The Ford EDIS or Electronic Distributorless Ignition System is a computer-controlled

ignition system Ignition systems are used by heat engines to initiate combustion by igniting the fuel-air mixture. In a spark ignition versions of the internal combustion engine (such as petrol engines), the ignition system creates a spark to ignite the fuel-ai ...

developed by

Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

that uses an

ignition coil An ignition coil is used in the ignition system of a spark-ignition engine to transform the battery voltage to the much higher voltages required to operate the spark plug(s). The spark plugs then use this burst of high-voltage electricity to ig ...

for each pair of cylinders (

wasted spark A wasted spark system is a type of ignition system used in some four-stroke cycle internal combustion engines. In a wasted spark system, the spark plugs fire in pairs, with one plug in a cylinder on its compression stroke and the other plug in ...

). All the coils are placed in a single module called a coilpack.

Vehicles with EDIS

Ford used the EDIS module on a number of vehicles from 1988 to 199X.

EDIS-4

The EDIS-4 module is used on the following vehicles equipped with the

Ford HCS engine The Ford Kent is an internal combustion engine from Ford of Europe. Originally developed in 1959 for the Ford Anglia, it is an in-line four-cylinder overhead valve (OHV) pushrod engine with a cast-iron cylinder head and block. The Kent family ca ...

, and the 1.9-liter

straight-4 A straight-four engine (also referred to as an inline-four engine) is a four-cylinder piston engine where cylinders are arranged in a line along a common crankshaft. The majority of automotive four-cylinder engines use a straight-four layout ( ...

Ford CVH engine The Ford CVH engine is a straight-four automobile engine produced by the Ford Motor Company. The engine's name is an acronym for either ''Compound Valve-angle Hemispherical'' or ''Canted Valve Hemispherical'', where "Hemispherical" describes the ...

, between 1988 and 1993: * Ford Escort /

Mercury Tracer The Mercury Tracer is a compact car that was marketed by Mercury from the 1987 to 1999 model years. The replacement for the Mercury Lynx, the Tracer was also sold as a three-door and five-door hatchback and a five-door station wagon; a four-doo ...

Ford Fiesta The Ford Fiesta is a supermini car that was marketed by Ford from 1976 to 2023 over seven generations. Over the years, the Fiesta has mainly been developed and manufactured by Ford's European operations, and had been positioned below the ...

(Europe) * Ford Escort (Europe) *

Ford Sierra The Ford Sierra is a Mid-size car, mid-size/D-segment, large family car manufactured and marketed by Ford of Europe from 1982–1993. It was designed by Uwe Bahnsen, Bob Lutz (businessman), Robert Lutz and Patrick Le Quément, and was noted for ...

(Europe) *

Ford Scorpio The Ford Scorpio is an executive car Executive car is a British term for a large car, and is considered equivalent to the European E-segment and American full-size classifications. Executive cars are larger than compact executive cars (a ...

(Europe) *

Ford Mondeo The Ford Mondeo is a Mid-size/large family car, large (D-segment) car manufactured and marketed by Ford Motor Company, Ford since 1993 across five generations for model years 1993-2022. As Ford self-declared world car, the Mondeo was intended to ...

(Europe) This system was also used on the 1995–2001 4-cylinder Ford Rangers and 1995–2001 Mazda B2300, B2500. But was incorporated into the EEC-V ECU, so there is no external module.

EDIS-6

The EDIS-6 module is used on the following vehicles equipped with the 4.0L

Ford Cologne V6 engine The Ford Cologne V6 is a series of 60° cast iron block V6 engines produced by the Ford Motor Company from 1962 to 2011 in displacements between and . Originally, the Cologne V6 was installed in vehicles intended for Germany and Continental Eu ...

and 3.8L Ford Essex V6 engine between 1990 and 1997: *

Ford Ranger The Ford Ranger is a compact or mid-size pickup marketed globally by Ford over a series of generations, varying between both in-house or outside development and manufacturing — and with a hiatus in North America from 2011–2018. Debutin ...

Mazda B-Series The Mazda B series is a series of pickup trucks that was manufactured by Mazda. Produced across five generations from 1961 to 2006, the model line began life primarily as a commercial vehicle, slotted above a kei truck in size. Through its p ...

