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No Spark

Posted: Wed Nov 26, 2014 7:22 pm
by RedHead
Hi I am new to this so bare with me, I picked up a 1969 502 on Sunday :twisted: , brought it home, clean it up, then put a little gas in the carburetor and after pulling a few times it started and run for about 3 seconds. I than turned off the key. Since then I have not been able to get it started again. I made a flywheel puller removed the flywheel to have a look at the points to see if this is where the problem was. The points looked in very good condition, with the flywheel on I checked the gap which is between .015 and .016". I also remove the black wire from the ignition switch but still no spark. Any suggestions of where else to look? Forgot to mention that I tried a new spark plug also.
Thanks

Re: No Spark

Posted: Thu Nov 27, 2014 12:00 pm
by Go Go Diablo
Hi Kevin,

Congratulations on your new purchase and welcome to the community of Hus Ski and Diablo enthusiasts.

Kevin has a Diablo 502 so this is the manual start Hirth 54R that is used in both the 500 and 502.

Kevin - you have the right thought in mind trying to isolate the issue by removing the black wire from the key switch. There are certainly times when something as simple as a bad key switch can make one pull their hair out trying to troubleshoot a problem. So here are a couple of comments from my perspective.

- When you test for spark, you typically have to be pulling the recoil to get the motor turning over fast enough to generate a spark. Trying to spin it by hand is not enough.
- The ignition coils and condensers are pretty hearty in these Bosch ignition systems, so they are rarely the problem. Be looking for more simple problems first.
- Make sure the points are not stuck and the moving half of the points is free on the post. Clean up the points with a little sandpaper if needed. If unsure if the points are making and breaking a connection, remove the wire going to the condenser from the points and then use an ohm meter between the black wire and engine case to verify the points are making and breaking contact. If that is happening, the problem is not in the points.
- Verify the connections on the motor terminal block (under the heat shield) is not grounding out.
- At this point, it's time to dig deeper. My next target would be the spark plug wire. If they are old, I just replace them.
- Still no spark, time to change the condenser and ignition coil.

Hope that helps.

Bruce

Re: No Spark

Posted: Thu Nov 27, 2014 8:41 pm
by RedHead
Had a friend come over tonight to check the points, condenser, ignition coil, and lighting coil with his meter. He found the ignition coil to be no good, points, condenser, and lighting coil are OK.

Thanks

Kevin

Re: No Spark

Posted: Tue Dec 23, 2014 8:05 pm
by RedHead
Hi All,
replaced the ignition coil, after that I had spark again. Since then I removed the tracks, drilled and welded in zerk grease fittings in the boogie assemblies, replaced all the bushings on the under carriage, then reassembled the boogie assemblies, replaced 2 track lacers and reinstalled the tracks,straightened the front bumper and sheet metal. Other than being a little rusty she is in great mechanical shape. 5 pulls and it coughed and a couple more and it started right up. Took it out into the backyard for a test run and everything is good.
I want to thank Bruce for this great website with the access to information and parts for the Diablos that make refurbishing easy. If only the Snow Cruisers were this nice to work on!

Kevin