Ignition Systems

Components of a typical, four stroke cycle piston engine. (E) Exhaust camshaft, (I) Intake
camshaft, (S) Spark plug, (V) Valves, (P) Piston, (R) Connecting rod, (C) Crankshaft, (W)
Water jacket for coolant flow
.

The purpose of the ignition system is to create a spark that will ignite the
fuel-air mixture in the cylinder of an engine. It must do this at exactly the
right instant and do it at the rate of up to several thousand times per minute
for each cylinder in the engine. If the timing of that spark is off by a small
fraction of a second, the engine will run poorly or not run at all. The
ignition system sends an extremely high voltage to the spark plug in each
cylinder when the piston is at the top of its compression stroke. The tip of
each spark plug contains a gap that the voltage must jump across in order to
reach ground. That is where the spark occurs.

The voltage that is available to the spark plug is somewhere between

20,000 volts and 50,000 volts or better. The job of the ignition system is to
produce that high voltage from a 12 volt source and get it to each cylinder
in a specific order, at exactly the right time.

Let's see how this is done.

The ignition system has two tasks to perform. First, it must create a voltage high enough
(20,000+) to arc across the gap of a spark plug, thus creating a spark strong enough to ignite the
air/fuel mixture for combustion. Second, it must control the timing of that the spark so it occurs
at the exact right time and send it to the correct cylinder.

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The ignition system is divided into two sections, the primary circuit and the secondary circuit.
The low voltage primary circuit operates at battery voltage (12 to 14.5 volts) and is responsible
for generating the signal to fire the spark plug at the exact right time and sending that signal to
the ignition coil. The ignition coil is the component that converts the 12 volt signal into the high
20,000+ volt charge. Once the voltage is stepped up, it goes to the secondary circuit which then
directs the charge to the correct spark plug at the right time.

Types of Ignition Systems

The basic principle of the electrical spark ignition system has not changed for over 75 years.
What has changed is the method by which the spark is created and how it is distributed.

Currently, there are three distinct types of ignition systems; The Mechanical Ignition System
was used prior to 1975. It was mechanical and electrical and used no electronics. The
Electronic Ignition System started finding its way to production vehicles during the early '70s
and became popular when better control and improved reliability became important with the
advent of emission controls. Finally, the Distributor less Ignition System became available in
the mid '80s. This system was always computer controlled and contained no moving parts, so
reliability was greatly improved. Most of these systems required no maintenance except
replacing the spark plugs at intervals from 60,000 to over 100,000 miles.

Let's take a detailed look at each system and see how they work.

The Mechanical Ignition System

(from the dawn of the automobile to 1974)

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The distributor is the nerve center of the mechanical ignition system and has two tasks to
perform. First, it is responsible for triggering the ignition coil to generate a spark at the precise
instant that it is required (which varies depending how fast the engine is turning and how much
load it is under). Second, the distributor is responsible for directing that spark to the proper
cylinder (which is why it is called a distributor)

Operational principle
When you insert the key in the ignition switch and turn the key to the Run position, you are
sending current from the battery through a wire directly to the positive (+) side of the ignition
coil. Inside the coil is a series of copper windings that loop around the coil over a hundred times
before exiting out the negative (-) side of the coil. From there, a wire takes this current over to
the distributor and is connected to a special on/off
switch, called the points. When the points are closed,
this current goes directly to ground.

When current flows from the ignition switch, through the windings in the coil, then to ground, it
builds a strong magnetic field inside the coil.

The points are made up of a fixed contact point that is fastened to a plate inside the distributor,
and a movable contact point mounted on the end of a spring loaded arm.. The movable point
rides on a 4, 6, or 8 lobe cam (depending on the number of cylinders in the engine) that is
mounted on a rotating shaft inside the distributor. This distributor cam rotates in time with the
engine, making one complete revolution for every two revolutions of the engine. As it rotates,
the cam pushes the points open and closed. Every time the points open, the flow of current is
interrupted through the coil, thereby collapsing the magnetic field and releasing a high voltage
surge through the secondary coil windings. This voltage surge goes out the top of the coil and
through the high-tension coil wire.

