The ignition system’s job is to ignite the air-fuel mixture in a gasoline engine. In addition to the spark plugs that spark in the combustion chambers, the ignition system consists of an ignition coil ...

An ignition coil takes voltage from the battery and multiplies it to create a spark at the spark plugs, which in turn ignites the engine. Cars have been using some form of the coil ignition system for ...

Editor's Note: Way back in March of 1998, GMHTP ran "Opti-Spark" by Ray Bohacz, an engineering-level dissection of GM's Opti-Spark distributor. This evolutionary ignition component was a bridge ...

Back in the day, point-triggered ignition system tune-ups were routine and happened roughly every 12,000 miles, along with a set of spark plugs and an ignition timing adjustment. These days, we’re so ...

The spark plug was a key invention in the history of the internal combustion engine, allowing combustion to be easily controlled and engines to rev faster than messy earlier designs. Mid-century cars ...

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links. Is your car misfiring, having trouble starting, or idling rough? Are you wondering if the problem is one of your coil packs? If you're like ...

Every gasoline engine is basically a series of controlled explosions, and the coil pack is the component that lights the fuse. Your car's battery puts out a measly 12 volts, which is great for your ...

"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 ...

Drag racers are constantly searching for ways to either go faster down the quarter-mile or to make those quarter-mile blasts become more consistent. There are plenty of ways to make more horsepower ...

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 ...