2.0 conversion to 1.8 Coil Packs

[LordWorm]

Equal length leads isn't *really* important if you have good leads. If you have poor leads (the stock ones are terrible...) you get huge amounts of difference in spark strength because you have massive differences between different high resistance leads. It does make a difference. Increased resistance means less voltage at the spark plug which means a weaker, and shorter spark. Sure for a stocker, its not going to be a problem, but at high boost/high rpm, beyond what the motor was ever designed to handle, and beyond what the ignition system was ever meant to deal with - positive spark is important.

I still am iffy about running 8ms on stock coils... by that logic i should be able to run a third as much again on my big bosch units - but i've spoken to guys who race 1000hp rotaries on the same coils i've got and they say they are lucky to get 1 run in on 4.5ms without at least one of them blowing out.

Personally, i'd stay away from the stock mazda coils - i have killed them on my motor, bolt stock and NA - even before i put the microtech on it and started mucking around with dwell. With direct contact to the engine, and an engine cover ontop, they don't get much chance to dissipate heat. For mine, thats their biggest weakness.

 

[Maxx Mazda]

Well to start the Haltech ships with a default coil time of 5ms, and there are countless members on here runnign that setting on stock coils. I don't know what to tell ya, maybe the Bosch coils just cant handle as much. Everyone thinks because the stock coils are, well, "stock" that they suck, they're actually really good. I've got some Magnecore wires as well I forgot to mention and like I said running real strong.

Try removing the ignition capacitor from the circuit. I did. Look on your water neck, there's a little black cube like thing, kinda looks liek a relay with 2 wires coming out of it. It's attached to the grounding point there. Remove it and insulate those wires from everything and that will ensure that all of your spark energy is going to the coils, not to the capacitor.

 

[LordWorm]

Well to start the Haltech ships with a default coil time of 5ms, and there are countless members on here runnign that setting on stock coils. I don't know what to tell ya, maybe the Bosch coils just cant handle as much. Everyone thinks because the stock coils are, well, "stock" that they suck, they're actually really good. I've got some Magnecore wires as well I forgot to mention and like I said running real strong.

Try removing the ignition capacitor from the circuit. I did. Look on your water neck, there's a little black cube like thing, kinda looks liek a relay with 2 wires coming out of it. It's attached to the grounding point there. Remove it and insulate those wires from everything and that will ensure that all of your spark energy is going to the coils, not to the capacitor.

power for my coils comes from no part of the stock ignition system....my entire ignition system has been completely removed, and replaced with an individual coil system (one coil per cylinder, one spark per ignition stroke). It could be that the stock coils are designed to deal with higher dwell because they require the larger charge cycle because they are delivering 2x the spark than they actually need to (as each complimentry bank fires on both ignition, and at the top of the exhaust stroke)....which may explain it.... all i know is that the coils i run are on many thousand horsepower+ drag motors (massive overkill for what i need, but i needed to replace the coils, and for an extra few hundred bucks, individual coils sounded like a good idea).

I'll try and get a measure on the capacitance of both coils, which will perhaps shed some light on the debate....

While you are at modifying your ignition system (something you don't seem to be afraid to do!), many high performance engine builders (and i'm talking guys that make truck loads of horsepower) step the voltage up in the ignition system from 12 to 16 volts. Apparently the comparision to 12v is "night and day" on a boosted motor. It is devistating to the coils, and high dwell + loads of voltage might kill them quicker, but apparently the boost in ignition strength is unreal....

 

[irishadam]

I'm getting in on the very end of the discussion here - it's damn long post, and since all I pretty much know about my Mazda Protege is where the petrol goes and at the moment the ignition coils need to be replaced, I thought it was OK to skip ahead and ask a question.
I've been given the good advice to change my coils on 2001 protege 2L - if money isn't really an option - not that I'm loaded or anything, what coils should I go for ? Is there an advantage to replacing them with the 1.8L coils.
By the way I won't be doing the work myself - motors scare me, I inherited the fear from my dad a great builder but he couldn't replace a bicycle chain without blowing the thing up - instead I'll be going to a local mechanic who I trust, I've given up on the dealership as they replaced my EGR valve for no real reason and didn't fix the problems

Thanks as always for your help


Adam

 

[njaremka]

I'm getting in on the very end of the discussion here - it's damn long post, and since all I pretty much know about my Mazda Protege is where the petrol goes and at the moment the ignition coils need to be replaced, I thought it was OK to skip ahead and ask a question.
I've been given the good advice to change my coils on 2001 protege 2L - if money isn't really an option - not that I'm loaded or anything, what coils should I go for ? Is there an advantage to replacing them with the 1.8L coils.
By the way I won't be doing the work myself - motors scare me, I inherited the fear from my dad a great builder but he couldn't replace a bicycle chain without blowing the thing up - instead I'll be going to a local mechanic who I trust, I've given up on the dealership as they replaced my EGR valve for no real reason and didn't fix the problems

Thanks as always for your help


Adam

check prices on the coils first. i "think" the 2.0 coils are now less expensive than the 1.8 ones. that would make it cost effective to stick with the 2.0 coil set-up.

