IGNITION SYSTEM

IGNITION SYSTEM
 The ignition system in today’s vehicles is an
integral part of the electronic engine control
system.
 The engine control module (ECM) controls all

functions of the ignition system and

constantly corrects the spark timing.
IGNITION SYSTEM
 The desired ignition timing is calculated by the
PCM according to inputs from a variety of
sensors.
 These inputs allow the PCM to know the current
operating conditions.
 The PCM matches those conditions to its
programming and controls ignition timing
accordingly.
 It is important to remember that there has
always been a need for engine speed- and load-
based timing adjustments.
 Many of the inputs used for ignition system
control are also used to control other
systems, such as fuel injection.
 These inputs are available on the CAN buses
BASIC IGNITION SYSTEM TYPES

There are three basic ignition system designs:

1)distributor-based (DI) systems
2) distributorless ignition systems (DLI), and
3)direct ignition systems (DIS).
The latter two designs are designated as
electronic ignition (EI) systems by the SAE.
DIS is the commonly used design on today’s
engines.
 BASIC CIRCUITRY

 All ignition systems consist of two interconnected

electrical circuits: a primary (low-voltage) circuit and
a secondary (high-voltage) circuit.
 Depending on the exact type of ignition system,

components in the primary circuit include the

following:
■ Battery
■ Ignition switch
■ Ballast resistor or resistance wire (some systems)
■ Starting bypass (some systems)
■ Ignition coil primary winding
■ Triggering device
■ Switching device or control module (igniter)
The secondary circuit includes

■ Ignition coil secondary winding

■ Distributor cap and rotor (some systems)
■ High-voltage cables (some systems)
■ Spark plugs
TYPS OF IGNITION COILS
TRIGGERING AND SWITCHING DEVICES
 Triggering and switching devices are used to
ensure the spark occurs at the correct time.  
 A triggering device is simply a device that

monitors the movement of the engine’s pistons.

 A switching device is what controls current flow

through the primary winding.

 When the triggering device sends a signal to the

switching device that the piston of a particular

cylinder is on the compression stroke, the
switching device stops current flow to the
primary winding.
TRIGGERING AND SWITCHING DEVICES
 Electronic switching components are normally
located in an ignition control module, which
may be part of the vehicle’s PCM.
 On older vehicles, the ignition module may be

built into the distributor or mounted in the

engine compartment.
 The ignition module advances or retards the

ignition timing in response to engine

conditions.
TRIGGERING AND SWITCHING DEVICES
 Most electronically controlled systems use an
NPN transistor to control the primary ignition
circuit, which ultimately controls the firing of
the spark plugs.
ENGINE POSITION SENSORS

 The time when the primary circuit must be

opened and closed is related to the position
of the pistons and the crankshaft.
 Therefore, the position of the crankshaft is

used to control the flow of current to the

base of the switching transistor.
TYPES
 Magnetic pulse generators,
 Metal detection sensors,
 Hall-effect sensors, and
 Photoelectric (optical) sensors.

These sensors can be located

 inside the distributor or
 mounted on the outside of the engine to

monitor crankshaft position (CKP).

Location of a typical crankshaft position
(CKP) sensor.
ENGINE POSITION SENSORS

 In many cases, the input from a CKP is

supplemented by inputs from a CMP.( SEE IG 2 IN
TOYOTA P 3)

 On nearly all late-model engines, the CKP and

CMP are magnetic pulse generators or Hall-
effect switches.
ENGINE POSITION SENSORS

When the triggering devices are in the

distributor, they can be any of the following
types of sensors.
 Magnetic Pulse Generator(variable

reluctance)
 Hall-Effect Sensor
 Photoelectric Sensor
 Metal Detection Sensors
Magnetic Pulse Generator(variable reluctance)

 The principal elements of the sensor are:

 an iron rotor with lobes on it;
 a permanent magnet;
 a metallic path (the pole piece) for carrying

the magnetic flux;

 a coil, wound around the metallic path, in

which a voltage is induced.

