0-18 General Information Industrial 1.6L
Fuel Delivery System Maintenance - Continued
CAUTION: Failure to change the fuel system filters as recommended can result in premature failure of the TBI
fuel system components.
NOTE: Some original equipment manufacturers install their own fuel systems. Please refer to the manufacturers
manual if the gasoline fuel system is different than described here.
WARNING: Use extreme care when changing the fuel filters on gasoline engines. Gasoline is highly flam-
mable and should not be exposed to open flame, sparks, or hot engine components. Allow the engine to cool
to ambient temperatures prior to changing fuel filters.
Ignition Systems
Types of Ignition Systems
Three types of ignition systems are used on PSI
GM Powertrain engines. Solid state electronic distributor, solid state
electronic distributor with ECU (Electronic Control Unit) and distributorless electronic ignition (DIS) with ECU.
Please refer to the Section 3, Engine Electrical, for a description of the ignition system used on your particular
engine.
Ignition Timing
Proper adjustment of the ignition timing must be obtained to provide the optimum engine power output and economy.
However, since the 1.6L engine uses a distributorless ignition system which is controlled entirely by the electronic
control unit, or ECU, the ignition timing cannot be adjusted by the user. Refer to Section 3, Engine Electrical, for a
description of the distributorless ignition system.
Spark Plugs
Spark plugs should be replaced at the recommended intervals described in the Maintenance Schedule. Use only the
recommended spark plug or an equivalent as described in Section 3, Engine Electrical.
Spark plug gap, should be adjusted as recommended in Section 3, Engine Electrical.
When removing spark plugs, always note which cylinder each plug came out of. Look at the porcelain around the
center electrode of each plug. You can detect many engine problems from the color and type of deposits that have
built up on the white porcelain. For example, if the deposits are a glossy brown, that cylinder is burning excess oil. If
the deposits are a very dark gray or sooty black color, your engine is running rich, and you are burning excess fuel.
The optimum color of the deposits on the porcelain is light tan or light brown. This shows optimum fuel mixture and
proper engine running conditions. If the deposits are almost white, the engine may be running excessively lean. Lean
running is very detrimental to your engine life, and should be corrected immediately.
If one or more cylinders are burning oil, the smoke from the engine will be a blue-gray color. Most common causes are
piston rings (worn out or not broken in) and valve stem seals (cut, nicked, or worn out). If the engine is running rich
the exhaust smoke will be a sooty black color and it will smell like gasoline (on gasoline engines).
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