Operation CHARM: Car repair manuals for everyone.

Vehicle Specific Ignition System

The ignition system consists of the following:
^ Crankshaft Position (CKP) sensor
^ ignition coil
^ spark plug wire
^ spark plug

The ignition system is:
^ an Electronic Distributorless Ignition System (EDIS) controlled by an electronic engine control integrated into the Powertrain Control Module (PCM).
^ set at 10 degrees Before Top Dead Center (BTDC) for base timing, and it is not adjustable.

The crankshaft position sensor:
^ is a variable reluctance sensor.
^ senses a missing tooth on the crankshaft damper pulse ring.
^ generates a crankshaft position signal which is sent to the PCM. The PCM counts this signal for engine rpm.

For additional information on the CKP sensor, refer to Computers and Control Systems.

The ignition coil:
^ changes low voltage pulses from the PCM to high voltage pulses.
^ has three transformers.
^ fires two spark plugs simultaneously.

Spark plug wires carry high voltage pulses from the ignition coil to the spark plugs.

The spark plugs:
^ change high voltage pulses to spark at the gap, which ignites the fuel and air mixture.
^ have a platinum-enhanced active electrode for long life. The active electrode is different for LH and RH sides.
^ have replacements with both electrodes platinum-enhanced so they can be used on either side.