Most Important Things to Know About Basic Ignition on Autos

The first step we take when starting our vehicle, is to place the key in the ignition and turn. You vehicle's ignition system is responsible for igniting the fuel-air mixture to start engine combustion. This article will outline some important things to know about a basic ignition.

Basic Ignition

Today's engines have an ignition system consisting of an ignition coil, spark plugs and a distributor. This whole system is powered by a vehicle's battery.

When they key is turned, the ignition coil is activated by the battery. The ignition's cam starts to rotate and creates voltage. When enough energy is accumulated a breaker is opened and the voltage is transferred to the spark plugs. The spark plugs then spark the fuel-air mixture to begin combustion.

There are two different types of ignition systems used on vehicles today. The superior of the two is the electronic ignition system which uses a light sensor to release the voltage to the spark plugs. Electronic ignitions last longer because there are less mechanical parts to fail. Mechanically timed systems use several breaker points to release voltage. More mechanical parts can mean a higher chance of failure.