Coil with 1 vs 2 spade connections

[tvpierce]

Hi all.
I have a 1999 GTS with a 717, single carb.
I’m trouble shooting a no spark issue. Using info from this forum I’ve narrowed it down to a bad ignition coil.
Here’s where I’ve run into a problem. The original coil has one spade connector on the primary/input side. The replacements I’m finding online all have two spade connectors.
Are these two coils compatible?
I also have a 1997 GTX with a 787, and that ignition coil has two spade connectors. Can I use the coil from that ski for troubleshooting purposes?

 

[Grim]

Word of advise, try and find an OEM one, even a used one, aftermarket stuff is unreliable, IMO. Im not sure about coil compatibility across different motors, maybe someone else can chime in.

 

[tvpierce]

Word of advise, try and find an OEM one, even a used one, aftermarket stuff is unreliable, IMO. Im not sure about coil compatibility across different motors, maybe someone else can chime in.

Thanks for the words of advice. Yes, I was planning on going OEM. But even the OEM/Denso coils I’m seeing online have the two connectors. So I’m not sure.

 

[tvpierce]

I have a follow-up question hopefully someone can answer for me: On the coils with two spade connectors, how do you know which is positive and which is negative?

 

[tvpierce]

Never mind. I just figured it out by reading the shop manual. (I know, I know!)

So the GTS coil is different than the coils used on the other models. On the GTS, the CDI is incorporated into the coil whereas on other models the CDI function is controlled by the MPEM. So coils from other models will not work on a GTS. See images below for critical info.

The part number for a GTS ignition coil is 278000586