Spark issue (fixed!)

[Johnny340]

I was informed that sometimes Advent igintions may be faulty causing them to run intermittently right from the factory. However i would test the coil first and then switch to an NGK screw on type boot, this way you know you are getting good solid contact. Good luck, let me know. Also test the power wire on your Advent now that you have that one hooked up! Let me know.

Thanks again for your reply.
I've had this Advent ignition back to them once already and I know it is getting power. (This problem was identical with another CDI installed.) I think the problem must relate to a grounding issue with the spark plug leads or coil. I originally posted another thread about the leads seeming like they were grounding on the pipe and I think I may have been on the right track back then. I'm going to spray the leads with silicon spray and run a cooling hose or something over them (sealed at each end) to keep them away from other metal and water. I'll also pull the e-box (again) and make sure no other wires are close to the coil and that the coil is not touching the metal box (which is grounded of course).
I have another OEM coil on the way in case this new WSM one is no good.

I have searched and found other threads with identical problems that have not shown the final fix... If I get is sorted, I'll post the magic solution. In the meantime, others with experience with this condition please post any insight.

 

[cmeripper26]

Have you taken a reading from inside the plug boot to see if the voltage is carried all the way up. This would eliminate the issue of a bad plug boot. And i would def. open up the e-box and take the resistance measures on the coil and be sure they equal the manual ohm's. Good Luck!

 

[Johnny340]

Have you taken a reading from inside the plug boot to see if the voltage is carried all the way up. This would eliminate the issue of a bad plug boot. And i would def. open up the e-box and take the resistance measures on the coil and be sure they equal the manual ohm's. Good Luck!

I don't understand your first sentence about the plug boot voltage. I checked both wire ends and got an ohm reading of 4.2 K ohms which is within spec. The primary winding readings (Orange and Black wires) were .8 ohms which was also within spec.

 

[cmeripper26]

What im trying to say is are you sure your boots are crimped on making a solid connection, the only reason i ask is cuz your using the msd boots and it's real easy for that crimp connection to come loose with a little bumping around

 

[Johnny340]

What im trying to say is are you sure your boots are crimped on making a solid connection, the only reason i ask is cuz your using the msd boots and it's real easy for that crimp connection to come loose with a little bumping around

Yea, I wasn't happy with their crimp connection so I soldered it this time too. I get a good steady ohm reading from the ends.

 

[Cliff]

OK, I'm still stumped over this. Occasionally it runs perfect for 15-30 minutes and then major bog and no power. Runs on one cylinder only when it's bogging. Seems electrical because of the fact that there is no spark on one cylinder (sometimes front and sometimes rear!).
So far I have changed the plugs BR8ES (ADA head.)
Changed MSD boots
Changed Coil WSM
Changed CDI (Advent)
Changed Stator
Cleaned carb and changed internal filter.
Changed in-line filter
Changed Reeds
Pulled head - No scoring, good O-rings, everything turns free by hand.

I've been searching and can't find anything exactly like this. Could it be a bad ground? Cracked pipe? But when it runs, it runs great... It's an intermittent problem.
Thanks for any help on this frustrating gremlin.

what type of pipe do you have? a type 4 factory pipe is bad about cracking and causing all sorts of problems. ive learned this from a buddies ski this year. some signs of a cracked pipe are hard starts or having to lean the ski to one side in the water. for sure make sure you have good clean grounds. either way, we was thinking electrical the whole time although that wouldnt cause it to run on one cylinder.

 

[Johnny340]

what type of pipe do you have? a type 4 factory pipe is bad about cracking and causing all sorts of problems. ive learned this from a buddies ski this year. some signs of a cracked pipe are hard starts or having to lean the ski to one side in the water. for sure make sure you have good clean grounds. either way, we was thinking electrical the whole time although that wouldnt cause it to run on one cylinder.

I have a Factory B-Pipe Limited Chamber. I don't see any cracks but there was a little bit of exhaust grime leaking from the manifold to head pipe.
I just cleaned the grounds in the ebox.

 

[cmeripper26]

Do you have everything in the e-box ground to the regulator?

 

[Johnny340]

Do you have everything in the e-box ground to the regulator?

I put the CDI, coil and stator grounds together. On the other post, I put regulator and stop switch. How's that?

 

[cmeripper26]

When you get time, if you post up a pic of the e-box internals hooked up it would help me out so i can see everything

 

[teton]

you might want to replace your o-rings, and check if there's water entering the cylinder, I know people who spent hours messing with electronics just to have it fixed with a new o-ring. however I would imagine your plugs wouldnt be so dry if this was the case, It wouldnt help ruling it out....

 

[cmeripper26]

You would tell if you had a bad o-ring in the head, there would be signs of water on the plugs, they would look very milky colored and moist.

 

[Johnny340]

OK, I just got back from a good holiday with my RN running great!

After talking with a few people, (Art at Jetworks was one of them) the consensus was that one of my plug wires was grounding out somewhere. You can run the engine at night to see where the spark is jumping and you can determine if its one wire or a cylinder/spark plug not firing by swapping the working plug wire back and forth.

1.) I was daylight and I had to get it going so I took the ebox out again and made sure there were no ground wires close to the coil. (My Advent water injection lines were close....but I had the problem with other CDIs)
2.) I also spaced the coil further away from the grounded metal ebox.
3.) Then I sprayed the spark plug wires in silicone spray, put a couple old rubber air hoses over them with silicone sealing the ends and heat shrink holding them in place.
4.) Then I made sure the spark plug wires were zip tied securely away from the Pipe. Apparently B-Pipes are common for grounding wires out.
5.) The final thing I did was solder the MSD boot clips to the wires.

Who knows which of these things made the difference but it's good to report that the problem is gone! Thanks for your help and suggestions. Hopefully the next guy to have this problem can search this out to find what works.

 

[DC SUPERJET]

This just started happening to my ski like 3 days ago....weird. I'll give the mentioned solutions a try.