![]() Your Ignition ‘Inner Child’Īs you progress in your diagnostic career, you can lose your curious inner child when it comes to solving ignition problems. While the need to adjust for worn parts was no longer part of the problem, electronic parts are susceptible to environmental conditions and system problems like high resistance in a connector. The mechanical nature of this switch requires adjustment as the parts wear.Īs magnetic pick-up sensors replaced points, it is a transistorized or solid-state switch that rapidly turns power on or off to energize the primary side of the coil. In the days of points, the switch for the primary coils were lobes on the distributor’s shaft. How power is turned off and on to the primary side of the coil is often where the problem can be for a “no- spark” scenario. ![]() Since the 1900s, a coil uses low-voltage/high-current electricity to saturate the primary windings, where it is transformed into high-voltage/low-current power to jump the electrodes of the spark plug. The first thing a technician needs to grasp is a coil’s control and output. The reason why so many techs never confirm a “no spark” diagnosis before ordering parts is because of a lack of information and understanding of the ignition system. A no- spark condition could be the result of communication errors or missing data from a dead module. The “no spark” phrase is even vaguer these days when you encounter vehicles that have multiple modules that power, control and secure the ignition system. But, “no spark” diagnostics changed in the early 1970s as magnetic pick-ups replaced points and fuel injection synchronized with the ignition system to reduce emissions. A replacement distributor might raise some eyebrows. A technician could install plug, wires and points without flinching or additional authorized funds. In the past, a “no spark” problem was easy to solve with the parts shotgun. But, “no spark” is not a diagnostic or repair path. Take the phrase, “no spark.” It typically means the engine is not starting because a spark can’t be “seen” or “felt” between the electrodes.
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