ENGR. ALIYU, S. J. GEC-226. GENERAL ENGINEERING LAB. 10 TH JUNE, 2014.

General Electrical System in an Automobile

Ex. NO:
DATE:
STUDY OF GENERAL ELECTRICAL SYSTEM IN AN AUTOMOBILE
AIM:
To study the automobile electrical system.
INTRODUCTION:
Every automobile of today contains an electric power plant under its hood, which produces and stores
electric energy that is delivered either at low voltage or in the form of high voltage. Electrical
equipment fitted on automobiles is required to operate without failure for very long periods with little
attention. Further, it is made to operate under widely varying climatic conditions. At times, the power
delivered by the system may be about 40 to 50 times in excess of the normal output for short periods
such as cold engine starting.
The automotive electric system is quite simple in spite of the fact that it plays an important and
multifarious role in the operation of the present-day modern vehicle. A few fundamental rules of
electrical behaviour are the basis of its action, and anyone who understands them can conveniently
service the electric system.
The automotive electric system may be classified under five main headings:
1. The generation, storage and distribution systems
2. The starting system
3. The ignition system
4. The lighting system
5. The accessories
The last section includes devices like windscreen wipers, electric horns, signaling devices, electric
petrol pumps, wind screen washers, etc.
1. Generation, storage and Distribution Systems:
a) Generator:
The generator is the primary source of electrical energy in a vehicle. It converts mechanical energy
supplied by the engine into electrical energy. It will be sufficient to say for the time being that a
generator consists of an armature, which rotates between the poles of magnets on a stationary yoke
member. The generator used on most of the automobiles of today is 12-V alternating current (ac) or
direct current (dc) unit. The ac unit is often called the alternator. The primary function of the generator
is to recharge the battery. It also supplies current to other electric units provided on the vehicle when the
engine is running. The generator is generally driven with the help of the engine fan- belt.
b) Battery:
The battery supplies electric current to operate the starting motor and ignition system when the engine is
being started. It is often called the heart of the electrical system. The battery stores energy in a chemical
form.
A chemical reaction takes place inside the battery when any electricity-consuming device like the
starter, lights, etc. is connected to the battery, which produces a flow of current. The current that the
battery can deliver is limited. If the current is not forced back in to the battery from some external
source like the automobile generator, the battery would soon get discharged and it would not be in a
position to deliver any more current.
Its main job in the automobile is to supply electric energy for cranking the engine and also to other
electric units of the vehicle when the engine is not driving the generator, at a speed sufficient to produce
the needed current. The battery also helps in balancing the voltage in the system.
1

ENGR. ALIYU, S. J. GEC-226. GENERAL ENGINEERING LAB. 10 TH JUNE, 2014.

ENGR. ALIYU, S. J. GEC-226. GENERAL ENGINEERING LAB. 10 TH JUNE, 2014.

