Ignition Coils For 2002 Acura MDX

 

The 2002 Acura MDX 3.5l V6 has 6 independent ignition coils. As these coil age, they can wear out and fail, causing a misfiring engine. It is a little more difficult to pinpoint the faulty ignition coil at times because the ECU in these MDXs doesn't always pinpoint the exact misfiring cylinder. A common way to find the bad ignition coil is to unplug each connector at a time. If the engine runs worse than before, that coil is good. If there is no change at all, then that coil is the problem. Make sure to only unplug the connector. Do not remove the ignition coil from the spark plug as the lack of a ground on the high voltage side can cause damage to the coil or other electronics in the electrical system. We include a 2.5g packet of dielectric grease which helps to keep moisture away and also aids  in removal for future spark plug maintenance. If all of the ignition coils are several years old, and one fails, it's best to replace all 6 ignition coils at the same time as old ignition coils tend to fail within a short period of time from each other. The issue most MDX owners run into is that these ignition coils are $70 to $120 each at brick and mortar stores and dealerships. Spending $420 to $600 or more on just the parts is too much for some owners to deal with, so we ended up finding a way to bring quality aftermarket ignition coils to you for much less than what you would see while keeping the same quality of the more expensive ignition coils at the auto parts store. We do this this by purchasing a large quantity - usually 500 to 1,000 coils or more, just for the 2002 Acura MDX, which allows us to get these parts at real wholesale prices and pass the savings on to our customers.

 

2002 Acura MDX Misfire Diagnosis

If your '02 Acura MDX is misfiring, you will certainly feel it while the engine is under a load (eg: accelerating or towing). If there is an ignition coil that is completely non functioning, it is easy to identify which on it is. First you will need an OBDII scanner. These are quite cheap these days and can be found at many online retailers for under $20. They pay for themselves by saving you the $80 (on average) diagnostic fee. Turn the key to the ON position. The lights on the dashboard should be ON, and the engine should be OFF. Plug your scanner into the port underneath the dashboard on the driver's side. Once you find out what codes there are you can search what they mean. If you have a misfire, you will see a P0300 (random),P0301 (Cylinder #1 Misfire detected) through P0306 (Cylinder #6 misfire detected). From here you can swap the ignition coil from the suspected misfiring cylinder over to another cylinder that is not misfiring. Reset the ECU with your scanner or by disconnecting the battery for at least 1 minute. This gives the ECU time to identify a new misfire location and prevents false readings. If the code moves to the cylinder that the suspected bad ignition coil was move to, then you know for sure that the ignition coils will need to be replaced. If the computer is telling you that all 6 cylinders are misfiring (P0301, P0302, P0303, P0304, P0305, and P0306 all showing at the same time), then we recommend unplugging the connector from the ignition coil (do not remove the ignition coil, just unplug it) to see if there is a change. If there is a change, then the coil is good. if there is no change, then the coil is bad. This only works if the coil is completely not functioning and there is a noticeable misfire at idle. The changes can be very subtle so pay attention carefully. You can use a glass of water (closed preferably to prevent spilling!) to see any changes. The water will vibrate noticeably if there is a change.