Spark Hot Enough?
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Spark Hot Enough?
Can anyone tell me a good way to tell if my spark is hot enough? I can pull a plug and crank the engine from nder the hood but what should i look for? A specific color or something? If my spark is weak, would that be the same as a rich fuel mixture?
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From: Virginia
It should have a blue color to it.
A weak spark will not cause a rich fuel mixture. It will cause the engine to miss fire, which will cause some smell in the exhaust, but the engine will run rough a well.
A weak spark will not cause a rich fuel mixture. It will cause the engine to miss fire, which will cause some smell in the exhaust, but the engine will run rough a well.
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Thanks, I'll have to look on my next day off. I'm running pretty smooth but my mileage has been horrible and my plugs are black and sooty. I was just wondering if weak spark might be contributing to this. I'm also troubleshooting the carb setup right now as well, i don't think i'm totally dialed in there yet. Thanks again, i'll try to post when i have a chance to look at the spark again. I'm working til sat and won't have a chance before then.
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One more thing, if i pull a plug, plug it into its wire, and then crank the engine over with the solenoid under the hood, is that the best way to check spark? Sorry if thats an elementary question. I'm still working on my diagnostic skills.
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From: Virginia
If you just jump the solenoid, you will not get any spark. You have to turn the ignition key on to have spark.
I would lean toward it not being a spark problem, especially if it fires right up on a cold morning. A weak spark will usually cause it to be hard to start when cold.
I would lean toward it not being a spark problem, especially if it fires right up on a cold morning. A weak spark will usually cause it to be hard to start when cold.