Magnetic Pulse Generator(variable
reluctance)
Magnetic Pulse Generator
(variable reluctance)
Magnetic Pulse Generator
(variable reluctance)
Variable reluctance crank speed and
position sensor
A crank sensor voltage pattern
ABS wheel speed sensor layout and
voltage waveform
 Hall-effect sensor
 The Hall-effect sensor or switch is the most
commonly used engine position (CKP) sensor
 A Hall-effect sensor may be normally on or off
depending on the system and its circuitry.
 When a normally off sensor is used, there is
maximum voltage output from the sensor when
the magnetic field is blocked by the shutter.
 The opposite is true for normally on sensors.
They have a voltage output when the magnetic
field is not blocked.
 Hall-effect sensor
 A typical Hall-effect sensor has three wires
connected to it.
 One wire is the reference voltage wire. The

PCM supplies a reference voltage of 5 to 12

volts, depending on the system.
 The second wire delivers the output signal

from the sensor to the PCM, and

 the third wire provides a ground for the

sensor.
Hall-Effect Sensor
Hall-effect principles of voltage
induction
A Hall sensor output signal
Typical circuit of a Hall-effect switch.
Photoelectric (optical) sensors.

 Some early distributor ignition systems relied

on photoelectric sensors to monitor engine
position.
 They consisted of an LED, a light-sensitive

phototransistor (photo cell), and a slotted disc

called an interrupter.
 As the interrupter rotated between the LED and

the photo cell, pulsating voltage was generated

in the photo cell. This voltage was passed onto
the ignition module and was used as the basis
for all ignition timing.
Metal Detection Sensors
 DISTRIBUTOR IGNITION SYSTEM

 The primary circuit of a DI system is

controlled by a triggering device and a
switching device located inside the distributor
or external to it.
 these systems are no longer used by auto

makers, however, there are many of them still

on the road and they need service.
The location of the electronic control module (unit) (ECU) and/or the type of triggering device used:

■ DI systems with internal ignition module

■ DI systems with external and remote ignition
module
■ DI systems with the ignition modules
mounted on the distributor
 Computer-Controlled DI Systems
 ELECTRONIC IGNITION (EI)SYSTEMS

 Very few newer engines are equipped with a

distributor; rather they have electronic
ignitions.
 In the past, the term electronic ignition was

designated to those ignition systems that

used electronic controls. Today, electronic
ignitions are those that do not use a
distributor.
Advantages of a EI system over DI
 Elimination of a rotor and its subsequent resistance.
 No moving parts and therefore requires little maintenance.
 It is possible to control the ignition of individual cylinders to meet
specific needs.
 Flexibility in mounting location. This is important because of today’s
smaller engine compartments.
 Reduced radio frequency interference because there is no rotor to cap
gap.
 Elimination of a common cause of ignition misfire, the buildup of
water and ozone/nitric acid in the distributor cap.
 Elimination of mechanical timing adjustments.
 Places no mechanical load on the engine in order to operate.
 Increased available time for coil saturation.
 Increased time between firings, which allows the coil to cool more.
 
Types of EI systems
There are two types of EI systems
 waste spark ,and
 coil over-cylinder systems.

 In both cases, an ignition module, controlled

by the PCM, controls the firing order and

ignition timing.
 A crank sensor is used to trigger the ignition

system.
 Double-Ended Coil or Waste Spark
Systems
 Use one ignition coil for two spark plugs
 Both ends of the coil’s secondary side are

directly connected to a spark plug

 Two plugs are ignited at the same time;

 one is fired on the compression stroke of one

cylinder and
 the other is fired on the exhaust stroke of

another.
An EI system with a double-ended coil.
A coil pack for a double-ended or
waste spark ignition system
Polarity of spark plugs in an EI
system
Coil-per-Cylinder Ignition
 have an individual coil for each spark plug.
There are two different designs :
 the coil-over-plug (COP) and
 the separate coil.
COP systems
 Rely on a single assembly of an ignition coil
and spark plug
 the spark plug is directly attached to the coil

and there is no spark plug wire.

A coil-on-plug assembly
The separate coil system
 is often called a coil-by plug or coil-near-
plug ignition system
 have individual coils mounted near the plugs

and use a short secondary plug wire to

connect the coil to the plug.
 used when the location of the spark plug

does not allow enough room to mount

individual coils over the plugs, or when the
plugs are too close to the exhaust manifold.
Separate coil ignition system
Twin Spark Plug Systems

 some engines have two spark plug per cylinder

 One spark plug is normally located on the
intake side of the combustion chamber and the
other is at the exhaust side.
 efficient combustion and cleaner emissions are
possible.
 Two coil packs are used, one for the intake side
and the other for the exhaust side.
 These systems are called dual or twin plug
systems
A dual plug system for a four-cylinder engine