, they are wound with a thin copper wire.
They are placed in a sealed case filled with transformer oil. One output of the primary winding is connected to the distributor contact, the second is connected to the on-board voltage source. One of the outputs of the high-voltage winding is connected to it. The second lead is connected to an output terminal on a housing made of a non-conductive material. The design and appearance of this part for different types of ignition differ from each other.
These products are made in individual or double type of construction. An individual device is installed on each engine plug. The dual coil produces a spark simultaneously on two candles of two cylinders located at the TDC of the compression stroke. In one of them there will be a flash of the air-fuel mixture, and in the second there will be a simple spark discharge. Installation on candles is carried out as follows, one conclusion is put on the output contact of the candle, the second candle is connected with a high voltage wire.
Recently, blocks have become widespread in which two outlet structures are combined by a single node, as shown in the photograph. They are already called a four-output coil.
How this device works
The product is a two-winding high-voltage transformer, the principle of operation is based on the law of electromagnetic induction. In order not to get into the “wilds” of the school physics course, we can briefly note the following fact of the device’s operation. The appearance of a short-term pulse on the primary (low-voltage) winding causes a powerful magnetic field in the body of the iron core. As a result of this action, a high voltage occurs on the secondary winding.
The primary winding receives control pulses in contact systems from the ignition distributor. The rotation of the rotor at a certain moment connects the output of the coil to the "mass" to receive an impulse to the primary winding. As a disadvantage of the system, the passage of a significant current through the contacts is noted. This causes burning of the contacts, their periodic cleaning, setting the gap.
There is no contact group in contactless or electronic systems. Instead, control pulses to the coil come from a switch or an electronic engine control unit. The introduction of such devices has increased the reliability and efficiency of gasoline engines.
Symptoms of malfunctions
It is desirable for almost everyone to know about this in order to roughly navigate what happened to the car, why the power unit “moaned” or does not show signs of life at all. Knowing this, you can get rid of problems or prevent them from occurring. The most important symptom of a problem with this node is the inability to start the engine of the car. Moreover, it is equally impossible both on a hot and a cold engine. There will also be characteristic interruptions of a running engine. This may be due to the fact that a weak spark is produced by the ignition coil. The motor “troit”, power and dynamics are lost, a malfunction signal may appear on the instrument panel in the injection systems.
Important! Do not leave the ignition on on vehicles with a contact ignition system. The coil may overheat and fail.
Problems can arise due to insulation breakdown, the spark will run away to the mass of the machine, bypassing the candles. Rarely, but it still happens when the turns of the winding close, this will be seen by its heating. It is important for drivers to be able to independently determine the health of the device, which will allow them to independently and quickly eliminate breakdowns. Let's look at how this can be done.
If you have a car tester or multimeter, it is easy to determine the health of this device with their help.
Its resistance, depending on the type of product, can range from 300 to 500 ohms. The high-voltage winding of the device is also checked in a similar way. A weak spark, just due to closed turns, is a common occurrence during engine operation.
You can check the serviceability of the device on a power unit with a contact ignition system directly on the engine. To do this, it is enough to remove the high-voltage wire from the distributor and bring it to the “ground”, while scrolling the starter. A powerful spark discharge must occur between the motor housing and the wire. If the spark is weak or absent, the problem is most likely in the coil.
Important! It is strictly forbidden to carry out such a check with electronic ignition systems in order to avoid failure of the electronics. The use of a spark gap is recommended.
During such checks, one should also check the operability of the contact group and the on-board voltage supply to the low-voltage winding.
Weak output of the high-voltage winding may be due to a discharged battery, which often happens in cold weather. Whether the ignition coil sparks or not, in the workshops, experts check on special equipment, they can measure the magnitude of high voltage. Sometimes you can hear, especially from novice drivers, that the ignition coil sparks and the engine does not start.
In this case, pay attention to the color of the emitted spark. It should be powerful and bright, as shown in the photo.
In the event that the color of the spark discharge differs from that shown in the photo, find out the reason for this phenomenon.
At the end of the article, I would like to note that other elements that ensure the engine's performance can be sources of such problems.