Wasted spark

Wasted spark

A wasted spark is when in an ignition system in a four-stroke cycle internal combustion engine spark plugs fire in pairs, on both the exhaust and compression strokes. The extra spark on the exhaust stroke has no effect and is thus "wasted". This design is simpler than a conventional ignition system, but the extra sparks reduce the lifespan of components (contact breaker, spark plugs).

Examples of engines using this design include the Buick V6 engine Series I and newer, Harley Davidson V-Twin, air-cooled BMW Motorcycles, Citroën 2CV, Mazda B engine, Chrysler V10, PSA TU Engines, and Chrysler Neon engines. Some Ford engines also do. Many Honda and Kawasaki motorcycle engines also follow a similar design, to allow for a smaller number of more powerful coils to replace a larger number of smaller coils in the same limited space.

Many single cylinder four-stroke engines also have a wasted spark. There is only one spark at a time, but at twice the rate that is needed, so half are wasted. The magneto on these engines is on the flywheel, so there is a spark on each revolution of the engine, but the cylinders on four-stroke engines only fire every second revolution.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Wasted Spark — Schaltbild der Wasted Spark Zündung des Citroen 2CV Als Wasted Spark (aus engl. „verschwendeter Funke“) wird eine Zündungsart bei Verbrennungsmotoren bezeichnet, bei der die Zündkerzen in zwei Zylindern gleichzeitig kurz vor dem oberen Totpunkt… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Spark plug — A spark plug (also, very rarely nowadays, in British English: a sparking plug) is an electrical device that fits into the cylinder head of some internal combustion engines and ignites compressed aerosol gasoline by means of an electric spark.… …   Wikipedia

  • Alfa Romeo Twin Spark engine — Infobox Automobile engine name=Alfa Romeo TwinSpark engine manufacturer=Alfa Romeo production=1986– type=DOHC 2/4 valve I4 predecessor=Alfa Romeo Twin Cam successor= displacement=1.4 L 1.6 L 1.7 L 1.8 L 2.0 L power = 76 kW (103 PS) 114 kW (155… …   Wikipedia

  • Distributor — This article is about the engine component. For other uses, see Distributor (disambiguation). Typical distributor with distributor cap Also visible are mounting/drive shaft (bottom), vacuum advance unit (right) and capacitor (centre) A… …   Wikipedia

  • Ignition coil — Bosch ignition coil. Dual ignition coils (blue cylinders, top of picture) on a …   Wikipedia

  • MegaSquirt — is the registered trademark of an aftermarket electronic fuel injection (EFI) controller designed to be used with a wide range of spark ignition internal combustion engines (i.e., not diesel engines.) It is a complete standalone fuel injection… …   Wikipedia

  • Ignition system — For other uses, see Ignition system (disambiguation). An ignition system is a system for igniting a fuel air mixture. Ignition systems are well known in the field of internal combustion engines such as those used in petrol (gasoline) engines used …   Wikipedia

  • Otto engine — This article is about the stationary engine. For a discussion of related thermodynamic principles, see Otto cycle. This is a video montage of the Otto engines running at the Western Minnesota Steam Threshers Reunion (WMSTR), in Rollag, Minnesota …   Wikipedia

  • Subaru EJ engine — The Subaru EJ engine is a series of automotive engines manufactured by Subaru, a division of Fuji Heavy Industries introduced mid 1989 for the 1st generation Legacy. The engine was designed by Masayuki Kodama, Takemasa Yamada and Shuji Sawafuji… …   Wikipedia

  • Zündspule — Die Zündspule ist ein Bauteil der Zündanlage eines Ottomotors oder einer Gasfeuerungsanlage. Der Aufbau entspricht einem Transformator, im Speziellen einem Spartransformator. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Grundlagen 2 Zündspulen in Ottomotoren 3 Literatur …   Deutsch Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”