It seems like such a small thing—that tiny area approximately 0.040 of an inch wide inside each combustion chamber. That area we're talking about is the gap between the electrode and strap on each ...

If you have a classic, vintage, or otherwise old car, you've probably heard of the distributor that it features. It's part of the ignition system that transfers current from the battery to the ...

If there is a standard in the world for a stand-alone electronic ignition distributor for GM engines, it has to be the High Energy Ignition or HEI distributor. This large cap distributor first ...

An average car dies many deaths, but with the right owner, it can always live to drive another day. When something fails, a DIY diagnosis and fix can save money and eliminate the inconveniences of ...

The demands for better emissions and fuel economy in the mid 1970s necessitated leaner fuel mixtures. These leaner mixtures required greater voltage and more spark to ignite. This challenge led GM ...

"It's not a heap, dad. It's a classic." That's harder to justify when your classic muscle car won't start. Nothing like a high-compression V8 combined with a battery that hasn't seen a charge for a ...

Heat initiates the internal combustion process. Diesel engines utilize the temperature buildup from extremely high compression (pressure) to ignite the air/fuel mixture, with a little help from glow ...

Q. I've noticed my new car doesn't have a distributor or spark plug wires, unlike every other car or truck I've ever owned. Can you explain how this works? A. This is one of the neatest automotive ...

The ignition (or distributor) cap is where ignition wires that run to the spark plugs receive high-voltage current from the ignition coil. Metal contacts in the cap connect with contacts in the ...

An ignition coil is a vital component of a vehicle's ignition system. It is responsible for converting the low voltage from the battery into the high voltage needed to produce sparks at the spark ...

The ignition control module is a crucial component of a vehicle's ignition system. It is a control unit responsible for regulating the ignition timing and generating sparks to ignite the fuel-air ...

The ignition system’s job is to ignite the air-fuel mixture in a gasoline engine. In addition to the spark plugs that spark in the combustion chambers, the ignition system consists of an ignition coil ...