Chapter 27

Ignition System
Diagnosis and Service

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Ignition System Service Precautions

• Always turn the ignition switch off before

disconnecting any system wiring
• Do not touch any exposed connections
while the engine is running or
cranking

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 Misfire
s
• Something that
prevents complete
combustion

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 Misfires (Cont.)
• Can cause lack of power, poor fuel mileage,
excessive emissions, and rough running
• Ignition misfires can be caused by weak spark,
fouled plug, faulty coil, primary or secondary
faults, or incorrect plug gap

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 Abnormal Combustion -
Detonation
• Excessively advanced ignition timing
• Engine overheating
• Excessively lean mixtures
• Gasoline with too low octane rating

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Detonation

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 Preignition

• Can cause pinging or spark knock

• Any hot spot within the combustion
chamber can cause preignition
• Common causes include incandescent
carbon deposits, faulty cooling system, too
hot of a spark plug, poor lubrication, and
cross firing

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Preignition

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 Types of Ignition
System Problems
• Common
– Problems affect all cylinders
– Components include parts of the primary circuit and
secondary circuit up to the distributor rotor
• Uncommon
– Problems affect one or more but not all cylinders
– Components include plug wires and plugs

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 Visual Inspection
• No-start conditions mostly caused by primary
circuit faults
• Common symptoms of ignition problems
include:
– Hard starting
– Rough idle
– Engine stalling

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Visual Inspection

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 Common Symptoms (Cont.)
• Hesitation
• Stumble
• Poor acceleration
• Surge
• Bucking
• Knocking
• Backfire

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 Scan Tools
• Check MIL, DTCs, and freeze frame data.
• Look for TSBs
• If no DTCs, look at serial data
• Check monitor status
• Monitor input data
• If no problems are present in on-board
system, proceed with symptom diagnosis

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Mode 6 Data

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 Primary Circuit
• Inspect wiring and connections
• Perform wiggle test
• Examine ignition switch
• Check charging system and battery
• Inspect for moisture affecting wiring

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 Ground Circuits
• Misplaced or
unconnected ground
straps can force an
alternate path to
ground
• Voltage drop test
ignition module ground
• Poor sensor grounds
can cause the same
symptoms as a faulty
sensor
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 Electromagnetic Interference
• EMI can cause on-board computer problems
• Can alter signals
• Route sensor wiring away from EMI sources
• Ignition coil, plug wires, and AC generator
can produce EMI

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 Sensors
• Inspect magnetic pulse
generators and Hall-
effect sensors and
wiring
• The non-magnetic
reluctor can become
magnetized and affect
pulse generator
signal

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 Control Modules
• Use transistors as switches
• Modules can be mounted in distributor,
remotely, or as part of PCM
• Check for clean and tight mounting
• May require heat-conductive silicone grease
on mounting surface

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 Secondary Circuit
• Inspect plug wires and
boots for damage
• Ensure correct wire
routing
• Check coil(s) for
cracks
• Inspect cap and
rotor
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 No-Start Diagnosis
• Visual inspection:
– Check for loose or corroded connections
– Look for signs of moisture
• Check DTCs
• Check fuel system operation
• Check engine mechanical condition

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 Basic No-Start Diagnosis
• Test spark at spark plug
– If no spark, test at coil output terminal
• Check for voltage at coil negative terminal
• Crank engine and check for coil pulse
– If no pulse, problem is with control module or
pickup

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Checking Coil Pulse

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 No-Start Diagnosis of EI System
• Determine whether
problem is ignition
related by using a spark
tester
• Check for voltage at
each coil’s primary
circuit
• Check crankshaft sensor
output with a
voltmeter or
oscilloscope
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 Knowledge Check
• Technician A says a faulty ignition module can
cause a no-start condition. Technician B says a
faulty coil can cause a no-start condition. Who
is correct?

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 Diagnosis with an
Engine Analyzer
• Cylinder performance test
• Battery, starting, and charging test
• Emission level analysis
• Engine computer system diagnosis
• Ignition performance test

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 Cylinder Performance Test
• Also called a power balance or contribution
test
• Each cylinder is tested
• Spark or fuel is stopped and the RPM drop is
recorded
• A weak cylinder will have little RPM drop

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Power Balance Testing

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 Ignition Performance Tests
• Most analyzers include primary and secondary
tests:
– Kilovolt (KV) tests
– Acceleration (snap) tests
– Cylinder burn time
– Display patterns

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 Scope Patterns
• Oscilloscopes connect to:
– Primary circuit at coil
negative terminal
– Ground
– Secondary lead pick-
up
– Number one cylinder

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Understanding Single
Cylinder Patterns

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 Ignition Pattern Components
• Firing Line
– Represents the voltage needed to overcome the resistance
in the secondary circuit
• Spark Line
– Represents the time the spark lasts
• Intermediate or Coil Section
– Shows the remaining coil oscillations
• Dwell Section
– Shows the length of time current is flowing through the
primary circuit

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Typical Secondary Pattern

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 Pattern Display Modes
• Display Pattern
– All cylinders from left to right
• Raster Pattern
– Stacks waveforms above each other
• Superimposed Pattern
– Places all waveforms on top of each other

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 Spark Plug Firing Voltage
• Firing line is affected by anything that adds
resistance to the secondary circuit
– Plugs, plug wires, engine temp, fuel mixture, and
compression pressures
• Normal height between 7 – 13 kV with no
more than 3 kV variation
• Snap throttle test should increase 3 – 4
kV

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Firing Line Examples

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 Spark Duration
• The amount of time the plug is firing
• Most engines have spark duration of about
1.5 ms
• Short duration cannot provide complete
combustion
• A long spark line and short firing line may
indicate a fouled plug, low compression, or
narrow plug gap

