What does secondary ignition mean?
2 Answers
Secondary ignition refers to the act of attempting to start the vehicle again after it has already been successfully started. Many car owners may mistakenly believe that the engine hasn't started after the first ignition attempt and proceed with a second ignition operation, which can cause certain damage to the vehicle's components. Additional information: 1. The most obvious sign of secondary ignition: You will hear a "screeching" abnormal noise coming from the engine area, which is caused by the starter gear grinding against the flywheel. 2. The flywheel rotates at a very high speed when the engine is running: far exceeding the speed of the starter. Due to this significant speed difference between the two, during secondary ignition, the starter's drive gear will not re-engage with the flywheel teeth, thus preventing the starter from being damaged by centrifugal force.
I've encountered the issue of double starting before, which means the car doesn't start on the first attempt when igniting, and you have to wait a while before trying again to get it started. This is usually due to some problems with the ignition system, such as excessive carbon buildup or aging of the spark plugs, resulting in insufficient spark strength to ignite the gasoline. Sometimes, it could also be caused by a weak battery, especially during cold winter weather when such issues are more prone to occur. As an ordinary driver, I find this quite annoying because it not only wastes time but may also damage other components, like overheating the starter motor from repeated attempts. Therefore, I suggest not taking this lightly when noticed—first, check if the spark plugs are clean, or visit a repair shop to have the battery tested. Keeping up with regular vehicle maintenance can effectively prevent such embarrassing situations.
