96 XP - Intermittant spark to front cylinder

[Donl]

Ski ran fine all day, then started missing. I pulled the seat to find that the front spark plug was loose. I tightened that, now that cylinder barely fires at all. It acts like a loose connection somewhere, but I can't find a thing. Using a timing light, I checked the spark plug wires all the way back to the coil. I even tried a different coil, and it did the same thing. The rear cylinder's spark is as it should be. Spark goes to both from one coil, and they fire at the same time, if I'm not mistaken, which is why I don't understand what is going on. Any ideas would be appreciated ! Thank you in advance !

[1fastski.com]

Re: 96 XP - Intermittant spark to front cylinder

how do you know its not getting spark ?

[Donl]

Re: 96 XP - Intermittant spark to front cylinder

I connected a timing light to each spark plug wire. Rear fires consistantly, front - nothing. I also pulled the spark plugs and grounded each one - same result.

[Bill O'Neal2]

Re: 96 XP - Intermittant spark to front cylinder

If your front spakplug was loose, you may have siezed the front clyinder. Do a compression check. A loose spark plug will cause an air leak to that clyinder.

It is not impossible to lose spark from one side of the coil.

[Bill O'Neal2]

Re: 96 XP - Intermittant spark to front cylinder

A possible reason that you did not get the timing light to work on that sparkplug wire is that the connector on the sparkplug end of that ignition lead from the coil is not making a connection, thus no grounding through the sparkplug and no reading on the timing light. Unless that lead is grounded, you won't see a timing light pulse, becuse all the power from the coil is going to the other sparkplug that is grounded.

Snip off 1/2 inch of the sparkplug leads and re-connect both caps. A common problem.

[Donl]

Re: 96 XP - Intermittant spark to front cylinder

Snipping the sparkplug lead did it ! Thank you !