Electronic Ignition (EI) System Description: Notes

The electronic ignition (EI) system produces and controls a high energy secondary spark. This spark is used to ignite the compressed air/fuel mixture at precisely the correct time. This provides optimal performance, fuel economy, and control of exhaust emissions. This ignition system uses one coil for each pair of cylinders. Each pair of cylinders that are at top dead center (TDC) at the same time are known as companion cylinders. The cylinder that is at TDC of its compression stroke is called the event cylinder.

The cylinder that is at TDC of its exhaust stroke is called the waste cylinder. When the ignition coil is triggered, both companion cylinder spark plugs fire at the same time, completing a series circuit. Because the lower pressure inside the waste cylinder offers very little resistance, the event cylinder uses most of the available voltage to produce a very high energy spark. This is known as waste spark ignition. The ignition coils and ignition control module (ICM) are contained within one assembly. The ignition coil/ICM assembly is mounted in the center of the engine camshaft cover, with short boots connecting the ignition coils to the spark plugs. The ignition coil driver modules within the ICM are commanded ON/OFF by the powertrain control module (PCM). The EI system consists of the following components: