Multiple Coil Packs Arcing????????

**Wikid NaSSty** · 11-13-2008, 08:01 AM

I ran a post on here a couple weeks ago about my 2000 SS idling rough and stalling when idling. My first thought was a bad ground because I could hear clicking noises through the car speakers that coincided with the engine stumbling. The engine feels like it is misfiring but I am not throwing codes. The car also runs perfect at any rpm above idle. Car has 70k.

So I started the car when it was dark out to see if I could find an arc somewhere in the engine compartment. Sure enough I saw arcing from 2 different coil packs on one side of the engine. The arcs come from the back of the coil packs and travel down to the valve cover.

The occurence happens rather randomly (different times and intervals) but frequently. I took one of the subject coil packs off expecting to see a crack or something on the backside but it looked fine.

I would think it might be a couple bad coil packs but what are the odds that 2 coils go bad at the same time? I am going to try swapping them around this weekend to see if the arc follows the potentially bad coils.

Any thoughts?

**Orcus79** · 11-13-2008, 09:19 AM

Only thing I can think of is that the plug wires may be bad or the plugs are busted, but for some reason the packs are not discharging down the wires and grounding via the plug.

**airmaxon1** · 11-13-2008, 04:28 PM

its really a rare occurence but i had the same symptoms and found out it was arcing coils. just replaced em and all is good now.

**jamessr** · 11-15-2008, 01:47 AM

yeah, I'd say replace the packs and wires .

**Wikid NaSSty** · 11-17-2008, 07:53 AM

Yea it probably just needs a good solid tune up. 70,000 miles isn't bad but the coils and plugs are approaching 9 years old now.

Anybody try the MSD supercoils? They are a little pricey but has anybody seen any performance increases out of them?

**jamessr** · 11-17-2008, 02:00 PM

I dunno about performance, I think, so don't quote me but I think is saw once on these boards that stock coils were just as good, as the MSD ones. I could be wrong though.
Anyway I'm saving now because mine are 8 yrs old and since I replied to this thread it will be the next thing to go...

**ls1camino** · 11-17-2008, 02:20 PM

Originally Posted by Wikid NaSSty

Yea it probably just needs a good solid tune up. 70,000 miles isn't bad but the coils and plugs are approaching 9 years old now.

Anybody try the MSD supercoils? They are a little pricey but has anybody seen any performance increases out of them?

People run 1000hp+ motors with stock LS1 Coils, and the truck coils are better then them, so I think you're well off with what you have.

**GatorSS** · 11-17-2008, 11:33 PM

I've been running the MSDs for a few years. I noticed that they don't wimp out in the heat at high rpms like my stock ones did. The little bit more in price was no concern to me.

**Pete Rock98** · 11-18-2008, 09:34 AM

Did you check the coil pack harnesses?

**Wikid NaSSty** · 11-24-2008, 07:47 AM

Yea I checked the harness on the coil pack and also the one for the entire bank of coil packs and they both look good. The coil packs and wires all seem to be in good shape as well.