Ignition Coils and Coil Packs - an Overview

Ignition coils are a crucial component of every automobile engine, providing a reliable ignition and the efficient, smooth operation of the engine. A lot has changed since the 1990's when it comes to ignition coils, but they basically perform the task for the most part.

Following is an overview of ignition coils and coil packs.

Electronic Ignition

Since the 1980's, automobile manufacturers have been routinely using electronic ignitions. Basically, what "electronic ignition" meant was that there was a computer of sorts that told the ignition coils when to fire, influenced by sensor inputs, providing better engine control and fewer emissions. At approximately the same time, the waste spark ignition system and ignition coil packs were introduced.

Waste Spark Ignition Coils

The waste spark ignition system is used in various 4 stroke cycle internal combustion engines. With the waste spark system, the spark plugs fire in pairs, despite the fact that one is on the exhaust stroke - the other on the compression stroke. Advantages of waste spark ignitions include the fact that the engine (V6+) will typically start if one of the coils fail, each coil does less work than a distributor system and its electronically controlled ignition timing.

Ignition Coil Packs

These are a collection of ignition coils that are connected together physically, while still providing one ignition coil per cylinder. Ignition coil packs are controlled by a computer, which means that points, condensers and distributors are not required. The great thing about ignition coil packs is that they deliver a powerful spark to each cylinder when the computer requires it. The only real downside is that if one of the coils fails, the entire coil pack will need to be replaced.

Distributor Ignition Coils

These ignition coils (2 wire) were used between the late 1920s and the 1980s. Inside of the distributor ignition coils there is a set of primary and secondary coil windings which are both twisted around iron. When power is provided to the primary winding, a magnetic field is generated within the coil. If power is briefly cut off, the magnetic field collapses, producing a high voltage spike out of the secondary coil winding that is utilized to fire the spark plugs. Using this type of system, one ignition coil is generating every spark for each spark plug. High RPM's can be hard on this ignition coil setup.

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