c) Regulator:
There is also a regulator fitted on the automobile, which regulates the current produced by the generator.
If there had been no regulator, The current produced by the generator would have been so much that it
would have damaged the battery and other electrical units of the vehicle. High electric current is
permitted to flow by the regulator when the battery is in a discharged condition or when the vehicles
electric units are turned on. It helps in reducing the current produced by the generator when the battery
is in a charged condition or when the electric units are switched off. It is essential to have some
conducting path for distributing the electric energy from the source to the different points of utilizations.
For this purpose, the generator and the battery are connected by means of conductors, and likewise the
other units like the lamps, the starter, the horn, and the wipers. Etc. is connected to the battery.
2. Starting System:
In present-day automobiles, the method of starting the vehicle by hand has been replaced by that of the
cranking motor. The cranking motor is a special kind of direct current electric motor. It is designed for
intermittent service under great overload. It is of a high starting torque type and generally of the fourpole series type. It is clear that when the switch is closed. The current is directed to the cranking motor
from the battery. The motor is provided with a pinion, which is made to mesh with a larger gear integral
with the flywheel of the engine. The electric circuit is completed through earthed terminals, thus making
the crankshaft of the engine to rotate until the engine starts. When the engine starts, the automatic
device in the starter pinion disconnects the pinion from the flywheel gear ring when the starting switch
is switched off.
3. Ignition System:
The ignition system plays an important role in the operation of petrol engines. It provides high voltage
surges, from 4000 to 20000 V, at accurately timed intervals for the purpose of igniting the mixture of
petrol and air compressed inside the cylinders of the engine. It may appear to be a simple matter but
careful consideration will show that the duty of the ignition apparatus is quite different and exacting.
The electric ignition system is not deployed by diesel engines since the air temperature is sufficient at
the end of the compression stroke to cause burning of the fuel, which is injected at that time. However,
in the case of pre-combustion chamber diesel engines, it is essential to make use of special plugs known
s glow plugs to heat the air at the time of starting the engine when it is cold.
Another method of igniting the petrol-air mixture is with the help of a magneto. It does not require
battery current and therefore it does not need any special low-voltage circuit. The magneto generates its
own low-voltage current. It produces thehigh-voltage surges required for igniting the charge from this
low-voltage current. It consists of an armature with windings, a permanent magnet and a contact
breaker.
When the magneto shaft is rotated, it produces very rapid changes of magnetic flux linked with the
armature windings resulting in a series of high-voltage surges. A succession of sparks is caused by these
high-voltage surges. In the magneto, the basic source of energy is the permanent magnet. Since the
spark energy is created by rotation, it is amply clear that this will increase with increase in speed. Spark
energy actually increases rapidly from zero to medium speeds and then it remains fairly constant.
A simple circuit diagram of the coil ignition system. Battery B supplies a low voltage current via
ammeter A and ignition switch S to the primary windings of the ignition coil. The ignition coil converts
the low-voltage current of the battery to high-voltage current for producing sparks inside the cylinder to
ignite the mixture. The current from the low-tension circuit of the ignition coil flows from the outlet
terminal to the contact-breaker CB and then back to the battery through the earth. The contact-breaker

ENGR. ALIYU, S. J. GEC-226. GENERAL ENGINEERING LAB. 10 TH JUNE, 2014.

CR is meant to make and break the low-voltage circuit every time a spark is required at the spark-plug
electrodes.
The high-tension lead from the central terminal of the ignition coil is lead to the upper part of the
distributor 1), which further distributes the high-tension current to each of the spark plugs in turn in case
of a multi-cylinder engine. It is worth noting that the current consumption of the ignition coil is of the
order of 3 5-4.5 A with a 12 V battery when the contact points are closed and the engine is at Test. The
value falls to about one-half of these when the engine is running.
4. Lighting System:
The lighting system comprises the lamps used for warning purposes, the pilot lights, indicators and
lights for illumination purposes The main lamps include the head-lamps, the tail and the number plate
lamps, the direction-indicator lamps, the car panel and illumination lamps, the beam indicator lamp, the
oil pressure warning lamp. Ignition warning lamp, etc,. The complete lighting circuit consists of a
number of individual circuits for a single lamp or pair of lamps, each with its own switch, lives
connection and earth connection. Seine of the accessories like the horn, the wiper, the car-heater and the
radio are included in this diagram. They are all connected in parallel across the battery terminals. The
battery supplies current through the ammeter to the lighting circuits. These circuits get their supply of
current irrespective of whether the ignition switch is ON or OFF. In most automobiles they are protected
by a single fuse F1 of 40-50 A capacity.
5. Accessories:
Some reference has been made to the various electrical accessories fitted in a vehicle in the section on
the lighting system. The electrical components like the horn, the windscreen wipers, the radio, the carheater, the electric pump, the oil pressure gauge, and the temperature gauge. The fuel level gauge, the
ammeter, the impulse tachometer, the speedometer, etc., all fall under this section. Their detailed
discussion will follow in subsequent chapters.
RESULT:
Thus the given service manual is studied.

ENGR. ALIYU, S. J. GEC-226. GENERAL ENGINEERING LAB. 10 TH JUNE, 2014.

ENGR. ALIYU, S. J. GEC-226. GENERAL ENGINEERING LAB. 10 TH JUNE, 2014.

TESTING THE BATTERY

BATTERY CELL
Tabulation:

Cell No.

Specific gravity

High rate
discharge test

1
2
3
4
5
6

The open cell Voltage: _________________

Remarks