Automotive Ignition System.
The Ignition System is responsible for igniting the air with the fuel in the combustion chambers to generate power. it consists of components such as spark plug, distributor, coils, cable etc. The Ignition system receives electricity from the electric system (i.e. combine effort from the battery and alternator) and supplies it through the INDUCTION COIL which amplifies it. Then it is distributed by the DISTRIBUTOR through the SPARK PLUG CABLES to the SPARK PLUGS where combustion takes place in the cylinder.
Engine Misfiring
The Ignition System is designed to work with the engine’s timing this ensures that combustion occurs in the cylinder as at when due, otherwise it could result to a fault that is very dangerous to the engine known as MISFIRING.
For the ignition system the Timing is inbuilt, it is configured in the design of the distributor.
MISFIRING: Misfiring is the state when combustion does not take place as at when programmed or expected in the engine’s combustion cylinder. there are many causes of misfiring of which Ignition system related faults are included, if the spark plug does not spark as at when due, it causes misfiring which damages the engine, misfiring cause irregular and unwanted engine noise, excessive engine vibrations, low rpm, overheating and finally engine knock.
During misfiring the car continues running but irregular vibrations, low and unstable rpm, unwanted noise etc.
The ignition systems can present faults such as misfiring especially when some components in the system are bad, such component may include ignition coil, distributor, spark plug and spark plug cables. Spark plug can become faulty when it is covered by carbon soot or when its materials fail.
Also bad air flow system, blocked and dirty air filter can also cause misfiring since the right amount of air required for combustion might not be available.
Cranking Of The Engine
The engine is cranked by the starter motor also known as the KICK STARTER or SOLENOID which has gears that is connected to the FLYWHEEL; the starter motor is electrically powered by the battery when the key is turned to the start position enabling the gears in the starter motor to turn the flywheel which is also geared, the flywheel then turns the engine to start combustion and continuous combustion process of the engine. The flywheel is a heavy weighted component that helps to store mechanical torque which enable continuous running of the engine after every cycle of combustion.
When the kick starter is faulty the vehicle would find it difficult to crank or it may not crank at all, also if the gear meshing between the key starter and the flywheel is not correctly fixed it would also find it difficult to crank the engine. Low voltage from the car battery can also be a cause of the engine not cranking well, this is because the kick starter would not have enough voltage to produce the require torque and speed for cranking the engine.
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Working Principle of The Engine
The Engine is the power house of the vehicle, the most common form of engine is the Internal Combustion (IC) Engine.
For the Petrol powered IC engines the structure of the engine starts from the top cylinder which consists of the Camshaft, intake and exhaust valves, cam and follower, spark plug, head gasket. Then the main engine block which consists of Pistons, Connecting Rods, Crankshaft, Oil pump, Oil seals, metal and bearings, timing chains or belts that link the camshafts and the oil pump to the crankshaft.
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The camshafts controlled the opening and closing of the intake and exhaust valves with a timing controlled by the timing chain on the camshaft and the crankshaft. This process is responsible for combustion. During combustion air and fuel is push in the combustion chamber through the inlet or intake valve and the piston is pushed up by the crankshaft to combust it just as the spark plug is ignited, after this process the piston is pushed down by the impact pressure and the combust gas escapes through the exhaust valve.
The piston is packed with piston rings to allow maintain pressure within the cylinder and oil rings to prevent oil from entering the combustion chamber from the bottom plate. When the Piston rings or cylinder are worn out then it will result in incomplete combustion and misfiring which is dangerous to the engine. Also if the timing of the engine is not properly set it would lead to misfiring also.
Any Misalignment or Fracture in any of the components in the engine can lead to excessive vibrations, misfiring, damaging of other components and knocking of the engine. Get your Automotive parts replacements.
