IGNITION SYSTEM

WHAT IS IGNITION?

The system in an internal-combustion engine that produces the

spark to ignite the mixture of fuel and air; includes the battery,
ignition coil, distributor, spark plugs, and associated switches and
wiring.
 IGNITION FUNCTION
 PRODUCES 30,000 VOLTS SPARK ACROSSS SPARK PLUG
 DISTRIBUTES HIGH VOLTAGE SPARK TO EACH SPARK PLUG IN CORRECT
SEQUENCE
 TIMES THE SPARK SO IT OCCURS AS PISTON IS NEARING TOP DEAD CENTER
 VARIES SPARK TIMING WITH LOAD, SPEED, AND OTHER CONDITIONS
BASIC IGNITION SYSTEM COMPONENTS

• BATTERY
• IGNITION SWITCH
• IGNITION COIL
• SWITCHING DEVICE
• SPARK PLUG
• IGNITION SYSTEM WIRES
BATTERY IGNITION SYSTEM

 A battery ignition system has a 6- or 12-volt battery charged by an engine-driven generator

to supply electricity, an ignition coil to increase the voltage, a device to interrupt current from
the coil, a distributor to direct current to the correct cylinder, and a spark plug projecting into
each cylinder.
 Current goes from the battery through the primary winding of the coil, through the
interrupting device, and back to the battery.
THE PRIMARY CIRCUIT CONSIST OF THE BATTERY,
AMMETER, IGNITION SWITCH, PRIMARY COIL WINDING,
CAPACITOR, AND BREAKER POINTS. THE FUNCTION OF
THESE COMPONENTS ARE :

 Battery – Provides the power to run the system

 Ignition switch – allows the driver to turn the system on and off
 Primary coil – produces the magnetic field to create the high voltage in the secondary coil.
 Breaker points – a mechanical switch that acts as the triggering mechanism
 Capacitor – protects the points from burning out.
THE SECONDARY CIRCUIT CONVERTS MAGNETIC
INDUCTION INTO HIGH VOLTAGE ELECTRICITY TO JUMP
ACROSS THE SPARK PLUG GAP, FIRING THE MIXTURE AT
THE RIGHT TIME. THE FUNCTION OF THE COMPONENTS
ARE:

 secondary coil – the part of the coil that creats the high voltage electricity.
 Rotor – spin around on the top of the distributor shaft, and distributes the spark to the right spark plug.
 spark plug – Take the electricity from the wires and give it an air gap in the combustion chamber to
jump across to light the mixture.
 The purpose of the ignition system is to generate a very high volt
age from the car's 12 volt battery , and to send this to each sparkplug
in turn, igniting the fuel-air mixture in the engine 's combustion
chambers . The coil is the component that produces this high voltage.
IGNITION SYSTEM COMPONENTS

Magneto-type Ignition System Components

 a high tension magneto
 a condensor
 one or more contact breakers (sparking plugs)
 a distributor
SWITCHABLE IGNITION SYSTEM
COMPONENTS

 a magneto
 one or more dry cell batteries
 a coil
 a distributor
 two sets of spark plugs
BATTERY AND COIL IGNITION SYSTEM
COMPONENTS
 a coil
 points
 a condensor
 a distributor
 a distributor cap
 a rotor
 spark plug wires
 spark plugs
ELECTRONIC IGNITION SYSTEM
COMPONENTS

 a coil
 an ignition module
 a distributor
 a distributor cap
 a rotor
 spark plug wires
 spark plugs
DIESEL IGNITION SYSTEM COMPONENTS
Diesel engines use compression ignition instead of spark
ignition, so they are significantly different. These systems
inject an air/fuel mixture into a cylinder, which is then
compressed to the point where it gets so hot that it
ignites without the need for a spark.
Although diesel ignition systems are relatively simple, they
sometimes include components that make it easier to
start when the engine is especially cold. One such Diesel ignition systems
component is the glowplug, which is essentially a small often include glow plugs.
electric heater that is installed in either a pre-chamber or
directly into the combustion chamber. Although glowplugs
may look superficially like spark plugs, their only function
is to provide enough heat for the compression ignition
process to take place.
Some diesel engines also use intake manifold heaters or
inject ether to help start the process of combustion.