Testing for spark

How do you go about testing a saw for spark?

casey

take out the spark plug, put the plug wire back on it, hand it to your wife, pull the rope. if she starts screaming youve got spark.

LOL at fubar. After putting the plug wire back on the plug, ground the plug against the head or something metal on the saw...this should be enough to ground it and when you pull the starter cord you hopefully should see a spark.

Hey Fubar,

Has this worked for you more than once? LOL

lol . use to work as a helper for a mechanic.his kick was to grag a plug wire and hand me a wrench. it didnt biother him but sho woke this country boy up. i guess he was testing for strong spark. it did have good spark , i can tell u that for sure.lol.like to of wet mybritches.

fubar2 said:

take out the spark plug, put the plug wire back on it, hand it to your wife, pull the rope. if she starts screaming youve got spark.

Click to expand...

I almost fell out of my chair when I read this. LOL good method, if you want to sleep on the couch tonight.

hmmm ... sounds like FBI's special ops course on successful interrogation techniques. (... if 90 volts only generates 90% truth from a detainee, then obviously ... )

seriously, someone mentioned opening up the gap on a good plug to 1/4" ... it should still generate a good spark. haven't tried it myself, but sounds logical ... if spark is good at 1/4" gap, at 020 or whatever, it should be good.

Better make that "sleeping on the couch" a week!

There are quite a few threads here that go into a lot of detail on testing for spark. Some fellows use sophisticated methods & equipment, while others use duct tape & papers clips . Two problems/questions I face were how much space is needed between the tip of the wire & the metal ground, & how do I keep the wire from moving when I pull the recoil? And for some strange reason my doesn't like to lend a hand when I'm working on saws.

Try searching: testing AND for AND spark
If I don't have that quite right I'm sure that s/o will post the correction.

OH, you people have me roflmao.

If you insist on using the "jump the spark" method on solid state ignitions,you risk the chance of burning out the module,really.A safer method would be to use a jumper wire,perhaps with alligator clips on both ends,one to the plug,the other to the block.In other words,make sure you have a good ground,although the "shock the wife "method does have a bit of humor to it,but also some repercussions,so to speak.

fubar2 said:

take out the spark plug, put the plug wire back on it, hand it to your wife, pull the rope. if she starts screaming youve got spark.

Click to expand...

Perfect!

Then look real concerned and ask if she is OK (perhaps a hug would be appropriate). Then explain, "Wow, that shouldn't happen. Guess it's time for a new saw."

Spark

Al , have you seen the B&S spark gap tester that has the gator clip that is used for the ground with variable gap that is set to .166" for the mowers ? I don't know if that was for the old points type of ignition only . Nevada Walrus has one that is made from a spark plug on his website.

tester

As far as I am concerned, the B&S tester is the best one out there.

B&S

Wayne , does it have any specifications as to spark gap and voltage ?

Testing for Spark:

On the last Homelite 5-20 I got, I cleaned the tank, replaced the fuel line and filter in the tank, replaced the diaphragms in the carb, cleaned and reset the pionts, spun her over by hand to check for spark, put her together and tried to start her. NO START. Pull the plug, pull her over and a bright blue spark at .025" plug gap. Primed the carb, pull some more. NO start. Replaced the plug with a new one. No start, but each time she would thorw a bright blue spark with a good snappy sound to it. I became a bit frustrated and figured I would need a new coil. Just for the heck of it (Sh!ts and giggles) I dropped the gap to .015" and the saw fired up. I ran her adjusted the old carb and shut her off to readjust the metering rod. She was running a bit rich. After that fired her up again and readjust the carb again. I ran her enough to warm up the saw and the ignition system to help get rid of any moisture that may have been around or in the coil. After running her and warming her up a few times, I then reset the plug to .025" gap and she hasn't refused to start since. Go figure. Take care. Lewis.

I have 2 spark testers,one by Snap -On and one by Briggs.It's a bit funny,they are exactly the same except for the name,hmm.

spark testers

Al , did either of your spark testers have specifications for gap and voltage ?

This is one that we sell here at Washington Hot saws. We also use it daily. I did however modify it by putting an aligator clip on the one end so that I could ground it directly and remove the plug so as not to have to pull against compression. These are $19.95 and have a life time warranty. http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y186/klickitat/sparktester_0338.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y186/klickitat/sparktester_0341.jpg

hey dean, i need a spark tester pretty bad now that i have my shop starting up. ill take one! will send a PM with my address for shipping cost.

could have sure used one today.. spark testing a customers weedwhacker with the plug against the head and ended up shooting a real nice fireball right at my hand.. never had that happen before! i just happened to be holding the plug at the time too.

At least ya won't have to shave or get a haircut for a while, dedcow they will start calling you Al Jolson if you keep testing spark that way.

Mc Bob.

P.S I can imagine the look on your face.