Got Spark? An article about the spark plug in your small engine.
Take a look at the picture above and guess what all of these spark plugs have in common? The spark plugs are all no good and foul out. Looks can be deceiving, right? Some of the plugs do look very old, but a few of them look as though they should be good. 2-Stroke and 4-Stroke small engines basically need three things to run, fuel, compression, and spark.
This article is all about spark and spark plugs. Most of the time the spark plug needs to be replaced, but occasionally the culprit is the magneto coil that generates the spark as a magnet in the flywheel passes by, every few milliseconds as the engine runs. The coils in leaf blowers, from my experience, seem to go the most. If I had to guess, it is because of the nature of the way we use the equipment and the consistently high rpms probably contribute too. Coils are funny too, sometimes they just go, and sometimes they deteriorate over time, the latter is because of heat, heat is the enemy. If you don’t change your oil and keep air cooled throughways clear of grass, clippings and debris your coil will go. I recommend you change your spark plug every year. I use Champion spark plugs, and every Startegies tune-up includes a new spark plug, free as part of your service.
Do you know how to check your spark and spark plug? The old school way only requires a ratchet and socket of the appropriate size and a long flat head screwdriver. First remove the rubber boot from the plug, then use the ratchet and long socket to remove the spark plug. Then reconnect the spark plug to the boot and use the tip of the flat head screwdriver to touch the head area where the spark plug screws in and touch the bottom of the spark plug to the shaft of the screwdriver to create continuity and turn the engine over or pull the cord. Make sure the kill switch or key is in the ‘on’ position. You should see a nice white spark, if you do not, then replace the spark plug and test again. If you still have no spark then you need to replace the coil. Small engine repair at its fundamental basis is the process of elimination, 85% of my service calls are related to fuel, but almost all of the remainder are spark related.
