Electronic Ignition System Description: Notes

WARNING: This page is about a different car, the 2016 GMC Acadia, 2016 Chevrolet Traverse, and 2016 Buick Enclave. However, it is still accessible from the selected car via links, so may be relevant.

The electronic ignition 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 an individual coil for each cylinder. The ignition coils are mounted in the center of each camshaft cover with short integrated boots connecting the coils to the spark plugs. The driver modules within each ignition coil are commanded ON/OFF by the Engine Control Module (ECM). The ECM primarily uses engine speed, the mass air flow (MAF) sensor signal, and position information from the crankshaft position and the camshaft position sensors. This controls the sequence, dwell, and timing of the spark. The electronic ignition system consists of the following components: