The car engine consists of four systems and two mechanisms. The ignition system is necessary to ignite the fuel mixture in the engine. All elements of the system provide reliable ignition, based on the principle of the order of operation of the cylinders of the car engine. Let's consider in more detail.
With the engine running for the most complete combustion, the fuel mixture is ignited by a candle near the end of the compression stroke. It is important that the ignition control is correctly configured. Since the crankshaft and camshafts of the engine are clearly synchronized, ignition of the charge occurs at a strictly necessary moment in time. That is, when the crankshaft passes a certain point, the mixture is ignited. This happens cyclically with alternating clock cycles of a running engine. This point is the moment of ignition.
The mixture ignition system works quite reliably. But due to the wear of the main elements, ignition adjustment is periodically necessary. This operation is carried out if there are characteristic malfunctions in the engine. Increased toxicity of exhaust gases, unstable operation of the motor - all these are prerequisites for disrupting the normal operation of the system.
The ignition is adjusted both when the engine is running and when it is turned off. For adjustment, special tools and equipment are provided, which are not always available in the garage of a simple layman. Therefore experienced drivers adjust the ignition timing with the engine running. This is not very difficult to do. It is important to learn to hear and listen to the engine, it will tell you how to set the ignition timing correctly.
Attention! The voltage in the ignition system reaches 12000-24000V. This is a lot. Therefore, without urgent need and not being confident in your safety, do not touch the elements of the ignition system, in particular high-voltage spark plug wires.
It is important to understand that the angle depends on many indicators. The burning speed, engine speed and engine load adjust the angle to a certain extent. Later ignition is characterized by a large lead with a more moderate rotation of the engine shaft.
All engine operation, as we have seen, is synchronized. It was experimentally established that it is almost impossible to achieve the most complete combustion of the mixture in real conditions of the engine. Designers from around the world are struggling with this problem. Ecology is pushing them to this. Simply put, the more complete the fuel burns out in the cylinder, the less harmful substances enter the atmosphere and, accordingly, into our respiratory organs.
To ensure these conditions, the mixture in the motor must be ignited a little earlier than the piston approaches the top dead center value. In this regard, the concept of the ignition timing is introduced . This is the angle of rotation of the crankshaft from the moment a spark occurs in the candle until the piston approaches its top dead center.
Of course, the ignition adjustment has its drawbacks. And, oddly enough, this is the very concept of adjustment. This is an additional technological operation that requires certain knowledge, skills and experience. If adjustment is made, then there is a high probability of a malfunction in the system due to the presence of many mechanical parts. Therefore, modern cars are increasingly equipped with more reliable maintenance-free systems that eliminate this drawback.
And the last point: if we allow that one of the systems that are responsible for the ignition timing does not work, then the dynamics of acceleration of the car is lost to a large extent, and the consumption of gasoline itself increases.