Monday, May 20, 2019

A Small Engine Spark Tester


I got fed up with gimmicky spark testing apparatuses, so I came up with this.


It's an 18" length of wire with an alligator clip on one end, and a battery terminal post clip on the other. The alligator clip is big enough to clip onto an engine cooling fin or whatever for a ground connection. The battery terminal post clip will fit any spark plug's body.

Here's a view of the tester connected on a string trimmer.


In the above photo, the cooling fins are inaccessible, so the ground connection is made at the carburetor's idle speed adjustment screw.

The tester works nicely. It's best to have the machine under test inside a darkened workshop, where you can be certain of seeing the spark if there is one.

Some lawn mowers can be awkward for positioning the spark plug so it's visible. At times, you may need an assistant to observe the spark plug while you yank the starter cord.

Anyway, it's 'farewell' to gimmicks like this thing.


And 'hello' to reliable spark testing.

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