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Now, we have the voltage necessary to fire the spark plug, but we still have to get it to the
correct cylinder. The coil wire goes from the coil directly to the center of the distributor cap.
Under the cap is a rotor that is mounted on top of the rotating shaft. The rotor has a metal strip
on the top that is in constant contact with the center terminal of the distributor cap. It receives
the high voltage surge from the coil wire and sends it to the other end of the rotor which rotates
past each spark plug terminal inside the cap. As the rotor turns on the shaft, it sends the voltage
to the correct spark plug wire, which in turn sends it to the spark plug. The voltage enters the
spark plug at the terminal at the top and travels down the core until it reaches the tip. It then
jumps across the gap at the tip of the spark plug, creating a spark suitable to ignite the fuel-air
mixture inside that cylinder.

The description I just provided is the simplified version, but should be helpful to visualize the
process, but we left out a few things that make up this type of ignition system. For instance, we
didn't talk about the condenser that is connected to the points, nor did we talk about the system to
advance the timing.

Components of mechanical ignition system

The ignition switch.

There are two separate circuits that go from the ignition switch to the coil. One circuit runs
through a resistor in order to step down the voltage about 15% in order to protect the points from
premature wear. The other circuit sends full battery voltage to the coil. The only time this
circuit is used is during cranking. Since the starter draws a considerable amount of current to
crank the engine, additional voltage is needed to power the coil. So when the key is turned to the
spring-loaded start position, full battery voltage is used. As soon as the engine is running, the
driver releases the key to the run position which directs current through the primary resistor to
the coil.

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On some vehicles, the primary resistor is mounted on the firewall and is easy to replace if it
fails. On other vehicles, most notably vehicles manufactured by GM, the primary resistor is a
special resistor wire and is bundled in the wiring harness with other wires, making it more
difficult to replace, but also more durable.

Ignition Coil
The ignition coil is nothing more that an
electrical transformer. It contains both
primary and secondary winding circuits.
The coil primary winding contains 100 to
150 turns of heavy copper wire. This wire
must be insulated so that the voltage does
not jump from loop to loop, shorting it out.
If this happened, it could not create the
primary magnetic field that is required. The
primary circuit wire goes into the coil
through the positive terminal, loops around
the primary windings, then exits through
the negative terminal.

The coil secondary winding circuit

contains 15,000 to 30,000 turns of fine
copper wire, which also must be insulated
from each other. The secondary windings sit inside the loops of the primary windings. To
further increase the coils magnetic field the windings are wrapped around a soft iron core. To
withstand the heat of the current flow, the coil is filled with oil which helps keep it cool.

The ignition coil is the heart of the ignition system. As current flows through the coil a strong
magnetic field is built up. When the current is shut off, the collapse of this magnetic field to the
secondary windings induces a high voltage which is released through the large center terminal.
This voltage is then directed to the spark plugs through the distributor.

So just how does a coil work? Well, the principle of Inductance is the answer. Physics tells us
that if you put a certain voltage through a wire (the primary) that has another wire wrapped
around it, the second (hence, secondary) wire will receive an "induced" voltage from the first.
Furthermore, the "induced" voltage is a function of the number of turns of wire wrapped around,
so if you have two coils wrapped around the wire you'll get twice the voltage, and so on.
Voltage can be stepped-up and stepped-down using inductance. Automotive coils generally have
secondary-to-primary ratios of 200 to 1. Therefore, a 12-volt input to a coil's primary windings
will result in a 24,000-volt output from the secondary winding. That's where the spark plugs get
their electricity.

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 The Distributor

When you remove the distributor

cap from the top of the
distributor, you will see the
points and condenser. The
condenser is a simple capacitor
that can store a small amount of
current. When the points begin
to open, the current flowing
through the points looks for an
alternative path to ground. If the
condenser were not there, it
would try to jump across the gap
of the points as they begin to
open. If this were allowed to
happen, the points would quickly
burn up and you would hear
heavy static on the car radio. To prevent this, the condenser acts like a path to ground. It really is
not, but by the time the condenser is saturated, the points are too far apart for the small amount
of voltage to jump across the wide point gap. Since the arcing across the opening points is
eliminated, the points last longer and there is no static on the radio from point arcing.

