2016 GM 5.3 in Suburban coil question

[Rat407]

Anyone on here knowledgeable on the GM LS engines and coils. Seems my UOA is always showing high nitration and has been for a while. Seems to be getting worse. I'm wondering if I have a bad coil and was looking at changing them out. Is it worth going to an ACCEL or MSD coil? They are reasonable in cost compared to GM factory coils. The suburban only has 75k miles on it. My 2002 Silverado was never this bad on nitration. It was high but not like the Suburban.

Also is there a way to check them like on a scope. Forgive my ignorance but wasn't there a machine back in the day that could look at how well a coil worked? I would think taking it to the dealer would be a waste of time and money. Thanks

 

[Chris142]

If you had a bad coil(s) you would have a check engine light.

 

[Rat407]

If you had a bad coil(s) you would have a check engine light.

That is what I would think but could they be to the point of being weak?

 

[atikovi]

Also is there a way to check them like on a scope.

Scan tool will have a misfire monitor to see which ones are acting up.

 

[JohnnyG]

What is nitration and what causes it? I have never seen that on a UAO.

 

[Trav]

That is what I would think but could they be to the point of being weak?

They could be weak or a wire/plug could be going bad if the misfire count was significantly higher on one cyl than the others and not throw a CEL. Its a deep dive using a UOA to diagnose ignition issues on a good running engine IMO. Are you running any additives in the oil/fuel on a regular basis.
Yes a scope can be used check the coils but there is an easier way to check the actual coils. Its not very expensive and works like a champ.
I have found this tool to be very useful and a big time saver.

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[clinebarger]

This would be a LTx engine. Coils are not at all known to fail. Plug wires or the plugs themselves is what I would suspect first far as secondary ignition goes.

Injectors are probably the most wide spread problem with these engines, Might want to log some fuel trim data.

 

[GMBoy]

This would be a LTx engine. Coils are not at all known to fail. Plug wires or the plugs themselves is what I would suspect first far as secondary ignition goes.

Injectors are probably the most wide spread problem with these engines, Might want to log some fuel trim data.

I would run a good dose of PEA fuel cleaner, perhaps even overdosing a tank and see. Coils are pretty reliable nowadays but injectors still can get clogged.

 

[4WD]

I would run a good dose of PEA fuel cleaner, perhaps even overdosing a tank and see. Coils are pretty reliable nowadays but injectors still can get clogged.

Yeah - my 5.3L gets a rough idle after about 10k … Techron or Regane gets rid of the issue …
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