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Spark Duration

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Spark Plug Patterns Video

Click on image above to play video

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 Coil Condition
• The coil section shows voltage reserve
• Look at height of oscillations
• Should uniformly decrease to zero value
• Abnormal oscillations may indicate a short in
the coil

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 Primary Circuit Checks
• Firing section should
show sharp
oscillations
• Coil section should
smoothly dissipate to
zero
• Transistor on/off
should be sharp

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 Stress Testing Components
• Cold Testing
– Cool components and watch patterns for
malfunctions
• Heat Testing
– Carefully heat with heat gun or hair
dryer
• Moisture Testing
– Lightly wet coil and plug wires

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Spark Output Testing

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 Testing with a Scan Tool
• Many vehicles have
onboard power balance
testing
• May be automated test
or allow individual
cylinders to be disabled

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 Diagnosing with a DSO or GMM
• Many have 2 – 4 channels for signal
comparison
• May show DC volts, low amps, ignition
secondary voltages, vacuum, and pressure
• Screens can be frozen, saved, and printed
• Can be connected and vehicle road tested

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Using a DSO

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 Knowledge Check
• Which is most likely to cause a spark plug
firing line to be significantly higher than the
other cylinders of the same engine?
A. Narrow spark plug gap
B. Open plug wire
C. Leaky fuel injector
D. Incorrect ignition timing

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 Ignition Timing
• Controlled by the primary circuit
• Incorrect timing:
– Incomplete combustion and excessive oxygen in
the exhaust
– Affect vacuum readings
– Advanced timing can cause pinging or knock

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 Checking Ignition Timing
• Follow the manufacturer’s procedures
• Make sure the spark plug gap and idle speed
are correct before checking timing
• The engine must be at operating
temperature

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 Ignition Switch
• Supplies power
to the ignition
system
• Usually power is
supplied to the
ignition module
and coil

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Coil Resistance

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 Crank/Cam Sensors
• Sensor air gap will affect system operation
• Measure with a non-magnetic feeler gauge
• Can be checked with DMM or scope

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 Pick-Up Coils
• Can be checked with
DMM or scope
• Produces an AC
voltage

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Pickup Coil Waveform

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 Hall-Effect Sensors
• May be tested by connecting 12 volts across
positive and negative connection and a DMM
across negative and signal wires
• Insert a steel feeler gauge between sensor and
magnet and watch DMM voltage
• A logic probe can be used to check output

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 Knock Sensors
• Watch ignition timing on scan tool and tap
engine block with a hammer
• If knock is detected, timing will retard
• Check sensor electrical connectors and
wiring

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 Control Module
• Can be tested with a module tester
• Simulates operating conditions
• Usually very reliable
• May have to test indirectly – check module
power and ground circuits, verify sensor input
signals are present at module

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 Distributor Service
• May need to be removed before service
• Inspect all wiring and connections
• Test advance mechanisms
• Check gear for wear or chipped teeth
• Inspect reluctor for damage

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 Installing and
Timing the Distributor
• Lubricate O-ring
• Position rotor to align with marking
• Lower and fully seat distributor
• Install hold-down, cap, and wires

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 Distributor Cap
and Rotor Service
• Arcing between cap and
rotor terminals deteriorates
terminals
• Replace both cap and rotor
together
• Make sure both are fully
seated
• Arrange plug wires properly
on cap
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 DIS Systems
• A problem on one cylinder may affect its
companion cylinder
• Separate primary circuit for each coil
• Test each coil’s primary and secondary
wiring
• Proper plug torque can affect ground
circuit

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 Coil-On-Plug Systems
• Individual coil problems
affect only one cylinder
• Coils can be tested with
ohmmeter
• Cylinder misfire codes
can result from injector,
plug, coil, or engine
mechanical problems

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 Spark Plugs
• Carefully twist plug
boot and pull wire
from spark plug

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 Spark Plugs (Cont.)
• Use compressed air to
blow any debris from
the base of the plugs

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 Spark Plugs (Cont.)
• Remove the plug and inspect threads and
cylinder head for damage
• Never remove plugs from a hot engine

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 Inspecting Spark Plugs
• Note deposits and degree of electrode wear
• Normal color is grey or tan
• Gap should increase no more than 0.001” for
every 10,000 miles of service
• Reading spark plugs can reveal a variety of
engine conditions

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© 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied,
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 Common Types
of Plug Problems
• Cold fouling • Glazing
• Wet fouling • Overheating
• Splash fouling • Turbulence burning
• Gap bridging • Pre-ignition damage

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Worn Spark Plug

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Cold- or Carbon-Fouled

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Wet- or Oil-Fouling

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Splash-Fouling

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Gap Bridging

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Overheating

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Preignition Damage

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 Regapping Spark Plugs
• The gap of both new
and used plugs should
be checked
• Do not reduce gap by
tapping plug, use
needle-nose pliers or
gapping tool
• Keep ground electrode
in line with positive

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 Spark Plug Installation
• Wipe dirt from plug seats
• Verify plugs are correct replacements
• Adjust the gap as needed
• Check whether anti-seize should be used
• Install and hand tighten
• Torque to specifications

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 Secondary Ignition Wires
• Inspect for cracks and worn insulation
• Check boots for cracks and hard, brittle
conditions
• Check resistance with an ohmmeter
• Replace as a set
• Properly route to avoid cross-firing

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Plug Wire Routing and Looms

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 Knowledge Check
• Why is it important to follow the
manufacturer’s service procedures when
replacing spark plugs?

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