The points require periodic adjustments in order to keep the engine running at peek efficiency.
This is because there is a rubbing block on the points that is in contact with the cam and this
rubbing block wears out over time changing the point gap. There are two ways that the points
can be measured to see if they need an adjustment. One way is by measuring the gap between
the open points when the rubbing block is on the high point of the cam. The other way is by
measuring the dwell electrically. The dwell is the amount, in degrees of cam rotation, that the
points stay closed.

On some vehicles, points are adjusted with the engine off and the distributor cap removed. A
mechanic will loosen the fixed point and move it slightly, then retighten it in the correct position
using a feeler gauge to measure the gap. On other vehicles, most notably GM cars, there is a
window in the distributor where a mechanic can insert a tool and adjust the points using a dwell
meter while the engine is running. Measuring dwell is much more accurate than setting the
points with a feeler gauge.

Points have a life expectancy of about 10,000 miles at which time they have to be replaced. This
is done during a routine major tune up. During the tune up, points, condenser, and the spark
plugs are replaced, the timing is set and the carburetor is adjusted. In some cases, to keep the
engine running efficiently, a minor tune up would be performed at 5,000 mile increments to
adjust the points and reset the timing.

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Contact breaker
The is the cam-actuated switch, which triggers the
signal when an HT impulse (voltage) is required for
the spark plug. Since the cam revolves at half the
crank shaft speed, all the cylinders are fired in one
revolution of the cam.

Purpose

The purpose of the contact breaker is to interrupt the

current flowing in the primary circuit of the ignition
coil. When this occurs, the collapsing current induces
a high voltage in the secondary winding of the coil,
which has a lot more windings. This causes a very high voltage to appear at the coil output for a
short period - enough to arc across the electrodes of a spark plug.

Operation

The contact breaker is operated by an engine-driven cam, and the position of the contact breaker
is set so that they open (and hence generate a spark) at the exactly correct moment needed to
ignite the fuel at the top of the piston's compression stroke. The contact breaker is usually
mounted on a plate that is able to rotate relative to the camshaft operating it. The plate is rotated
by a centrifugal mechanism, thus advancing the ignition timing (making the spark occur earlier)
at higher revolutions. This gives the fuel time to burn so that the resulting gases reach their
maximum pressure at the same time as the piston reaches the top of the cylinder. The plate's
position can also be moved a small distance using a small manifold vacuum-operated
servomechanism, providing advanced timing when the engine is required to speed up on
demand. This helps to prevent pre-ignition (or pinging).

Capacitor

A capacitor act as a buffer device in an ignition

circuit. It provides an alternative path for the
surge current when the contacts have just parted.

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Spark Plugs
A spark plug is an electrical device that fits into
the cylinder head of some internal combustion
engines and ignites compressed fuels such as
aerosol, gasoline, ethanol, and liquefied
petroleum gas by means of an electric spark.

The plug is connected to the high voltage

generated by an ignition coil. As the electrons
flow from the coil, a voltage difference develops
between the central electrode and side electrode.
No current can flow because the fuel and air in
the gap is an insulator, but as the voltage rises
further, it begins to change the structure of the
gases between the electrodes. Once the voltage
exceeds the dielectric strength of the gases, the
gases become ionized. The ionized gas becomes
a conductor and allows electrons to flow across
the gap. Spark plugs usually require voltage of 12,000–25,000 volts or more to 'fire' properly,
although it can go up to 45,000 volts. They supply higher current during the discharge process
resulting in a hotter and longer-duration spark.

As the current of electrons surges across the gap, it raises the temperature of the spark channel to
60,000 K. The intense heat in the spark channel causes the ionized gas to expand very quickly,
like a small explosion. This is the "click" heard when observing a spark, similar to lightning and
thunder.

The heat and pressure force the gases to react with each other, and at the end of the spark event
there should be a small ball of fire in the spark gap as the gases burn on their own. The size of
this fireball or kernel depends on the exact composition of the mixture between the electrodes
and the level of combustion chamber turbulence at the time of the spark. A small kernel will
make the engine run as though the ignition timing was retarded and a large one as though the
timing was advanced.

