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    Ignition Timing

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    leitord
    Ignition timing refers to the point during the piston's compression stroke at which ignition occurs in relation to the piston reaching top dead center. In modern gasoline engines, ignition typically occurs 8-10 degrees before top dead center when the engine is idling. As engine speed increases, ignition must occur farther before top dead center to allow enough time for combustion. Ignition timing also varies based on intake manifold pressure, being advanced for low pressure conditions to maintain performance and fuel economy. Electronic control systems now precisely control ignition timing under all operating conditions.

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    Ignition Timing

    Uploaded by

    leitord
    97 views2 pages
    Ignition timing refers to the point during the piston's compression stroke at which ignition occurs in relation to the piston reaching top dead center. In modern gasoline engines, ignition typically occurs 8-10 degrees before top dead center when the engine is idling. As engine speed increases, ignition must occur farther before top dead center to allow enough time for combustion. Ignition timing also varies based on intake manifold pressure, being advanced for low pressure conditions to maintain performance and fuel economy. Electronic control systems now precisely control ignition timing under all operating conditions.

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    Ignition timing refers to the point during the piston's compression stroke at which ignition occurs in relation to the piston reaching top dead center. In modern gasoline engines, ignition typically occurs 8-10 degrees before top dead center when the engine is idling. As engine speed increases, ignition must occur farther before top dead center to allow enough time for combustion. Ignition timing also varies based on intake manifold pressure, being advanced for low pressure conditions to maintain performance and fuel economy. Electronic control systems now precisely control ignition timing under all operating conditions.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    97 views2 pages

    Ignition Timing

    Uploaded by

    leitord
    Ignition timing refers to the point during the piston's compression stroke at which ignition occurs in relation to the piston reaching top dead center. In modern gasoline engines, ignition typically occurs 8-10 degrees before top dead center when the engine is idling. As engine speed increases, ignition must occur farther before top dead center to allow enough time for combustion. Ignition timing also varies based on intake manifold pressure, being advanced for low pressure conditions to maintain performance and fuel economy. Electronic control systems now precisely control ignition timing under all operating conditions.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    IGNITION TIMING

    The point at which ignition

    occurs, in relation to

    the top dead center of

    the pistons compression

    stroke, is known as ignition

    timing.

    Ignition occurs some time before top dead center (BTDC) during the

    compression stroke of the piston. This time is measured in degrees of

    crankshaft rotation BTDC. For a modern SI engine, this timing is typically 8

    to 10 degrees for the basic mechanical setting with the engine running at low

    speed (low rpm). This basic timing is set by the design of the mechanical

    coupling between the crankshaft and the distributor. The basic timing may be

    adjusted slightly in many older cars by physically rotating the distributor

    housing.

    As the engine speed increases, the angle through which the crankshaft

    rotates in the time required to burn the fuel and air mixture increases. For

    this reason, the spark must occur at a larger angle BTDC for higher engine

    speeds. This change in ignition timing is called spark advance. That is, spark

    advance should increase with increasing engine rpm. In a conventional

    ignition system, the mechanism for this is called a centrifugal spark advance. It

    is shown in Figure 1.10. As engine speed increases, the distributor shaft

    rotates faster, and the weights are thrown outward by centrifugal force. The

    weights operate through a mechanical lever, so their movement causes a

    change in the relative angular position between the rubbing block on the

    breaker points and the distributor cam, and advances the time when the lobe

    opens the points.

    In addition to speed-dependent spark advance, the ignition timing

    needs to be adjusted as a function of intake manifold pressure. Whenever the

    throttle is nearly closed, the manifold pressure is low (i.e., nearly a vacuum).

    The combustion time for the airfuel mixture is longer for low manifold
    pressure conditions than for high manifold pressure conditions (i.e., near

    atmospheric pressure). As a result, the spark timing must be advanced for low

    pressure conditions to maintain maximum power and fuel economy. The

    mechanism to do this is a vacuum-operated spark advance, also shown in

    Figure 1.10. The vacuum advance mechanism has a flexible diaphragm

    connected through a rod to the plate on which the breaker points are

    mounted. One side of the diaphragm is open to atmospheric pressure; the

    other side is connected through a hose to manifold vacuum. As manifold

    vacuum increases, the diaphragm is deflected (atmospheric pressure pushes it)

    and moves the breaker point plate to advance the timing. Ignition timing

    significantly affects engine performance and exhaust emissions; therefore, it is

    one of the major factors that is electronically controlled in the modern SI

    engine.

    The performance of the ignition system and the spark advance

    mechanism has been greatly improved by electronic control systems. Because

    ignition timing is critical to engine performance, controlling it precisely

    through all operating conditions has become a major application of digital

    electronics, as explained in Chapter 7.

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