ATV Tech Tip: Diagnosing no spark or weak spark from an ATV ignition
July 30, 2010 by Andy Swanson
A gasoline engine needs three things on order to run: fuel, compression and spark. Missing fuel or compression? That’s usually easier to track down and probably due to a mechanical problem like a dirty carburetor. Low compression is also a mechanical issue a technician can see and wrap his or her head around, but lack of spark from an ATV ignition system often throws people for a loop because the problem could be from multiple sources. Start diagnosis and repair with the simplest and least expensive culprits by working through the following inspections.
1. Make sure the engine has the correct spark plugs and they’re gapped correctly. This might seem silly and really elementary, but seemingly big problems are sometimes caused by the simplest failures.
2. Check connection of the spark plug cap to the spark plug wire. Also check the spark plug wire condition.
3. Disconnect the main electrical connector coming out of the engine, and then check for spark again. This unhooks the kill switch, ATV ignition switch and wiring for those switches. If the spark improves, the problem is within wiring from one of those switches or a switch itself is to blame. Now you’ll need to disconnect each switch (one at a time) to trace it to the failed part.
4. Test the stator resistance to make sure it’s within the manufacturer’s specification. You can get the specs from a dealer or try a search online.
Most dealers don’t accept returns on electrical parts, so be sure the part you order is to blame, otherwise you could be stuck with a brand new, expensive ignition part and an ATV ignition that still doesn’t have spark. Think of your friends and riding partners who have the same or similar quad. You might be able to borrow parts from their machines to diagnose the problem.
Last 5 posts by Andy Swanson
- ATV Tech Tip: How to set-up a home-based ATV repair shop - September 1st, 2010
- ATV Tech Tip: How to choose new ATV tires - August 27th, 2010
- ATV Tech Tip: How to make an ATV battery last longer - August 21st, 2010
- ATV winch tips - August 13th, 2010
- ATV Tech Tip: Loosening stubborn hardware - August 6th, 2010
![[del.icio.us]](http://images.del.icio.us/static/img/delicious.small.gif){kind=small}
Comments
Feel free to leave a comment...
and oh, if you want a pic to show with your comment, go get a gravatar!