Hi, I'm currently travelling the Pan-Americain with a Lexus LX450 1997. I'm in Ecuador and I have problems with the igniter.
It started in Colombia. While driving the truck suddenly stop and would not start again. I got the tech manual out and started troubleshooting the problem. I had no spark to the distributor so I tested the ignition coil. Primary and secondary were good. Then I tested the pick up coil on the distributor. All reading were good. I got to a point where the Tech Manual recommended to replace the igniter. I was in the middle of nowhere so that was not helping. I then tried to start the truck again and it did and ran for about 20 miles no problems before stopping again. I than got towed to the closest town where I got a Colombian Toyota Mechanic to look at the truck. His diagnostic was a bad igniter. I couldn't get a Toyota igniter in Colombia before 7 weeks... So I got an after market one and a new ignition coil as well but the ignition coil was not the exact same and did not fit properly on the bracket.
After the new igniter and ignition were installed the truck ran properly for two days. The time it got me to cross from Colombia to Ecuador. Then again the truck stop in the middle of nowhere in Ecuador. Diagnostic, a bad igniter... Again. When the truck stopped the igniter was so hot I couldn't keep my hand on it for very long. I, again, got towed and reordered an other igniter.
I looked at all the wire in the ignition loop from distributor to ECU to Igniter to ignition coil to distributor and everything seems to be alright.
Could a badly grounded Ignition Coil cooked an Igniter?
That's the only thing that makes sense to me. The ignition coil was not properly seated on the bracket so the Igniter burned.
I thank you in advance for your advice and help!
It started in Colombia. While driving the truck suddenly stop and would not start again. I got the tech manual out and started troubleshooting the problem. I had no spark to the distributor so I tested the ignition coil. Primary and secondary were good. Then I tested the pick up coil on the distributor. All reading were good. I got to a point where the Tech Manual recommended to replace the igniter. I was in the middle of nowhere so that was not helping. I then tried to start the truck again and it did and ran for about 20 miles no problems before stopping again. I than got towed to the closest town where I got a Colombian Toyota Mechanic to look at the truck. His diagnostic was a bad igniter. I couldn't get a Toyota igniter in Colombia before 7 weeks... So I got an after market one and a new ignition coil as well but the ignition coil was not the exact same and did not fit properly on the bracket.
After the new igniter and ignition were installed the truck ran properly for two days. The time it got me to cross from Colombia to Ecuador. Then again the truck stop in the middle of nowhere in Ecuador. Diagnostic, a bad igniter... Again. When the truck stopped the igniter was so hot I couldn't keep my hand on it for very long. I, again, got towed and reordered an other igniter.
I looked at all the wire in the ignition loop from distributor to ECU to Igniter to ignition coil to distributor and everything seems to be alright.
Could a badly grounded Ignition Coil cooked an Igniter?
That's the only thing that makes sense to me. The ignition coil was not properly seated on the bracket so the Igniter burned.
I thank you in advance for your advice and help!
