The ignition coil is a crucial component of a car’s ignition system and many cars typically have between four and eight alphabetically-marked ICs, depending on the number of cylinders there are in the engine.
The ICs are marked as “A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H” even though they all serve the same purpose. Don’t worry, I’ll explain this part later. For now, where is Ignition Coil G located?
The short answer is in cylinder 7, right over the respective spark plug.
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What Does Ignition Coil G Mean?
Also known as a “spark coil”, it’s an induction coil that plays a key role in a car’s ignition system. Serving as a step-up transformer, it steps the voltage in the car battery up to thousands of volts necessary to create a spark at a spark plug. This process ignites the air/fuel mixture in the cylinder, bringing the engine to life.
Typically, cars will have as many ICs as the number of cylinders present in them. That means a 4-cylinder engine will have 4 ignition coils, a 6-cylinder one will have 6 coils, and an 8-cylinder one will have 8 coils with each coil hooked to a cylinder.
Now, manufacturers will mark the cylinders according to their firing order in the combustion system. For example, a 4-cylinder engine will have a firing order that looks like this: 1-2-3-4, a 6-cylinder one will have a FO as follows: 1-2-3-4-5-6, and an 8-cylinder one will have an order in the following format: 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8.
Similarly, they’ll alphabetically mark ignition coils according to the numerical order of the cylinder with which the coil is associated.
For instance, a 4-cylinder engine will have four ignition coils marked as “A-B-C-D” where ICs A, B, C, and D go into cylinders #1, #2, #3, and #4, respectively.
A 6-cylinder engine will have 6 ICs labeled as “A-B-C-D-E-F” where A, B, C, D, E, and F will hook up to cylinders #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, and #6, in that order. And an 8-cylinder engine will have 8 ICs marked as “A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H” that will go into cylinders #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, and #8, in that order.
That means ignition coil A is hooked to cylinder #1 and ignition coil G is attached to cylinder #8. That means it’s only found in 8-cylinder engine cars.
What Problems Can Ignition Coil G Have?
- It could be unable to step the battery’s voltage to create sparks due to a manufacturing defect.
- It could be sending irregular sparks to the spark plugs.
- It could be a compatibility issue with the rest of the ignition coils. All your coils must be the same.
- It could be fried.
- It could be an electrical conductivity issue due to bad wiring or other issues.
What Is a Coil G Secondary Circuit?
Ignition coil G has two circuits—a primary circuit and the secondary circuit. The primary circuit is what allows the battery’s voltage into the coil so that it can be stepped up.
The secondary circuit, on the other hand, is what transfers the boosted volts to the plug to create sparks.
How Do I Fix Code PO357?
The PO357 code simply tells you that your Ignition Coil G is faulty and needs fixing or replacing. In most cases, it’s easier to replace the coil than to try and fix it.
The first thing you’ll need to do is figure out the route cause of the problem. If it’s an electrical conductivity issue that’s preventing the coil from receiving the voltage battery and stepping it up, try fixing your wiring.
If that doesn’t solve the problem, check to see if the coil is identical to the other coils and if there’s any compatibility issue. If you’re satisfied that everything is ok, replace your coil with a new coil that’s similar to the rest and compatible with the respective cylinder.
Conclusion
The ignition coil is what enables combustion to take place in the combustion chamber of your car. There are several ICs present in your car with each IC alphabetically labeled according to the firing order of the cylinder to which it’s hooked.
For example, the Ignition Coil G is connected to cylinder #7 in an 8-cylinder engine. Now, each ignition coil will register a unique diagnostic trouble code on your diagnostic tool when faulty. For instance;
- Ignition Coil A—P0351
- Ignition Coil B—P0352
- Ignition Coil C—P0353
- Ignition Coil D—P0354
- Ignition Coil E—P0355
- Ignition Coil F—P0356
- Ignition Coil G—PO357
- Ignition Coil H—P0358