Ford Explorer The Ford Explorer is a range of Sport utility vehicle, SUVs manufactured by Ford Motor Company since the 1991 model year. The first five-door SUV produced by Ford, the Explorer, was introduced as a replacement for the three-door Ford Bronco II ...

Mazda Navajo :''Sections of this article are translated from the Scottish page Mazda Navajo.'' The Mazda Navajo is a mid-size SUV manufactured by Ford Motor Company for the Japanese automaker Mazda, and is a rebadged version of the first generation Ford Expl ...

Ford Aerostar The Ford Aerostar is a range of vans that was manufactured by Ford from the 1986 to the 1997 model years. The first minivan produced by Ford, the model line was marketed against the Chevrolet Astro/GMC Safari and the first two generations of the ...

Ford Mustang The Ford Mustang is a series of American Car, automobiles manufactured by Ford Motor Company, Ford. In continuous production since 1964, the Mustang is currently the longest-produced Ford car nameplate. Currently in its Ford Mustang (seventh ...

(3.8L V6) * Ford Thunderbird Supercoupe * Ford Taurus SHO V6 (1989–1995) *

Ford Windstar The Ford Windstar (later the Ford Freestar and Mercury Monterey) is a minivan that was produced and sold by Ford Motor Company, Ford. The replacement for the Ford Aerostar, the Windstar adopted the front-wheel drive configuration of the Chrysle ...

The European Ford Scorpio 2.9 V6 24V Cosworth also uses the EDIS-6 module.

EDIS-8

The EDIS-8 module is used on the following vehicles equipped with the 4.6-liter V-8

Ford Modular engine The Ford Modular engine is an overhead camshaft (OHC) V8 and V10 gasoline-powered small block engine family introduced by Ford Motor Company in 1990 for the 1991 model year. The term “modular” applied to the setup of tooling and casting ...

between 1990 and 1997: * Lincoln Town Car, Mark VIII *

Ford Crown Victoria The Ford Crown Victoria ("Crown Vic") is a full-size sedan that was marketed and manufactured by Ford. The successor to the Ford LTD Crown Victoria, two generations of the model line were produced from the 1992 until the 2012 model years. T ...

Mercury Grand Marquis The Mercury Grand Marquis is an automobile that was produced by Mercury from the 1975 until 2011 model years. Introduced as the flagship sub-model of the Mercury Marquis in 1975, the Grand Marquis became a stand-alone model line in 1983, s ...

Ford Thunderbird The Ford Thunderbird is a personal luxury car manufactured and marketed by Ford Motor Company for model years 1955 to 2005, with a hiatus from 1998 to 2001. Ultimately gaining a broadly used colloquial nickname, the ''T-Bird'', Ford Introduce ...

Mercury Cougar The Mercury Cougar is a series of automobiles that was sold by Mercury (automobile), Mercury from 1967 to 2002. The model line is a diverse series of vehicles; though the Cougar nameplate is most commonly associated with two-door coupes, at va ...

The EDIS-8 Module was also used in Some later 5.0L Ford Explorers until around 2002

Aftermarket use in non-Ford vehicles

The EDIS system's relative simplicity, in particular the fact it does not require a cam sensor, makes it a popular choice for

custom car A custom car is a passenger automobile, vehicle that has been altered to engine tuning, improve its performance, change its aesthetics, or combine both. Some automotive enthusiasts in the United States want to push "styling and performance a st ...

builders and classic car owners looking to retrofit a modern ignition system to their vehicle. The crankshaft-mounted trigger wheel, VR sensor, EDIS Module and an ignition control computer can all be easily fitted to most older engines that originally used a traditional distributor for ignition.

References

US Patent Number 4,661,778: Ignition diagnostic monitor

* [http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?u=%2Fnetahtml%2Fsrchnum.htm&Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&r=1&l=50&f=G&d=PALL&s1=5014676.PN.&OS=PN/5014676&RS=PN/5014676 US Patent Number 5,014,676: Ignition system with repetitive sparks]
Ford EDIS technical information

* US Patent Number 6,115,665: Memory Efficient Computer System And Method For Controlling An Automotive Ignition System
E-Type UK EDIS/Megajolt Ignition Support Thread
Ford Motor Company Automotive technology tradenames

Vehicles with EDIS

EDIS-4

EDIS-6

EDIS-8

Aftermarket use in non-Ford vehicles

See also

References