rider119
XS650 Addict
Ok, so I fried my pamco last time I tried to check my spark by not having my plug properly grounded, whats a good safe way to make sure it's grounded to check spark?
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Get a two foot long piece of 10 gauge household wire. Strip out one wire. Strip it bare.
Bend a few turns of each end around a spark plug.
Slip this wire in across the top of the engine, Screw your plugs into each end of this wire. you can now safely check for spark.
Leo
Bend a few turns of each end around a spark plug.
Slip this wire in across the top of the engine, Screw your plugs into each end of this wire. you can now safely check for spark.
Leo
rider119
XS650 Addict
So strip the write completely bare or just the ends back enough to wrap It around the plugs? Thanks by the way!
rider119
XS650 Addict
Is this meant to leave both plugs out of the cylinders at the same time or should one be screwed into the cylinder while the other is out?
jd750ace
Front Toward Enemy
Go to harbor freight and get and inline spark tester.
Here's a pic of what I use to view my spark. A short length of copper wire, about 12 gauge, clamped to the body of a spare spark plug, with a hose clamp. Put an alligator clip on the other end of the wire.
Leave both of your regular plugs in the engine. Clip the alligator clip to an engine cooling fin. Move one of the spark plug leads from the regular plug over to your newly made test plug. Start and run the engine on just one cylinder, while viewing the spark. The alligator clip ensures you will have a good ground, and safely protects the ignition system.
Attachments
Pull plug, put wire on plug, rest plug on something grounded, crank motor, watch for spark.
Or leave plug in, pull wire, stick screw driver into wire, hold close to grounded metal, crank, watch.
Or do above but use your hand to connect to ground, you will know if you have spark.
Or leave plug in, pull wire, stick screw driver into wire, hold close to grounded metal, crank, watch.
Or do above but use your hand to connect to ground, you will know if you have spark.
After miswiring my new aftermarket coil (we will call it a beer related incident) I can tell you from my part that grounding the coil will not fry it, at least not on my bike.
Yeh it was not intended to be a smart remark, but I heard some where else about checking spark some how could hurt them( guess I didn't get the full deal on it). I have checked mine already a few times by holding the plug against the fin of the jug, having some one kick it. No issues.
Lol I hear ya on the beer related thing. I decided to tilt a little bit to many one night while putting a cam shaft in a sbc on the stand one night, had to go pull the cam cover and all again after to be sure it was dot to dot. LOL.
Lol I hear ya on the beer related thing. I decided to tilt a little bit to many one night while putting a cam shaft in a sbc on the stand one night, had to go pull the cam cover and all again after to be sure it was dot to dot. LOL.
^What can happen is if there isn't the normal path for the high voltage to ground through a plug, then it can jump to ground inside the coil. That can create a permanent place where it goes to ground inside the coil instead of using the plug for that anymore...
Dual output coils don't ground. The current path is from the coil out one wire, to the plug. Across the engine up the other plug wire back to coil.
On the two single output coils, from coil to wire, plug engine and back to the coil through the ground.
The wire method I suggest works for the dual out put coils. Fully stripped or just the ends. don't really matter. Take both plugs out of engine and put both in the wire. This makes a complete circuit.
On the single out put coils do as RG suggest. Use a spare known good plug. Some wire and a clamp.
Most of the spark testers I've seen won't work well with our plugs and caps. They use ends designed for the full size plug ends, not just the threaded portion.
Leo
On the two single output coils, from coil to wire, plug engine and back to the coil through the ground.
The wire method I suggest works for the dual out put coils. Fully stripped or just the ends. don't really matter. Take both plugs out of engine and put both in the wire. This makes a complete circuit.
On the single out put coils do as RG suggest. Use a spare known good plug. Some wire and a clamp.
Most of the spark testers I've seen won't work well with our plugs and caps. They use ends designed for the full size plug ends, not just the threaded portion.
Leo
Ok that makes perfect sense about the single coils vs the dual coils..