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 Parts of the plug

Terminal

The top of the spark plug contains a terminal to connect to the ignition system. The exact
terminal construction varies depending on the use of the spark plug. Plugs which are used for
these applications often have the end of the terminal serve a double purpose as the nut on a thin
threaded shaft so that they can be used for either type of connection. These are a necessary part
of the spark plug.

Insulator

Its major function is to provide mechanical support for the central electrode, whilst insulating the
high voltage. It has a secondary role, particularly in modern engines with deeply recessed plugs,
in extending the terminal above the cylinder head so as to make it more readily accessible.

Ribs

By lengthening the surface between the high voltage terminal and the grounded metal case of the
spark plug, the physical shape of the ribs functions to improve the electrical insulation and
prevent electrical energy from leaking along the insulator surface from the terminal to the metal
case. The disrupted and longer path makes the electricity encounter more resistance along the
surface of the spark plug even in the presence of dirt and moisture. Some modern sparking plugs
are not manufactured with ribs. Improvements in the dielectric strength of the insulator make
them less important.

Insulator tip

The tip of the insulator, the part from the metal body of the plug to the electrode protruding into
the combustion chamber, must resist high temperatures while retaining electrical insulation. To
avoid over-heating the electrode, it must also provide good thermal conductivity. The porcelain

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of the main insulator is inadequate and so a sintered aluminum oxide ceramic is used, designed
to withstand 650 °C and 60,000 V.

The exact composition and length of the insulator determines the heat range of the plug. Short
insulators are "cooler" plugs. "Hotter" plugs are made with a lengthened path to the metal body,
by isolating the insulator over much of its length with an annular groove.

Seals

Because the spark plug also seals the combustion chamber or the engine when installed, the seals
ensure there is no leakage from the combustion chamber. The seal is typically made by the use of
a multi-layer braze.

Metal case

The metal case of the spark plug withstands the torque of tightening the plug, serves to remove
heat from the insulator and pass it on to the cylinder head, and acts as the ground for the sparks
passing through the central electrode to the side electrode. Marine engine spark plug threads are
cold rolled to prevent seizing in aluminum cylinder heads, due to corrosion. Also, a marine spark
plugs shell is double-dipped, zinc-chromate coated metal.

Central electrode

The central electrode is connected to the terminal through an internal wire and commonly a
ceramic series resistance to reduce emission of noise from the sparking. The tip can be made of a
combination of copper, nickel-iron, chromium, or precious metals. The central electrode is
usually the one designed to eject the electrons (the cathode) because it is the hottest (normally)
part of the plug; it is easier to emit electrons from a hot surface, because of the same physical
laws that increase emissions of vapor from hot surfaces. In addition, electrons are emitted where
the electrical field strength is greatest; this is from wherever the radius of curvature of the surface
is smallest, i.e. from a sharp point or edge rather than a flat surface (see corona discharge). It
would be easiest to pull electrons from a pointed electrode but a pointed electrode would erode
after only a few seconds. Instead, the electrons emit from the sharp edges of the end of the
electrode; as these edges erode, the spark becomes weaker and less reliable.

Side electrode, or ground electrode

The side electrode is made from high nickel steel and is welded (or hot forged) to the side of the
metal case. The side electrode also runs very hot, especially on projected nose plugs. Some
designs have provided a copper core to this electrode, so as to increase heat conduction. Multiple
side electrodes may also be used, so that they don't overlap the central electrode.

Spark plug gap

• narrow-gap risk: spark might be too weak/small to ignite fuel;

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 • narrow-gap benefit: plug always fires on each cycle;
• wide-gap risk: plug might not fire, or miss at high speeds;
• Wide-gap benefit: spark is strong for a clean burn.

Ignition Timing
The timing is set by loosening a hold-down screw and rotating the body of the distributor. Since
the spark is triggered at the exact instant that the points begin to open, rotating the distributor
body (which the points are mounted on) will change the relationship between the position of the
points and the position of the distributor cam, which is on the shaft that is geared to the engine
rotation.

While setting the initial or base timing is important, for an engine to run properly, the timing
needs to change depending on the speed of the engine and the load that it is under. If we can
move the plate that the points are mounted on, or we could change the position of the distributor
cam in relation to the gear that drives it, we can alter the timing dynamically to suit the needs of
the engine.

