Chapter 3
Distributor
Your gasoline engine ignites the fuel by use of a spark generated at the
precise moment when the fuel mixture has been fully compressed.
However, your engine doesn’t spark each cylinder at the same time;
each cylinder requires a spark according to which stage of the
engine cycle the cylinder is located. A distributor takes the electrical
current generated by the starter battery and distributes the electrical
potential to each cylinder in turn as needed to generate the spark.
Spark Plugs
e spark plugs are the parts that make the spark occur. As electrical
potential builds on one side of the gap based upon the energy
distributed by the distributor, the potential eventually grows large
enough to cause the electric current to jump the gap on the spark
plug. is spark is what ignites the compressed fuel generating a
controlled explosion that will power the piston down and deliver
power to the drive sha .
Alternator
Under normal circumstances, the starter battery would wear down
a er being used so o en to generate a spark for the engine. is
isn’t an ideal setup because a strong battery is needed for continual
operation. A weak battery does no good out on the water. e
alternator connected to a serpentine belt takes care of recharging
the battery(ies). As the serpentine belt rotates the pulley, a magnet
inside a coil of electric wire rotates with the pulley. e rotation of
this magnet inside the coil of wire (alternator) generates a current
which is the used to recharge the battery.
3-8
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