The locution "ignition switch" refers to the lock cylinder piece of a motorcar's ignition transaction and is an necessitous branch of the ignition system. The switch is connected to the car's battery and when it is activated uses the battery power to jump the starter which turns on the engine. Ignition switches are traditionally controlled by keys, however the past decade has seen an increase in the number of cars that use push-button ignition switches.
In most modern vehicles, ignition switches are placed on the right side of the steering wheel column. However, variations in foreign car design, particularly in the late 1980s and early 1990s at time placed the ignition switch in the center console of the front seat near the emergency break. Some modern Saab models still employ this design.
Features
Keys fitted for car ignition systems typically also have the ability to open the car's door locks, glove box lock and trunk lock. It is customary for the ignition switch keys to be labeled with the car manufacturer's logo and the shape, size and functionality features of the key varies depending on the company.The ignition switch is the starting point for the entire ignition system. When an ignition switch is activated, the starter is tripped and sends an electric surge from the battery that crosses through a double wire coil and returns to the battery, creating a magnetic field within the engine. A shift in the gear box throws a breaker in the outer wire of the coil, destroying the magnetic field and transferring the amplified energy into the coil's inner wire, which in turn rotates the engine and compresses the cylinder's pistons. Without the initial flip of the ignition switch, the process would not work.
Function
Ignition switches commonly have the ability to control all the power management of the vehicle. Most ignition switches have four modes: off, on, accessories, and start. When the ignition switch is in the "off" position, the engine is not running and no power is being supplied to any other system. When the ignition switch is turned to its "accessory" state, power is channeled from the battery to the non-engine electric systems in the car, such as the stereo, power windows, and power seat adjustments. When the ignition switch is set to the "on" position, it is supplying power to the entire engine and accessories system, and when the switch is flipped into the "start" position it activates the starter.
