Technician Safety Information
CAUTIONS WHEN REPAIRING ELECTRONIC IGNITION SYSTEMSModern engines requiring more from ignition Systems and the objective of limited (or no) maintenance have led to the application ot electronic ignition systems in standard production some time ago. Normally the ignition output of an electronic system will be higher than that of a conventional system, whereby even greater ignition output is feasible. Consequently electronic ignition systems are in an output range, where touching current carrying parts or terminals on both primary and secondary sides could be dangerous.
In conjunction with this matter we must point out to you that there must be conformance with pertinent legislation of your country when repairing and testing ignition systems.
Always turn off the ignition or disconnect the battery when working on the ignition system. Such jobs include the following.
- Connecting engine testing equipment (timing light, dwell angle/speed tester, ignition oscilloscope, etc.).
- Replacement of ignition system parts (spark plugs, ignition coils, distributor, ignition cables, etc.).
If testing the ignition system or making engine adjustments requires turning on the ignition, the mentioned dangerous voltage will be in the entire system
Thus the danger is not only present at the individual parts of the ignition system (for example, distributor, ignition coil, control unit, ignition cables, etc.), but even on the wire harness (as for example, tachometer connection, diagnosis plug), plug connections and any testing equipment connected.