Why do we need the timing to advance when the engine runs faster?
When the spark plug fires in the combustion chamber, it ignites whatever fuel and air mixture is
present at the tip of the spark plug. The fuel that surrounds the tip is ignited by the burning that
was started by the spark plug, not by the spark itself. That flame front continues to expand
outward at a specific speed that is always the same, regardless of engine speed. It does not begin
to push the piston down until it fills the combustion chamber and has nowhere else to go. In
order to maximize the amount of power generated, the spark plug must fire before the piston
reaches the top of the cylinder so that the burning fuel is ready to push the piston down as soon
as it is at the top of its travel. The faster the engine is spinning, the earlier we have to fire the
plug to produce maximum power.

There are two mechanisms that allow the timing to change:

♠ Centrifugal Advance
♠ Vacuum Advance.

Centrifugal Advance changes the timing in relation to the speed (RPM) of the engine. It uses a
pair of weights that are connected to the spinning distributor shaft. These weights are hinged on
one side to the lower part of the shaft and connected by a linkage to the upper shaft where the
distributor cam is. The weights are held close to the shaft be a pair of springs. As the shaft spins
faster, the weights are pulled out by centrifugal force against the spring pressure. The faster the
shaft spins, the more they are pulled out. When the weights move out, it changes the alignment
between the lower and upper shaft, causing the timing to advance.

Vacuum Advance works by changing the position of the points in relationship to the distributor
body. An engine produces vacuum while it is running with the throttle closed. In other words,
your foot is off the gas pedal. In this configuration, there is very little fuel and air in the
combustion chamber.
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Vacuum advance uses a vacuum diaphragm connected to a link that can move the plate that the
points are mounted on. By sending engine vacuum to the vacuum advance diaphragm, timing is
advanced. On older cars, the vacuum that is used is port vacuum, which is just above the throttle
plate. With this setup, there is no vacuum present at the vacuum advance diaphragm while the
throttle is closed. When the throttle is cracked opened, vacuum is sent to the vacuum advance,
advancing the timing.

On early emission controlled vehicles, manifold vacuum was used so that vacuum was present at
the vacuum advance at idle in order to provide a longer burn time for the lean fuel mixtures on
those engines. When the throttle was opened, vacuum was reduced causing the timing to retard
slightly. This was necessary because as the throttle opened, more fuel was added to the mixture
reducing the need for excessive advance. Many of these early emission controlled cars had a
vacuum advance with electrical components built into the advance unit to modify the timing
under certain conditions.

Both Vacuum and Centrifugal advance systems worked together to extract the maximum
efficiency from the engine. If either system was not functioning properly, both performance and
fuel economy would suffer.

Dwell angle (distributer cam angle)

The dwell angle is the number of degrees of rotation of the cam/distributor during which the
points are closed. During each rotation of the cam/distributor, the points must open and close
once for each cylinder. The points must stay closed long enough to allow the coil primary current
to reach an acceptable value, and open long enough to discharge and produce a spark.

The angle formed during the closed-open period is

called the phase angle or firing angle.

Therefore the firing angle is given by 360 / (number

of cylinders).

The percentage dwell = (dwell angle / phase

angle)*100 i.e the dwell angle of 54 degrees for a four
cylinder engine has a percentage (dwell of (54/90)
*100) =60%.This means that the contacts are closed
for 60% and open for 40% during the spark is produced.

Firing order

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The firing order is the sequence of power delivery of each cylinder in a multi-cylinder
reciprocating engine. This is achieved by sparking of the spark plugs in a gasoline engine in the
correct order, or by the sequence of fuel injection in a Diesel engine. When designing an engine,
choosing an appropriate firing order is critical to minimizing vibration and achieving smooth
running, for long engine fatigue life and user comfort, and heavily influences crankshaft design.
The several cylinders of the engines will all fire once in the 720 degree rotation of the crank-
shaft (or 360 degrees for two stroke engines). The cylinders and crank shafts are arranged to
have the firing distributed evenly around the 720 Degrees. The sequence in which the cylinders
from one end to the other fire is determined with reference to their effect on mechanical
balancing, cooling, and exhaust pressure considerations.

