Easy repair of Stihl 041AV spark plug wire/boot?

[ADK_XJ]

My FIL and I were using my old Farm Boss today as we have most snowy weekends this Winter and I went to change out the 16" bar for the 20" - upon closing up after it wouldn't start. Went to check that the spark plug wasn't flooded (seems to happen when I run hard and then shut it down for 10-20) and the top end of the plug boot came off in my hand with the wire sticking out the the rubber shield on the still attached side. Whoops!

I've searched a bit but couldn't find any other threads where it actually separated - is it as simple as me stripping back the wire and crimping a new line into the boot? I initially lost the spark coil but then found it on a shred of bark (Shew).

Would it be simpler to just buy a new boot assembly at Advance Auto or such? Does the wire connection need to be soldered to the metal coil to spark properly?

 

[ADK_XJ]

Sometimes a picture tells the story best - it occurs to me now this is maybe just how the boot is? Does it just slide over? What is the best practice for connecting the wire to the coil, then?

 

[pioneerguy600]

You just shove the wire in through the boot, grasp it with a small pair of needlenose pliers in where the sparkplug tip usually goes in, pull the wire end out, the sharp prong on the coiled wire end just pushes in through the wire insulation and then pull the wire back through the boot til it seats in its usual place for the sparkplug to connect to.

 

[ADK_XJ]

You just shove the wire in through the boot, grasp it with a small pair of needlenose pliers in where the sparkplug tip usually goes in, pull the wire end out, the sharp prong on the coiled wire end just pushes in through the wire insulation and then pull the wire back through the boot til it seats in its usual place for the sparkplug to connect to.

As usual, something so simple. Thanks, I'll try that out!

 

[Gerry Kenny]

Yes the sharp prong on the coiled wire end is used to pierce the coil wire insulation. This to make contact with the conductor wire inside the insulation. Assuming you have done this well and have good electrical contact with that coil wire, and the other circuit components such as spark plug are ok, it will work. Then with the coiled wire part attached to the coil cable you pull the wire back through the boot until it seats in its usual place for the sparkplug to connect to. The fit can be a bit tight but it works. Practice a few times before attaching to the coil wire. After you have shoved the wire in through the boot using a pliers you might discover you have no spark from the plug when you pull the saw pullcord. Assuming the coil and coil cable and spark plug are ok then you don't have a spark because you still do not not have good contact with the coil wire inner conductor. In such case try again. This time shoving the sharp prong on that coiled wire through the coil wire insulation in another location. The prong actually pierces to about half the diameter of the cable ie into the centre conductor. You could first use a sharp tipped thin pointed tool to make a hole precisely located in the coil wire, then try inserting the sharp prong part. I repaired same issue last week and it took a few tries before I got a reliable good connection. I have two very old saws and the connection had become dirty and therefore intermittently contacting. I used a test meter to verify a good connection continuity resistance from the coil wire to the coiled spring/spark plug. You could also use a spark plug tester or just improvise.