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what is wasted spark ignition?

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Old 07-03-2009, 11:30 AM
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cossie*mad!
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Default what is wasted spark ignition?

Can someone explain in layman terms what wasted spark is and its benefits?...cheers
Old 07-03-2009, 02:24 PM
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LHD220Turbo
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i think, (this is my understanding)

wasted spark is whereby the dizzy, rotar arm and coil etc, is replaced with a coil pack

the benefits is that coil packs are in the 21st century, so you are doing away with moving objects which wear out etc

the spark "tends" to be strong and more reliable than the age old dizzy etc

i'm sure you can find something in the tech area or on MSD website

Matt
Old 07-03-2009, 03:20 PM
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SiZT
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Wasted spark means it sparks on the 2 cylinders that are at TDC, it means you can run a higher dwell time which means a stronger spark
Old 07-03-2009, 05:26 PM
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tabetha
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Note the term WASTED, the spark is used to ignite the fuel in the cylinder, they are paired 1+4 and 2+3 so these cylinders spark at the same time, but only ONE of these is on a power stroke, so the other paired cylinder's spark is WASTED, as in it does nothing as it will be on induction stroke so have no fuel to ignite, this is where the waste comes from.
The cylinder not under compression/power stroke takes a LOT less energy to fire than one under compression, so it's not detrimental to fire two at once.
Of course getting rid of moving parts is always a bonus, plus coilpack etc are a LOT cheaper to make than a dizzy, the prime reason they came about and lean burn mixes.
tabetha
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