For instance, for a V8 engine firing order is 1, 8, 4, 3, 6, 5, 7, 2. The cylinders are numbered
from the front to the rear with cylinder #1 on the front-left of the engine. So the cylinders on the
left side of the engine are numbered 1, 3, 5, 7 while the right side are numbered 2, 4, 6, 8.

Ignition Wires
These cables are designed to handle 20,000 to more than 50,000
volts, enough voltage to toss you across the room if you were to be
exposed to it. The job of the spark plug wires is to get that
enormous power to the spark plug without leaking out. Spark plug
wires have to endure the heat of a running engine as well as the
extreme changes in the weather. In order to do their job, spark plug
wires are fairly thick, with most of that thickness devoted to
insulation with a very thin conductor running down the center.
Eventually, the insulation will succumb to the elements and the heat
of the engine and begins to harden, crack, dry out, or otherwise break down. When that happens,
they will not be able to deliver the necessary voltage to the spark plug and a misfire will occur.
That is what is meant by "Not running on all cylinders". To correct this problem, the spark plug
wires would have to be replaced.

Spark plug wires are routed around the engine very carefully. Plastic clips are often used to keep
the wires separated so that they do not touch together. This is not always necessary, especially
when the wires are new, but as they age, they can begin to leak and crossfire on damp days
causing hard starting or a rough running engine.

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The Electronic Ignition System
(from 1970's to today).

In the electronic ignition system, the points and

condenser were replaced by electronics. On these
systems, there were several methods used to
replace the points and condenser in order to trigger
the coil to fire. One method used a metal wheel
with teeth, usually one for each cylinder. This is
called an armature or reluctor. A magnetic pickup
coil senses when a tooth passes and sends a signal
to the control module to fire the coil.

Other systems used an electric eye with a shutter

wheel to send a signal to the electronics that it was
time to trigger the coil to fire. These systems still
need to have the initial timing adjusted by rotating
the distributor housing.

The advantage of this system, aside from the fact

that it is maintenance free, is that the control module
can handle much higher primary voltage than the
mechanical points. Voltage can even be stepped up
before sending it to the coil, so the coil can create a
much hotter spark, on the order of 50,000 volts instead
of 20,000 volts that is common with the mechanical
systems. These systems only have a single wire from
the ignition switch to the coil since a primary resistor is
no longer needed.

On some vehicles, this control module was mounted

inside the distributor where the points used to be
mounted. On other designs, the control module was mounted outside the distributor with
external wiring to connect it to the pickup coil. On many General Motors engines, the control
module was inside the distributor and the coil was mounted on top of the distributor for a one
piece unitized ignition system. GM called it High Energy Ignition or HEI for short.

The higher voltage that these systems provided allows the use of a much wider gap on the spark
plugs for a longer, fatter spark. This larger spark also allowed a leaner mixture for better fuel
economy and still insures a smooth running engine.

The early electronic systems had limited or no computing power, so timing still had to be set
manually and there was still a centrifugal and vacuum advance built into the distributor.

On some of the later systems, the inside of the distributor is empty and all triggering is
performed by a sensor that watches a notched wheel connected to either the crankshaft or the
camshaft. These devices are called Crankshaft Position Sensor or Camshaft Position Sensor. In
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these systems, the job of the distributor is solely to distribute the spark to the correct cylinder
through the distributor cap and rotor. The computer handles the timing and any timing advance
necessary for the smooth running of the engine.

Electronic Ignition System Components

The basic components of an electronic ignition system are as follows:

♣ TRIGGER WHEEL—The trigger wheel, also known as a reluctor, pole piece, or
armature, is connected to the upper end of the distributor shaft. The trigger wheel
replaces the distributor cam. Like the distributor cam lobes, the teeth on the trigger wheel
equal the number of engine cylinders.
♣ PICKUP COIL—The pickup coil, also known as a sensor assembly, sensor coil, or
magnetic pickup assembly, produces tiny voltage surges for the ignition systems
electronic control unit. The pickup coil is a small set of windings forming a coil.
♣ ELECRTONIC CONTROL UNIT AMPLIFIER—The ignition system electronic
control unit amplifier or control module is an "electronic switch" that turns the
ignition coil primary current ON and OFF. The ECU performs the same function as
the contact points. The ignition ECU is a network of transistors, capacitors, resistors,
and other electronic components sealed in a metal or plastic housing. The ECU can be
located (1) in the engine compartment, (2) on the side of the distributor, (3) inside the
distributor, or (4) under the vehicle dash. ECU dwell time (number of degrees the
circuit conducts current to the ignition coil) is designed into the electronic circuit of
the ECU and is NOT adjustable

