General Information

The ignition system consists of the:
^ Crankshaft Position (CKP) sensor
^ ignition coil
^ spark plug wire
^ spark plug

The ignition system:
^ is an Electronic Ignition (EI) system controlled by an electronic engine control integrated into the Powertrain Control Module (PCM).
^ base timing is set at 10 degrees Before Top Dead Center (BTDC) and is not adjustable.

The crankshaft position sensor:
^ is a variable reluctance sensor.
^ senses a missing tooth on crankshaft damper pulse ring.
^ generates a crankshaft position signal which is sent to the PCM. The PCM counts the signal for engine rpm.
^ For additional information on the CKP sensor, refer to Computers and Control Systems.

The ignition coil:
^ changes low voltage pulses from the powertrain control module to high voltage pulses.
^ has three transformers.

The spark plug wires carry high voltage pulses from the ignition coil to the spark plugs.

The spark plugs:
^ change high voltage pulses into spark at the gap, which ignites the fuel and air mixture.
^ have a platinum-enhanced active electrode for long life. The active electrode is different for LH and RH sides.
^ have replacements (with both electrodes platinum-enhanced) so they can be used on either side.