To secure the optimum spark advance quantity according to the difference in the warmup state and cylinder temperature of an engine and to improve combustibility by controlling the spark advance quantity of the pilot injection timing against the main injection timing in response to the difference between the engine temperature and atmospheric temperature detected by detecting means.

Detection signals from a water temperature sensor 8 and an intake air temperature sensor 11 are transmitted to an ECU 7 together with the detection signals from an engine speed sensor 13 and an intake air pressure sensor 14. The ECU 7 determines the target injection quantity and target injection timing of a fuel and opens each injector 6 in response to them. Pilot injection is made precedently to main injection, the target injection quantity and target injection timing of each injection are determined based on the operation state, and the spark advance quantity of the pilot injection timing is made larger as the temperature difference obtained by subtracting the outside air temperature from the engine temperature becomes smaller from the start of the engine to warmup in particular.