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 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 ...

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 ...

The ignition system is a glutton for punishment. As the miles rack up, the distributor wears out, the coil gets abused, and the spark plug wires melt. The steadfast ignition system only gets attention ...

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 ...

"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 ...

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 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 ...

Older vehicles with distributor-type ignition systems use ignition (or spark plug) wires to send electrical current from the distributor to individual spark plugs, with the timing based on their ...

When you’re trying to learn about older cars, you might as well be signing up for the debate club. Every question, especially when it comes to breaker points, electronic, and multiple spark discharge ...

Just like spark plugs, ignition coils can wear down and become faulty over time. There are many common signs that an ignition coil is getting bad, but one obvious sign is an engine misfire, typically ...

Ignition coils sit at the center of every gasoline engine’s spark, yet they usually stay invisible until something goes wrong. When a coil starts to fail, the symptoms can look like fuel problems, ...