How long should an EL 6Cyl Ignition coil last??
It appears mine has shat itself... again. Was last done Sept 07

i just replaced the one on my uncles xh ute
had a new genuine bosch/motorcraft dizzy, new bosch coil, and plugs and leads fitted in october 2007

coil now replaced with non genuine one and remounted on the shocker tower to avoid the heat, had to buy a longer coil lead and extended the wiring to it using an old length of injector loom (uses same plug)

Is there certain amount of KM or years a coil should be replaced or just keep using until its dead ,had mine now for at least 7 years .ive never touched it .

Do you clean your engine bay?

It seems to be the ones that are looked after and cleaned that go.

Yeh I keep it clean ,maybe I got lucky with it

Quick update....

Turns out the coil was still almost brand new (after 3 years) which I put down to a quality part, and quality job fitting.

The trouble ended up being the dizzy. The Dizzy was replaced about 4 years ago, after a somewhat dodgy mechanic (no longer in business) hosed down the engine after doing a rego check and service.

The Dizzy got wet, and stopped working. They were liable to replace it (As they broke it) and replace it they did (or so I thought.)

After getting it checked this week after a breakdown, by a very reputable guy, he ended up finding that the Dizzy hadn't been replaced entirely... it had been dismantled, and had the rotor cap and housing replaced, but the hall effect sensor and gearing was original. Turns out the Hall Effect sensor in the side was swapped from the old one (my guy says it was original, so its 14 years old) and if it was compromised by the original damage, it would explain why my car has never been the same since it was replaced.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, he fitted a brand new Dizzy assembly, and HOLY s**t. Its like a new car. Loads more bottom end power, the power steering is as light as a feather, and it takes off like a scalded cat (Which is amazing, since its a 14 year old unmodified EL Fairmont!!) THe only issue now is that its a little jumpy on idle, amost like there is a loose ignition lead. But this is easy to live with until it can be checked tomorrow.

So moral of this story is, find a good local mechanic you can trust.

Gday I had the same problem with my 96 EL fairmont,done 2 coils in about 3 yrs, definetly has something to do with washing motor, mine shat itself both times after servicing and washing motor.Must get water in somewhere and burn them out!