Because the Hyundai Santa Fe is a relatively new vehicle, all versions come with a distributorless ignition system. Such systems are complex and controlled by the Powertrain Control Module, so there's very little you can do to inspect them. In this vehicle's case, you can only test the ignition coils, but how you do so varies depending on the engine's size.
Unplug the spark plug cables from the ignition coil. Disconnect the ignition coil connector before measuring the secondary resistance.
Connect an ohmmeter between terminals 1-2 and 1-3 on the coil. The resistance on each should be within 10 percent of 860 ohms.
Measure the secondary coil resistance, connecting the ohmmeter to the high-voltage terminals of the No. 1 and 4 cylinders, then between the No. 2 and 3 cylinders. Here, the resistance should be within 15 percent of 12.1 kilo-ohms.
Replace an ignition coil that does not meet all the resistance specifications.
Disconnect the spark plug cables and the ignition coil connector from the coil.
Use an ohmmeter to measure the resistance between terminals 1-4, 2-4 and then 3-4. The standard resistance is within 10 percent of 740 ohms.
Probe the high-voltage terminals for the cylinders that are opposite one another (No. 1 and 4, 2 and 5, 3 and 6). Measure the secondary resistance, which should be within 15 percent of 13.3 kilo-ohms.
Remove and replace a coil that fails the resistance test.
