1、Ignition SystemThe 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 t
2、hat 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 mu
3、st 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
4、specific order, at exactly the right time.The ignition system has two tasks to perform. First, it must create a voltage high enough (20,000+) to 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 th
5、at the spark so it occurs at the exact right time and send it to the correct cylinder.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
6、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
7、 the correct spark plug at the right time.The BasicsBefore we begin this discussion, lets talk a bit about electricity in general. I know that this is basic stuff, but there was a time that you didnt know about this and there are people who need to know the basics so that they could make sense of wh
8、at follows.All automobiles work on DC (Direct Current). This means that current move in one direction, form the positive battery terminal to the negative battery terminal. In the case of the automobile, the negative battery terminal is connected by a heavy cable directly to the body and the engine b
9、lock of the vehicle. The body and any metal component in contact with it is called the ground. This means that a circuit that needs to send current back to the negative side of the battery can be connected to any part of the vehicles metal body or the metal engine block.A good example to see how thi
10、s works is the headlight circuit. The headlight circuit consists of a wire that goes from the positive battery terminal to the headlight switch. Another wire goes from the headlight switch to one of two terminals on the headlight bulb. Finally, a third wire goes from a second terminal on the bulb to
11、 the metal body of car. When you switch the headlight on, you are connecting the wire from the battery with the wire to the headlamps allowing battery current to go directly to the headlamp bulbs. Electricity passes through the filaments inside the bulb, then out the other wire to the metal body. Fr
12、om there, the current goes back to the negative terminal of the battery completing the circuit. Once the current is flowing through this circuit, the filament inside the headlamp gets hot and glows brightly. Let there be light.Now, back to the ignition system, the basic principle of the electrical s
13、park 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 distribute.Currently, there are three distinct types of ignition system. The mechanical ignition system was used prior to 1975. It was mechanical and electrical and used
14、 no electronics. By understanding these early system, it will be easier to understand the new electronic and computer controlled ignition system, so dont skip over it. The electronic ignition system started finding its way to production vehicles during the early 70s and became popular when better co
15、ntrol 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 re
16、quired no maintenance except replacing the spark plugs at intervals from 60,000 to over 100,000 miles.Lets take a detailed look at each system and see how they work.The Mechanical Ignition SystemThe distributor is the nerve center of the mechanical ignition system and has two tasks to perform. First
17、, it is responsible for triggering 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 cal
18、led a distributor).The circuit that powers the ignition system is simple and straight forward. 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 t
19、he 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 c
20、urrent 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 p
21、oint 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 cylinder 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 ev
22、ery 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 sur
23、ge goes out the top of the coil and through the high-tension coil wire.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 distributor cap. Under the cap is a rotor that is mounted on top of
24、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
25、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 tip of the spark plug, creating a spark s
26、uitable 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 didnt talk about the condenser that is conne
27、cted to the point, nor did we talk about the system to advance the timing. Lets take a look at each section and explore it in more detail.The Ignition SwitchThere 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 vol
28、tage 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
29、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.On some vehicles, the primary resistor is mounted on the
30、 firewall and is easy to replace if it fails. On other vehicles, most notably vehicles manufactured by GM, the primary resister is a special resister wire and is bundled in the wiring harness with other wires, making it more difficult to replace, but also more durable.The DistributorWhen you remove
31、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 we
32、re not there, it would try to jump across the gap of the point 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 co
33、ndenser 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 orde
34、r 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 he point gap. There are two ways that the points can be measured to see if they need an adjustment. One way is b
35、y 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
36、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 poi
37、nts 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 have to be replaced. This is done during a routine major tune up, points, condenser, and the spark
38、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 point and reset the timing.Ignition CoilThe ignition coil is nothing more that an electrical transfor
39、mer. It contains both primary and secondary winding circuit. 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 tha
40、t 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.
41、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 ig
42、nition system. As current flows through the coil a strong magnetic field is build 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 plu
43、gs through the distributor.Ignition TimingThe 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 point are mounted on) will change the relatio
44、nship between the position 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 i
45、s 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.Ignition WiresThese cables are designed to handle 20,000 to more than 5
46、0,000 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
47、 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
48、 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
49、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.Spark plug wires go from the distributor cap to the spark plugs in a very specific order. This is called the “firing order” and is part of the engine design. Each spark plug must only fire at the end of the compression stroke. Eac
陕公网安备 61072602000132号 违法和不良信息举报：0916-4228922