An ignition coil is a necessary component of any engine to provide voltage to the spark plugs.
No matter how old or size a gas engine, 4, 6, or 8 cylinders all will have an ignition coil.
How Many Ignition Coils are in a V6 engine?
A V6 engine can have 1, 3, or 6 coils depending on the manufacturer and year it was produced.
How Many Ignition Coils are in a V8 engine?
A V8 engine can have 1, 4, or 8 coils depending on the manufacturer and year it was produced.
Most all older vehicles prior to the 1990s had a single-coil, while modern vehicle designs can vary.
Original Ignition Coil Type
The original coil used by many vehicles prior to the 1990s consisted of one coil that provided the spark to all the spark plugs.
The size of the engine did not matter whether it was a 4, 6, or 8 cylinders; all had one coil.
The coil on a larger engine would be bigger to give a better spark when needed, but for many years, there was only a single coil.
Coil Packs Type Ignition
Modern vehicles built in the last 30 years can have a single coil or multiple coils, depending on the manufacturer.
Designs include a single ignition coil, coil pack, or a coil for each cylinder.
Most modern vehicles have one ignition coil for every spark plug.
For example, a six-cylinder engine will likely have six coils, but there can be exceptions.
How Does an Ignition Coil Work?
An ignition coil has copper wires wrapped around a piece of iron with two sets of windings.
Windings are loops of copper wire in which one side is called the primary, and the second loop is called the secondary.
The primary coil winding usually will contain hundreds of loops of heavy wire, while the secondary winding loop contains thousands of turns of fine wire.
Inside the ignition coil are two sets of windings. The primary coil windings contain hundreds of turns, while the secondary side contains thousands of turns of wire.
This allows for the voltage from the battery to be stepped up to a higher voltage needed to produce a good spark.
Coils for gas engines have gone through several upgrades over the years, with the coil going from a single unit to multiple coils located close to the spark plug.
Most new engines have multiple coils, one for each spark plug often located directly on top of the plug.