BAT 112

Auto Electronics and

Electrical System
Diagnosis and Service
Basic tools and
equipment
Battery
• A device that stores chemical energy and converts it to
electrical energy
• Main purpose is to start the engine
• To supply current to the starter motor, provide current to the
ignition system while cranking, to supply additional when the
demand is higher than the alternator
• Can supply and to act as an electric reservoir
Chemicals in the battery
• Electrolyte – a mixture of sulfuric acid(40%) and distilled
water(60%).
• Sulfuric acid is very corrosive. It will eat through
clothing so it is advisable to wear old clothes when
handling batteries.
• Needs to use proper PPE when handling batteries.
Parts of the battery
• Terminal post
1. Positive terminal (anode)
2. Negative terminal (cathode)
• Case – where the electrolyte and other part of the battery is
placed and to act as a protection.
• Cover – permanently placed on top of the battery and connected
on the terminal and vent holes of the battery.
• Plates
1. positive plate- have active material that called lead
dioxide
2. negative plate- have active materials called sponge
lead
• Separators- used to separate the positive and negative plates.
• Cells- an assemble that the positive and negative plates are
connected. There are 6 cells which produces 2.1 volts
• Cell connectors- connects the positive and negative plates in
series
• Cell partitions- separates the cells.
 Starting System
• It is the heart of electrical system.
• Cranks the engine until it starts
• Its operation begins when the key is inserted into the ignition
switch.
• It needs a heavy electric current which it draws through the
thick wires from the battery.
 Parts of the Starting System
• Battery The automotive battery, also known as a lead-acid storage battery, is
an electrochemical device that produces voltage and delivers current
• Starter Motor Parts of a vehicle that converts electrical energy into
mechanical energy to crank the engine flywheel to start the vehicle
• Solenoid A solenoid is an electromagnetic switch that engages and
disengages the battery to the starter motor assembly. It also functions as a
bigger relay, which works on the principle of using a small current to turn on a
bigger current.
• Ignition Switch-The ignition switch allows the driver to distribute electrical
current to where it is needed.
• Starter Relay A relay is a device that allows a small amount of electrical
current to control a large amount of current
• Neutral Safety This switch opens (denies current to) the starter circuit when
the transmission is in any gear but Neutral or Park on automatic transmissions.
This switch is normally connected to the transmission linkage or directly on the
transmission.
Starter motor
• Parts of a vehicle that converts electrical energy into
mechanical energy to crank the engine flywheel to start the
vehicle.
• The main function of the starter motor is to start the engine
• Usually caused of hard starting.
 Starter Motor
Components Parts
• Armature- it is an electromagnet component used as a guide on the
driveshaft or bearings. The armature contains a laminated soft iron
core that has been wound or looped with numerous conductors
• Commutator -It is the portion of the shaft that brushes run along to
conduct electricity that is located at the back of the housing. The
commutator is built from two plates mounted to the armature’s axle
and connects the electromagnet’s coil.
• Solenoid- The solenoid has two wire coils wrapped around the core.
This solenoid acts as a switch, connecting and disconnecting the
electrical connection between the starter motor and the vehicle’s
battery.
• Brushes- A series of brushes are used to transfer electrical current
from a static conductor to a dynamic conductor. The brushes make
contact with the commutator. Brushes conduct electricity as they rub
the commutator.
• Plunger- In a starter motor, a plunger has the function of pushing
forward so that the pinion can be engaged, which in turn starts the
motor.
• Lever fork- A lever fork is attached to a plunger, and when the
lever fork is pushed forward together with the plunger, the pinion is
engaged.
• Pinion- A pinion is a device that has a gear and springs inside. It
engages immediately after starting the engine by extending the
gear to the flywheel teeth.
• Field coils-The field coils consist of two or more coils connected in
series and are secured in the housing by screws. The battery
provides power to these coils, turning them into an electromagnet
that rotates the armature. As a result, a magnetic field develops
around the armature.
Operation of Starter Motor
• The operation of a starter is simple, but most people are unaware of the
secret behind motor cranking. When the ignition key or bottom is depressed,
the transmission should be in the park or neutral position. In this instance,
the battery voltage activates the solenoid by passing through the starter
control circuit.
• The solenoid powers the starter motor. This helps to move the starter gear
forward so that it meshes with the engine flywheel. Since the flywheel is
mounted on the engine’s crankshaft, when the starter motor turns, the
flywheel also rotates with the crankshaft. When the engine starts, the
system disengages from the flywheel.

