A DISTRIBUTOR-BASED ELECTRONIC IGNITION SYSTEM’S

BREAKER-POINT IGNITION
SYSTEM’S WIRING

1. What does the  An ignition coil consists of

ignition system’s two coils of wire wrapped
do? around an iron core,
known as the primary
winding, or primary coil,
and the secondary
winding, or secondary
coil.

2. How it work?  The primary circuit  Electronic systems have

consists of the primary two ignition coils and
coil, the “breaker point” accordingly two circuits,
and the car’s batteries. a primary circuit and a
 It operates only on the secondary circuit. The
battery’s low current and part of the primary
is controlled by the circuit from the battery
breaker points and the to the battery terminal at
ignition switch. the primary coil stays
 The secondary circuit unchanged, as well as
consists of the secondary the entire secondary
windings in the coil, the circuit.
high tension lead coil  The primary circuit
wire on external coil carries low voltage. This
distributors, the spark circuit operates only on
plugs, the spark plug battery current and is
leads, the distributor controlled by the breaker
rotor and the distributor points and the ignition
cap. switch. When the
ignition key is turned on,
a low voltage current
from the battery flows
through the primary
windings of the ignition
coil, through the breaker
points and back to the
battery. This current flow
causes a magnetic field
to form around the coil.

 The secondary circuit

consists of the secondary
 windings in the coil, the
high tension lead
between the distributor
and the coil (commonly
called the coil wire) on
external coil distributors,
the distributor cap, the
distributor rotor, the
spark plug leads and the
spark plugs.

 As the engine rotates,

the distributor shaft cam
turns until the high point
on the cam causes the
breaker points to
separate suddenly.
Instantaneously, when
the points open
(separate) current flow
stops through the
primary windings of the
ignition coil. This causes
the magnetic field to
collapse around the coil.
The condenser absorbs
the energy and prevents
arcing between the
points each time they
open. This condenser
also aids in the rapid
collapse of the magnetic
field.
3. Mechanical moving
part.

4. Advantages  Easy maintenance: The  Less likely to break

mechanical nature of down: The breaker
these ignition systems, as points and condenser are
well as the fact that these removed, thus electronic
systems have been systems have fewer
around the longest, mechanical moving parts,
render them relatively thus are less likely to
easy to diagnose and break down.
repair.
 Reliable: Unlike breaker-
point ignition systems,
electronic systems can
 generate consistent, high
voltage spark throughout
the life of the engine,
meaning fewer engine
misfires and reasonable
emissions.
5. Disadvantages  Likely to breakdown:  Maintenance: Still, the
However, they consist of distributor remains,
a large number of which is subject to wear
mechanically moving and tear and will require
parts, thus also increasing replacement, adding to
the potential for wear repair costs.
and tear, malfunction and
breakdowns.  Timing: Spark timing is
exactly precise, resulting
 Affect engine in sluggish acceleration
performance: Such likely and poor fuel economy.
deterioration of these
types of ignition system
can decrease the
maximum spark energy
over time, causing
frequent engine
problems such as misfires
and increased emissions.
6. Maintenance