Automotive Service

Modern Auto Tech Study Guide

Chapter 34
Pages 567 - 594
Ignition Systems
42 Points
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1. The ignition system produces the high voltage needed to _______ the air/fuel
mixture in the cylinders.

Destroy
Ignite
Snuff-out
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2. The ignition system makes electric arcs across the gaps at the _____ ______
and times them to happen exactly as each piston nears TDC of its
compression stroke.

Spark Plugs
Crankshafts
Oxygen Sensors
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3. The 12 volt ______________ is the primary source of electricity for the
system but the ignition ________ transforms this voltage into 30,000 or more
secondary circuit volts during normal engine operation.

Coil, Battery
Battery, Coil
Starter, Alternator
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4. The two main circuits in an ignition system are the _________ (low volts)
and the ______________ (high volts) circuits. The secondary circuit has
thicker insulation to prevent electrical leakage & shorting.

Module, Spark Plug

Reluctor, Pick-up Coil
Primary, Secondary
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5. The ignition ________ is a pulse-type transformer used to produce short
bursts of high voltage for sparks.

Module
Coil
System
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6. Ignition coils have ________ windings wrapped around __________ windings
& a soft iron core or armature in the center of the two windings or coils.

Primary, Secondary
Secondary, Primary
Post-Secondary, Primary
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7. Primary magnetic ___________ collapsing through secondary coils of
wire induce a surge used for spark.

Fields
Coils
Shunts
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8. Distributorless ignition systems may have one coil pack for every ______
cylinders.
A system with one ignition coil for every cylinder is known as a coil-on-plug,
coil-near-plug, or a direct ignition system.

Two
Four
Six
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9. On distributorless ignition systems, a coil ________, consisting of several
ignition coils combined into one assembly, connects on to the spark plug
wires for two cylinders. No secondary coil wire is used in this system.

Track
Rack
Pack
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10. A ____________ - __________ ignition coil is wired to fire two spark plugs at
the same time, one forward polarity (+ to -) & the other reverse polarity (- to +).
This is known as the “wasted spark” method.

Pick - Up
Wasted - Spark
Shut - Off
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11. The ____________________ is used to signal the on/off cycling of primary
ignition current, distribute the high voltage secondary current, adjust the timing
of the spark, and sometimes even drive the oil pump.

Distributor
Alternator
Starter
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12. The main switching components inside of an electronic distributor are the
_____________ (trigger wheel) & the _______________ coil
(a.k.a. sensor assembly or sensor coil).
The reluctor & pickup coil are known as a permanent magnet generator.
Hall effect & optical pickups are also used to “trigger” the primary circuit.

Reluctor & Pick-up Coil

Reactor & Pick-up Coil
Reluctor & Timer Core
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13. The primary circuit magnetic fields are building up when the ignition control
____________ is on. This closes the primary circuit. When the primary circuit
is opened, the primary fields collapse through the secondary coil winding and
fire the spark. Primary circuit closed time is known as “dwell time”.

Module
Switch
Plug
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14. The ______________________ cap and the __________ are responsible for
transferring the high voltage surge from the ignition coil to the spark plug
wires in the correct firing order.

Distributor & Rotor

Distributor & Reluctor
Distributor & Coil Pack
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15. __________ ________ wires are also known as secondary wires since they
are the main conductors in the secondary circuit. The abbreviation TVRS on
wires stands for television & radio static suppression.

Carbon Fiber
Spark Plug
Primary
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16. Spark plug wires have between 2,000 - 12,000 ohms per foot of resistance
to prevent ____________ static. RFI, also known as radio frequency interference

Radio
MP3
Brain Wave
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17. The main parts of a spark plug are the
center terminal or __________________,
the side or ____________electrode,
the ceramic ________________, &
the steel shell which ____________ into the
cylinder head.

Electrode, Ground, Insulator, Threads or Screws

Seal, Gap, Ribs, Shell
Meat, Potatoes, Coffee, Dessert
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18. Spark plug thread __________ is the length of the threaded portion of the
steel shell.

Reach
Leach
Beach
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19. Spark plug ______________ are either 14mm or 18mm in diameter and are
sealed with either a washer or a tapered seat that fits into the tapered hole
in the cylinder head.

Gaps
Threads
Insulators
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20. A __________________ spark plug has an internal resistance of around
5,000 ohms to 10,000 ohms to reduce RFI.

Thermistor
Sure Mister
Resistor
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21. Spark plug _________ (distance between the center & side electrodes)
is adjusted by bending the side electrode.

Gaps
Threads
Insulators
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22. Spark plug ________ __________ is
a rating of the ability of the plug to
conduct heat away & cool off.

Heat Range
Thread Reach
Part Number
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23. A hot-running spark plug has a _______ insulator tip and a long path for
heat to travel to cool off.

Short
Medium
Long
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24. A cold-running spark plug has a ______________ insulator tip and a short,
quick path for heat to travel.

Short
Medium
Long
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25. Some engines use two spark plugs per cylinder and some discharge multiple
__________ to ignite a/f mix.

Sparks
Fuels
Airs
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26. Distributor _______________________ advance mechanisms used for
power, and ___________________ advance mechanisms used to increase
fuel economy, have been replaced by more the reliable, electronic
spark control systems. The electronic engine control system now
handles spark advance duties.

Centrifugal, Vacuum
Vacuum, Centrifugal
Electronic, Electronic
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27. Engine ________ monitor various operating conditions & send electrical data to
the computer (PCM) where it is analyzed and used to change ignition timing for
maximum engine efficiency, performance, mpg, & low emissions.
** These 3 benefits are often referred to as “driveability”.

Sparks
Sensors
Actuators
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28. Checking the _________ ignition timing is an important tune-up procedure on
distributor ignition engines

Base
Case
Lase
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29. Distributorless ignition systems require less ____________________ and
their spark timing is not adjustable.

Maintenance
Polishing
Gasoline
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30. A _______________ ignition system has an ignition coil mounted over the
top of each spark plug. These ignition systems are most often called
“coil-on-plug” or “coil-near-plug” systems.

Cover

Ignition
coil

Boot

Spark
plug
Direct
Dialect
Dominant
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31. Engine ___________ __________ is the sequence in which the spark plugs
fire to ignite the a/f mix.

Fling Order
Firing Order
Arrangement
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32. What are the typical, firing orders that four cylinder engines usually have?
___________ & ____________
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Distributor Ignition System

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Coil-on-Plug Ignition System also known as Direct Ignition System

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Wasted Spark Ignition System

(Coil Pack)
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The EEC system & the ignition system come together with sensors & the PCM