 

[irishadam]

Thanks a million, I thin kwe pretty much have the same car by the way - although you've go much nicer trim wheels ect - my car is also black mica -I've been toying with the idea of getting yellow racing stripes - I know it would be pretty tacky but here in LA it's so damn hot and dusty unless you have a carwash in you're garage the color you end up with is pretty much dust.

Thanks again

 

[02p5]

I did this install and the car feels a lot smoother and responsive. Really good modification IMO.


However I didn't use the Coil Bracket part# FP47-18-105 so if anyone needs it let me know.
I'm planning to let it go for free but I'll need you to pay for shipping should be around $5 anywhere in North America. I'm paypal verified as well.

Thanks

 

[BinoMP5]

I did this install and the car feels a lot smoother and responsive. Really good modification IMO.


However I didn't use the Coil Bracket part# FP47-18-105 so if anyone needs it let me know.
I'm planning to let it go for free but I'll need you to pay for shipping should be around $5 anywhere in North America. I'm paypal verified as well.

Thanks

pix... where did you bolt it to then if u didnt use the bracket?

you guys thing this would be good to use the Magnecor 1.8L wires instead of a stock 1.8L wires?

 

[i12drivemyMP5]

Yes, wii B pic hoze upinheeya! Did you do it to keep them away from heat above the exhaust manifold/hdr or so you didn't have to strip the coil leads from the loom to hook them up?

 

[02p5]

pix... where did you bolt it to then if u didnt use the bracket?

you guys thing this would be good to use the Magnecor 1.8L wires instead of a stock 1.8L wires?

I was able to attach it near the intake manifold area and didn't need to use the bracket. The wires were able to reach that location and it's much cooler in that area. I wasn't able to put it where it supposed to go because my turbo manifold was in the way.

Yes, had to make a minor cut on the loom for the install. Used some electrical tape to wrap it back up after the install.


I'll try to post pics soon.

 

[irishadam]

I wanted to give some props to the forum for getting my car up and running smooth and powerful again. I changed the coils about a month ago and so far it's been running beautifully.
Thanks to all those who gave me the heads up on how to fix my random misfire problem. It feels just like it did when I rolled her out of the lot 7 years ago :]

 

[Maxx Mazda]

Does anyone make red or black wires for the 1.8 coils? I've touted the benefits of the 2.0 coils, but I want to grab a set of the 1.8 ones and see how far I can push them. I've gotten my 2.0's up to 7ms dwell (that's pretty insane for a stock coil) and I want to see if the 1.8's will go higher or if they'll melt around 5ms or so. I don't think anyone has done the comparo yet, so although the 2.0's are more than adequate, it'd be interesting to see where the 1.8's fit in.

 

[50313]

Magnecor Makes Red ones.

8mm - 40245
7mm - 47245
KV85 8.5mm - 45245 (These are the good ones)

Corksport sells the KV85s for $100.

-peel

 

[zoompastu]

Dose anyone have a wiring diagram for the 1.8L coils. I want to upgrade to a GM twin coil setup for there 4 bangers. Accel makes a performance coil pack that puts out 45,000 peak volts and will wire up. I just need to know what wire is what. thanks to mazda for not allowing any manuals to be published(pissed)

 

[njaremka]

i dont know how helpful this will be, but see attached.

 

[Dparks7]

so would anyone reccomend doing this and how dose the coil pack mount up to the block and where like it is just with that one bolt and the hole on the head?

 

[zoompastu]

thanks for the pdf but it was for a FS-DE. We need it for the 1.8L FP-DE.

yes its recomended to do it and it mounts on a bracket on the s.e. cornner of the head.

 

[njaremka]

thanks for the pdf but it was for a FS-DE. We need it for the 1.8L FP-DE.

yes its recomended to do it and it mounts on a bracket on the s.e. cornner of the head.

the 1.8 will be pretty much the same thing, that why the conversion is so easy

 

[kid prodigy]

anyone know the correct firing order for the 1.8L conversion?

Is it 1 to 3 , 2 to 2 , 3 to 1 , and 4 to 4 reading from left to right?

Im going to attempt to install it again today.

 

[stdntDrvr]

maybe this will help...i REALLY miss this car...

from the coil going to the passenger side to the driver side...

coil plug #1 goes to the 3rd plug from the passenger's side
coil plug #2 goes to the 2nd plug from the passenger's side
coil plug #3 goes to the 1st plug from the passenger's side
coil plug #4 goes to the 4th plug from the passenger's side

you had it right...make sure the plugs that go into the coils are correct...if the plug wires are in the right order and you're still having problems, try switching those two around.