So I was looking at the circuit diagrams for the ignition system and noticed a couple of odd things. First I noticed that they fire two cylinders at once, which seems wasteful to me, but it makes sense from a parts point of view. Second was that the way they do this is by conneting each end of the secondary coil to the electrode of a spark plug (i.e. 1 and 4 on one coil and 2 and 3 on the other). The odd thing about this is that if the coil is connected to the electrodes that means both plugs arc from the electrode to ground, but that makes no sense because where do the electrons come from? I mean you can't just keep running electrons out of the secondary coil without bring some back in, so how does this actually generate a spark? Does have something to do with the dc transients built up in the coil from the power transition on the primary side or is there something else going on here? I'm just trying to expand my understanding of my car because it might be important one day. Thanks in advance.

 

PM sdhtown to take a look in this thread. He knows bunches and bunches about wasted spark ignition systems

 

rhyzin maybe also, but damn, im lost

 

I don't have an answer ot your second question but I have one for the first.

They fire 2 cylinders because one is on the power stroke ( igniting fuel and air when compressed )....and the other cylider on it's exhaust stroke. So unburned fuel/vapors will be ignited to lessen hydrocarbons. For emission purposes of course.

 

Yeah, its pretty typical, its called wasted spark ignition, the two cylinders fire, one on a compression stroke, one on an exhaust stroke..

FWIW if you have the dual coil setup, I think the HKS DLI-II for the Evo will work on the car.. may help some of you turbo lancer guys.. The older lancer shares the same coils as the Evo, only has different boots and plug wires..

 

I had already guessed about the emission reason, however I really only had one question and that was where does the arc come from? You can't just push electrons out of the middle of a coil, they have to come in one side and out the other. Anyway, I might try rhyzin or sdhtown.