How to check if the coils are good?

[01prerunner]

Another question about the check engine light on my 94 ford ranger 4 cyl. How do i check or how do i tell the mechanic to check my coils to see if one of them is malfunctioning?(i just dont want them to rip me off beause i dont know how to ask.) My check engine lights has a code 224 with coil 1,2,3 or 4 is malfunctioning and i dont know what to do or where to go to fix it,please help.

[akcskye]

Assuming yours is a 4 cyl 2.3L...and you're talking about the coil packs...

I watched my dad and husband do this a month ago on my truck.

This is what they did (I apologize for the "crudity" of the instruction haha)...

They unplugged a wire from the pack and put a screwdriver into it, and set it on a plastic spot on the motor.

When they tried to crank it, it sparked, which to them, indicated a good coil pack.

Had it not sparked, they said it would need to be replaced.

Now, I have heard 2 theories in regards to whether both are required to fire upon cranking or not...

One says yes, both packs should fire on cranking, and the other side says only one fires on cranking.

This has still not been definitively explained to me...so I hope this ramble helps. LOL

Kristi