Distributor: Description and Operation

The universal distributor has a Hall effect vane switch assembly to allow the ignition coil to be switched ON and OFF by the Powertrain Control Module (PCM) and Ignition Control Module (ICM).

Vane Switch:

The vane switch (stator) is an encapsulated package consisting of a Hall effect device on one side and a permanent magnet on the other side.

Rotary Vane Cup:

The distributor armature is made of ferrous metal and is used to trigger the signal OFF and ON.

Figure 7 - Magnetic Flux Field:

When the window of the distributor armature is between the magnet and the Hall effect device, a magnetic flux field is completed from the magnet through the Hall effect device and back to the magnet.





As the vane passes through this opening, the flux lines are shunted through the vane and back to the magnet. During this time, a voltage is produced as the vane passes through the opening. When the vane clears the opening, the window edge causes the signal to go to zero volts. This signal is used by the PCM for crankshaft position sensing and the computation of the desired spark advance based on engine demand and calibration. The conditioned spark advance and voltage distribution is done with a conventional distributor rotor, distributor cap, and spark plug wire set.