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The Distributor less Ignition system (DIS)
(from 1980's to today)

Newer automobiles have evolved from a

mechanical system (distributor) to a completely
solid state electronic system with no moving
parts. These systems are completely controlled
by the on-board computer. In place of the
distributor, there are multiple coils that each
serves one or two spark plugs. A typical 6
cylinder engine has 3 coils that are mounted
together in a coil "pack". A spark plug wire
comes out of each side of the individual coil and
goes to the appropriate spark plug. The coil fires
both spark plugs at the same time. One spark
plug fires on the compression stroke igniting the
fuel-air mixture to produce power while the
other spark plug fires on the exhaust stroke and does
nothing. On some vehicles, there is an individual
coil for each cylinder mounted directly on top of the
spark plug. This design completely eliminates the
high tension spark plug wires for even better
reliability. Most of these systems use spark plugs
that are designed to last over 100,000 miles, which
cuts down on maintenance costs.

Crankshaft Position Sensor

The crankshaft is fitted with a four-lobe metal pulse

ring. Its position is constantly monitored by the
crankshaft position sensor. Signals are sent to the
ECA representing both the position of the crankshaft
and the frequency of the pulses (engine rpm).

Timing for the distributorless

The timing measurement is given in degrees of crankshaft rotation before the piston reaches TDC
(BTDC). If the setting for the ignition timing is 5° BTDC, the spark plug must fire 5° before each piston
reaches TDC. This only holds true, however, when the engine is at idle speed.

As the engine speed increases, the pistons go faster. The spark plugs have to ignite the fuel even sooner if
it is to be completely ignited when the piston reaches TDC. To do this, distributors have various means of
advancing the spark timing as the engine speed increases. On older vehicles, this was accomplished by
centrifugal weights within the distributor along with a vacuum diaphragm mounted on the side of the
distributor. Later vehicles are equipped with an electronic spark timing system in which no vacuum or
mechanical advance is used, instead all timing changes electronically based on signals from various se
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nsors.

If the ignition is set too far advanced (BTDC), the ignition and expansion of the fuel in the cylinder will
occur too soon and tend to force the piston down while it is still traveling up. This causes engine ping. If
the ignition spark is set too far retarded, after TDC (ATDC), the piston will have already passed TDC and
started on its way down when the fuel is ignited. This will cause the piston to be forced down for only a
portion of its travel. This will result in poor engine performance and lack of power

Timing for the distributorless ignition system is controlled by an electronic control unit or ECU.
The ECU decides the best time to fire the spark plugs.
The ECU makes its decision on the best time to fire the spark plugs based on information
received from sensors such as: the MAP sensor, the throttle position sensor, cam angle sensor,
crank angle sensor, engine speed sensor and coolant temperature sensor.

Once the ECU has evaluated all the sensor information it makes a decision on when to fire the
spark plugs. To do this, the ECU switches the power transistors that control the primary current
for each coil pack. The main sensors required to produce correct timing of the spark are the crank
sensors. Identification of each pair of cylinders and a signal for their triggering is provided by a
dual crank sensor fixed to the engine timing cover. This contains two Hall effect switches
sharing a central magnet which forms two air gaps between them.

The advantages of no distributor:

• No timing adjustments
• No distributor cap and rotor
• No moving parts to wear out
• No distributor to accumulate moisture and cause starting problems
• No distributor to drive thus providing less engine drag

The major components of a distributor less ignition are:

• ECU or Engine Control Unit

• ICU or Ignition Control Unit

• Magnetic Triggering Device such as the Crankshaft Position Sensor and the Camshaft
Position Sensor
• Coil Packs

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