When General Motors introduced the High Energy Ignition (HEI) distributor in the mid-1970s, it was revolutionary. So much so that it still has a strong following among today's hot rodders. Like other ...

If there is a standard in the world for a stand-alone electronic ignition distributor for GM engines, it has to be the High Energy Ignition or HEI distributor. This large cap distributor first ...

The Mustang 5.0 possesses the qualities to guarantee its place in history: light weight, manual trans and, most importantly, a high-output V-8 replete with dual exhaust (with real headers!). When Ford ...

How can you say "no" to simplicity, reliability, and an increase in power? Yeah, neither could we. Our old '75 Dodge workhorse with a 440ci engine (the Lawg) was still running the factory ignition ...

The ignition system is a glutton for punishment. As the miles rack up, the distributor wears out, the coil gets abused, and the spark plug wires melt. The steadfast ignition system only gets attention ...

Engines need spark plugs to burn their air/fuel mixture, and the spark plugs need a jolt of electricity to do their work. Older cars with conventional distributor-based ignition systems did it by ...

Q. I've noticed my new car doesn't have a distributor or spark plug wires, unlike every other car or truck I've ever owned. Can you explain how this works? A. This is one of the neatest automotive ...

"It's not a heap, dad. It's a classic." That's harder to justify when your classic muscle car won't start. Nothing like a high-compression V8 combined with a battery that hasn't seen a charge for a ...

This animated film "Spark In The Firing Line" provides an in-depth look at the ignition system of modern motor vehicles, focusing on the role of spark plugs in igniting fuel within the combustion ...

A battery in a traditional car cannot directly create engine spark. It’s only rated at 12 volts, after all, so it needs a little help boosting the signal to the spark plugs. To make that happen, a car ...

Automotive ignitions systems have seen many transitions over the years. Historically, the designs have matured from a magneto to today’s coil-over-spark plug designs. The progression follows the ...

An ignition coil is a vital component of a vehicle's ignition system. It is responsible for converting the low voltage from the battery into the high voltage needed to produce sparks at the spark ...