February 07, 2015
What is Ignition Timing and Cam Timing
What is Ignition Timing and Cam Timing? Ignition timing is tough to understand,
but easy to adjust and set. Just for your edification, I'll go into the what's
what on timing on this page, but if you have zero interest in all of the
complexities of ignition timing, why it's important to how well your engine is
running, and why it can be disastrous if it's off, you should skip all of the
tech talk and simply get out your manual to make the adjustments Autel
maxidas DS708. What is Ignition Timing? Your engine is a complex symphony of
rapidly moving parts -- pistons, rods, valves, pulleys, camshafts, a crankshaft
-- all of these heavy, strong pieces are moving with great velocity inside your
engine. Your piston moves up and down, the valves move in and out, the
connecting rods push and pull, and the crankshaft spins wildly at the center of
it all. This symphony plays itself out thousands of times every minute as you
drive down the street. There are two kinds of timing that take a seat at every
engine event. The first is called cam timing, the second is ignition timing. Cam
timing has more to do with all of the heavy stuff moving fast inside your
engine. Remember the valves and pistons? Both of these are moving, and the
piston is moving with the explosive oomph provided by the other cylinders in
your engine. Your engine has a timing belt or chain that does a lot more than
take energy from the spinning crankshaft and uses it to spin the camshaft or
camshafts. It's job is to make sure the valves are out of the way when that
piston comes flying toward the engine's head. In some engines, the piston can
actually impact a valve at the top of its movement. In these engines, called
"interference" type engines, even a slight slip in cam timing can be
catastrophic and result in a complete engine overhaul -- thousand of dollars.
This is one reason it's so important to inspect your timing belt for wear or
damage md802.
Luckily unless you've been doing some serious work on your car, the cam timing
is probably right on the money. If it wasn't, you'd know it because your car
would be running horribly, if at all. Your ignition timing, on the other hand,
can be thrown off by any number of little things. The good news is it's just as
easy to adjust and reset. A little history: The engine in your car or truck has
4 cycles. Each one of these cycles is repeated in each cylinder. First it sucks
in air and fuel. Most new cars use direct injection so the air gets sucked in
through the intake valve while the fuel is blasted in by a precise injector. The
second part, or stroke, in each cylinder is called the "compression stroke." Now
the air fuel mixture is literally compressed tightly. This creates heat and
volatility in the mixture. The third stroke is the ignition or combustion stroke
(now we're getting somewhere). At this point the spark plug fires and ignites
the air-fuel mixture, causing the piston to be pushed back down to the bottom of
the stroke. The final stroke is the exhaust stroke. At this time the exhaust
valve opens up and lets the old, burnt mixture out so we can suck new stuff in
and do it all again! The key to this whole operation is making sure the timing
of that spark is on cue. A fraction off and you get an engine that is working
against itself, which will cause a loss in power and choppy idle. A little more
off and you can get some serious fireworks when you don't want them! No spark?
Try testing your coil!
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