Coil problem

["estorhok" <estorhok@domain.elided>]

Bernie,
Yours is not the first I have heard of- first for an Alfa, maybe, but I've
seen 5 or so coils go bad on one of our Astons.  Not on the same car,
although running 7 cyl isn't all that bad (I do know that...).

It sound like you had an old fashioned epoxy break down.  These coils are
almost identical in basic design as the single coils used with distributors-
primary coil, secondary coil, separated by an epoxy.  At times the system
will break down, and it will arc across the internals of the coil.  Not
common what so ever.

The kicker is- when was your car first registered for warranted?  If it has
not crossed 5 years or 50k miles, then Alfa owes you a new coil, and likely
a new catalyst.  While the base car might only have a 3yr, 30k mile
warrantee, ALL the emissions components are required, by law, to last 5
years, 50k miles.  Thank the EPA for that- (I mooched a new air meter with
this on our 164 LS).

Oh, and for the sake of the environment- in case the cat is still good-
don't run on 5 cyl very long.  If the engine runs rich at all (which it will
with that big slug of fresh air passing the O2 sensor), you will have excess
fuel and fresh air in the cat- which will burn up in short order.  Besides
becoming inactive, it may plug itself up from melting (seen that too...).

Good Luck
Eric Storhok
Ann Arbor, MI

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