Family Owned & Operated
50% OFF TOWING WITH ALL MAJOR REPAIRS
We Service All Makes & Models
FREE Shuttle Service Within 3 Miles
Complete Auto Repair
September 25, 2022
When you start up your gasoline engine car, you may not know that it's using the same ignition principles as it has for decades. You have spark plugs that require enough power so a spark can jump across a gap at its tip. Years ago, a vehicle's 12-volt system had to produce 15,000-25,000 volts to do that, so engineers came up with something called an ignition coil that bumps up the voltage. It also has to be done at just the right interval called timing.
The first systems had a distributor, a mechanical device with a rotating disc that switched the power to the ignition coil on and off. That higher voltage then was sent to the spark plugs at the correct time interval. But the mechanical "points" had to be replaced and adjusted every 12,000 miles/20,000 kilometers. Engineers later replaced the switching mechanism with solid state ones, but they still needed replacement after 120,000 miles/200,000 kilometers.
The next evolution came in the 80's when the distributor was replaced with a couple of sensors which talked to a computer. This "DIS" (distributor-less automotive ignition system) was a big advance. Plus, it didn't use just one ignition coil for all the cylinders. It had coil "packs" that each provided spark to two cylinders. That way, the voltage could be boosted even higher, to 30,000 volts, which helped engines be able to ignite a leaner fuel/air mixture.
Recently have come even more improvements. Now instead of coil packs, there's a coil that's attached to each spark plug. No more spark plug wires means less maintenance. Plus, a stronger, hotter spark of 50,000 volts can make an engine more reliable, increase fuel economy and reduce emissions.
No matter what ignition system your vehicle uses, your vehicle service facility has a staff of technicians trained to work on the latest technology. Make sure to have your vehicle maintained regularly so you can take full advantage of these modern engineering marvels.
Tuffy Grand Rapids - Fuller Ave.
1121 Fuller Ave. NE
Grand Rapids, Michigan 49503
616.458.8091
https://www.tuffyfullerave.com/
June 9, 2025
You might remember a hit TV sitcom that was set in a bar, a place where "everybody knows your name." The idea, of course, is people feel more comfortable where they aren't just another customer among many; they're special because their relationship goes back a few years. That comfortable relat... More
June 2, 2025
Nobody has to tell you that computers are a part of so many things in our lives. Smartphones, kitchen appliances, vacuum cleaners, televisions. You name itit has a computer in it. And your vehicle is no exception. The earliest cars relied on the technology of their time, and there was no such ... More
May 26, 2025
You probably have heard that expression, "A stitch in time saves nine." In other words, if you fix an issue at its early stages, it will prevent a much more difficult problem later. That's certainly the case with your vehicle, and here's a true story to demonstrate it. A driver noticed his vehicl... More
