'It's never the coil'

[liammonty]

There have been heated discussions regarding the reliability of coils over the years on this forum. Having just had to replace mine (with a spare I carry - one of the very few spares I do have in the car) on the side of the M5, having ground to a halt with no warning, I say again that they do fail these days. This is the 4th failure I've experienced in recent years - one was with an old (likely original) coil, the others have been new ones, of various brands, latterly of reputedly good quality. Had I not had a spare, I would have faced a long journey on a low loader from Birmingham to Dartmoor. So, my message is that it IS sometimes the coil. If you are going to carry some basic spares, this is a good one to have!

[greendefender123]

Well you've just proved that they don't give a warning before going then. So if you have running problems it's still very unlikely to be the coil. The original lasted well then. Poor old Roys lasted for him. My father's stolen my spare for his jago.

[liammonty]

Agreed that the originals are reliable. This one gave next to no warning - a brief stumble, then fine for a minute, then it died totally - no spark at all. However, I have had them go gradually though, and run OK until hot, but then break down under load and at revs, despite ticking over fine. So, unfortunately, running problems can be due to the coil, as well as total failure! Previous failures I have personally experienced clearly demonstrated that.

I'd have words with your dad and get another spare if I were you

[dalebrignall]

i allways carry a known spare , that way you wont need it

[liammonty]

That'll be my problem then - I wasn't totally certain my spare was great!!

[greendefender123]

i allways carry a known spare , that way you wont need it

Ha I do this! My landy has only broken down once since I started carrying a toolkit.