Note: If your vehicle has an automatic transmission, you can only operate the
starter motor in park or neutral. If you are driving a manual transmission, you
must depress the clutch pedal
Ignition System
• The ignition system is one of the most important
systems . The spark-ignition engine requires some device to
ignite the compressed air-fuel mixture. The ignition takes
place inside the cylinder at the end of the compression
stroke.
• It is a part of the electrical system which carries the
electrical current to a current plug. It gives the spark to ignite
the air-fuel mixture at the correct time.
• The purpose of the ignition system is to generate a very
high voltage from the car's 12 volt battery , and to send this
to each sparkplug in turn, igniting the fuel-air mixture in
the engine 's combustion chambers .
Parts of the Ignition
System
• Battery- The battery is used to provide current to the ignition
system. This in turn energizes the ignition coil
• Ignition switch - It is used to turn ON or OFF the engine. One end
of the switch is connected with the Primary Winding of Ignition Coil,
and another end is connected with the Battery.
• Ignition coil- It is the main part of Ignition System. The main
purpose of it is to step up battery voltage so that it is sufficient for
generates the spark. It is working as a step-up transformer, and has
two windings, one is primary which have a lesser turn, and the
other one is secondary which have a higher number of turn.
• Distributor -It is used in the multi-cylinder engine, and its
purpose is to regulate spark in each spark plug at the correct
sequence depending on firing order.
• Spark Plug- is another important part of Ignition system. Here
the actual Spark is generated for the combustion of Fuel or
Charge. If there is more than one spark plug exists then each one
is connected separately with the distributor and gives the spark
in the sequence.
 Distributor

• A component of the ignition system that distributes high voltage

current produced by the secondary coil to the correct spark
plugs in the correct firing order and at the correct time
• The working of the ignition distributor is simple. When the
distributor shaft began to rotate, it also rotates the cam and rotor
of the distributor. While the cam rotates it pushes the cam follower
that is connected to the contact breaker.
• Cam-It is a part of a distributor that is attached to the distributor
shaft and rotates with it. It consists of lobes to open the contact
breaker point. The number of lobes in the distributor is similar to
the number of cylinders.When the cam rotates, it drives the
cam, follower and the breaker points are separated causing the
current to break.
• Capacitor-It also has a capacitor to protect the contact point of
the contact breaker from overheating. It improves the output of
high voltage current by reversing the current flow through the
primary coil.
• Condensor- Each ignition distributor is provided with a
condenser at the contact points to reduce sparks as they open
into the distributor thus minimizing burns and pitting of the
points. Arcing occurs due to the effect of self-induction in the
coil as the points block the flow of current
• Contact beaker- The contact breaker is a mechanical designed
breaker point. One end of the contact breaker is movable and
the other one is fixed. Its function is to create and break the
primary circuit current and is connected to the breaker
assembly.
• Distributor cap- As the name suggests, it is the cover that
protects the internal parts of the distributor system and
maintains contact between the internal rotor and the spark plug
wires.
• Terminals-Inside the distributor cap, there is a terminal that
corresponds to each post. The plug terminals are arranged
around the periphery of the cap according to the firing order so
that secondary voltage is sent to the appropriate spark plug at
the correct time.
• Distributor shaft - The distributor shaft is located in the middle of
the ignition distributor. This shaft is connected to the camshaft of
the engine with the help of a gear drive. It has a cam that is used to
break the point of the contact breaker.
• Drive gear- The ratio of the distributor gear is such that it gives
the distributor one full turn for every complete turn of
the crankshaft and for every two complete turns of the camshaft.
This assures that the spark plugs will burn in the correct position of
the piston. The drive gear is firmly attached to the distributor shaft
by means of a steel roll pin.
• Rotor -The distributor rotor is a device in a spark ignition system
that provides spark from the ignition coil for proper contact inside
the distributor cap. It is driven by the camshaft of the engine and is
therefore synchronized with it. As the camshaft rotates, the
distributor shaft also rotates. This will cause the rotor attached to
the distributor shaft to rotate.
• Spark advance mechanism-It is a mechanism used in
spark-ignition engines to drive the spark. Its function is to burn
the fuel before the piston reaches TDC. This provides the air-
fuel mixture in the cylinder to burn completely and, as a
result, there will be maximum pressure on the piston.
• Primary coil- An ignition coil primary circuit is made up of thick
copper wire consisting of hundreds of turns. Basically, around 200-
300 turns separated from one another. When the ignition switch is
turned, it is this primary circuit that the battery’s low current first
flows through.
• Secondary Coil- Unlike the primary circuit, the secondary circuit is
made up of thin copper wire but with higher turns running into
thousands. Basically, up to 21,000 turns, with each wire in the
secondary circuits separated from one another by enamel on wires or
coats of oiled paper. It is around this secondary circuit that high
voltage is built.
• Iron Core- The iron core is made with a laminated core and placed at
the center of the coil. So it’s basically wrapped by the primary and
secondary windings. The energy passed from the secondary winding
is stored in the iron core as a magnetic field. Then eventually, it is
transferred to the spark plug via an ignition distributor.
Operation of Ignition Coil

• The ignition coil mainly consists of a primary winding, a

secondary winding, and an iron core. When the current
through the primary winding makes and breaks repeatedly by
contact breaker, it induces a very high voltage in the
secondary winding (about 50000 V). This high voltage from
the secondary winding is transferred to the spark plug
through ignition distributor to produce a spark within the
cylinder.
• When the ignition switch is ON, the current through the primary
winding starts to flow, this creates magnetic field in the iron
core and around it.
• As contact breaks in the contact breaker, the primary current
collapses. This also collapses the magnetic field in the core. This
sudden breaking of the magnetic field induces a very high
voltage across the secondary winding. The magnitude of the
voltage induced is about 50,000 Volt.
• This high voltage then is transferred to the spark plug through
the ignition distributor to produce spark for the ignition.