quick question

[shanehandley]

does it do any harm to the engine when you switch it on to listen to radio but not start it up do you no what i mean?

i heard it burns out your coil?

[wisewood]

it will run down your battery... burning out the coil is possible i suppose but very unlikely. Better than burning 900 quids worth of fuel while sat in a car park in the rain or something.

[burgo]

well if u wired ya stereo up correctly u shouldnt need the ignition on but i have heard also that sittin wiv ya ignition on burns it out but ive never heard of ne1 it has actually happened to

[pickle]

if it fucks it then your answer is YES, it does fuck it, but until then FUCK IT get what i mean.......

[Stuart]

vehicles fitted with bosch ecu's from around 1989-90 onwards have a coil cut off if the engine isnt started within a certain time, to prevent the premature death of the coil


ive never seen or heard of any incidents where a coil burns out from just being "on". there has to be extenuating circumstances for them to pop.

ie naffed ign amp/ecu etc.

even a lecturer (rip) that was the don when it came to automotive electronics had never heard of them just failing under regular conditions (even sat there).


its hardly different to when the engine is running really.

[Jules]

well if u wired ya stereo up correctly u shouldnt need the ignition on but i have heard also that sittin wiv ya ignition on burns it out but ive never heard of ne1 it has actually happened to

Well it sounds like he HAS wired it correctly and you've wired yours incorrectly if that's how yours is. The stereo should have a constant +12v (To keep the radio settings, time etc etc) and a switched +12v so that it comes on with the ignition ONLY, Yeah these two can be joined to a constant +12v but if you're following the fitting manual then you'll do it as it shows and wire it through a switched ignition.

And for the record, yes I've heard that it can burn out te ignition coil but I've yet to know of anyone taht's had it happen to them.

[Aragorn]

i think there is some kinda truth here

when the ignition is on and engine is not running the coil will be live

the spark for the engine comes from the back current developed when a inductive field collapses - the contact breakers (or the electronic versions) cut power to the coil to create this collapsing field which produces a huge backcurrent to fire the ignition

so instead of the circuit constantly cycling on and off like it does when engine is running it will remain constantly on - this COULD cause the coil to heat up which may after a prolonged period of time cause failure

[burgo]

no mine is wired up so that it comes on wen it is in the ancillary position so that ur ignition aint on