Re: Milano No-Spark

[marc <thresh@domain.elided>]

Date: Sun, 3 Mar 2002 11:21:55 -0500
From: christian147@domain.elided
Subject: Re: Milano -- No spark
Marc, I always use a dwell or duty cycle meter for checking, I've been
burned by a level shift so the pulse never came to zero and I didn't
calibrate the scope first. So I always use dwell or duty cycle now. I
don't mean to offend, but are you sure you connected the scope to the
negative post of the coil (guess how I know that one). The Bosch"008"
ignitors are very reliable, I have never seen one go bad. After market
engine management companys recommend them. Neat pieces, takes care of
dwell compensation also. The coils on the other hand, I have seen lots
of them go bad. Internal shorts, usually traced to bad plug wires. When
I worked at the dealer, the coils were only available with the ignitors
as an assembly, so I striped the good ignitors and saved them. After
years of keeping them and never having a use for them I finally trashed
them. Within a year I started working with engine management and could
have used them. Such is life.
Good Luck
Chris
Hi Chris,
You were right on the money.  I was pretty sure that I had tested both the 
negative and positive on the coil at first but didn't get any signal. It 
took me a while to figure out that the key is putting battery+ to the coil+ 
so it must be coil - that is being pulsed by the ignitor (ignition 
module).  I must have only tested the positive on the original bosch 
unit.  I know I didn't get any signal on the negative with the 
"replacement" ignitor though.  I ended up placing the original Bosch 
ignitor back in and during this second try I was getting a clean signal 
(kind of a stepped square wave, for lack of a better term) on coil-.  I 
then checked one of the plugs again and was getting an occasional weak 
spark.  I replaced the coil and plugs, and after a little cranking to clear 
the flooding, it fired up.  The original coil still passes the ohms check, 
but must have had some kind of breakdown at high voltage which was killing 
the spark.  Thanks for the help.
To all the others that replied, thanks again for your suggestions.

Marc

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