Snarky comment deleted....

Learn the basics.

Charles Kettering was an engineering god! http://www.motorera.com/history/hist05.htm
(The other automotive god is Harry Ricardo.)

Wikipedia has a decent article.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ignition_system

A decent article with LOTS of pretty pictures: http://www.jetav8r.com/Vision/Ignition/CDI.html
  Read through the Hall Effect section. That's what we have (with a
bit of other black box majick.)

Moving pitchers! http://auto.howstuffworks.com/ignition-system.htm

Read those and you'll know how automotive ignition systems worked in
the era of our VWs.

Jim