Ignition System Overview

The electronic ignition system controls fuel combustion by providing a spark in order to ignite the compressed air/fuel mixture at the correct time. In order to provide optimum engine performance, fuel economy, and control of exhaust emissions, the PCM controls the spark advance of the ignition system. The electronic ignition system has the following advantages over a mechanical distributor system:
^ No moving parts
^ Less maintenance
^ Remote mounting capability
^ No mechanical load on the engine
^ More coil cool down time between firing events
^ Elimination of mechanical timing adjustments
^ Increased available ignition coil saturation time

The electronic ignition system does not use the conventional distributor and coil. The ignition system consists of the following components/circuits:
^ Eight ignition coils/modules
^ Eight Ignition Control (IC) circuits
^ The Camshaft Position (CMP) sensor
^ The 1X camshaft reluctor wheel
^ The Crankshaft Position (CKP) sensor
^ The 24X crankshaft reluctor wheel
^ The related connecting wires
^ The Powertrain Control Module (PCM)