My atv up and stopped running today while the kids were riding it. Was acting up some, dieing every now and then. I am getting no spark at the plug. I pulled the wires to the plug and put my voltmeter on them while cranking and get nothing. This thing only has one main fuse and it is good.
Does this sound like the spark box? any suggestions on things I can check?
Where are the electrical gurus on this one? :sad:
I have never had to trouble shoot this kind of issue and have no clue where to start. What I do know is still out of work for 10 months and my budget is $0, so I can't really just go out and replace stuff till I get it going. It has about ruined spring break for my kids as we are at my mom's place and they were looking forward to riding it all day every day as usual.
Well, the voltmeter is probably of no use here. The voltage should only occur for very short intervals, and should be very high - somewhere around 10,000 volts or so. If it is working, it could damage the voltmeter.
Pull the plugs -- are they clean? Take a clean plug and lay it on the engine block so the threads/body of the plug are touching the block, then turn the engine over. Do you see a blue or white spark across the plug gap?
I don't know what type of ignition system your ATV has. What year/model is the ATV? Can you find anything on Google or the manufacturer's web site that describes the ignition system? If so, post a link.
Not knowing what kind of ignition your ATV has does not help. Back trace this to the coil, do you have juice there, do you have 12 volts on either side of the coil, do you have 12 volts...hmmm can you load a schematic here so we can take a gander at it.
Look for broken or disconnected/loose wires. If you say it has a spark box, that rules out points, does this have a battery or is it magneto power, does it need a battery to run?
I would tear it apart and see what has or does not have juice, maybe someone here could help figure this out.
I did check the plug exactly as you describe. no spark what so ever. so I looked at the coil. It is very small and has 2 wires. using my ohms meter I see one side goes to ground and one does not. so I put the meter (before your warning) on the positive side and turned the engine over. nothing, not a bump and my meter did not get cooked so I assume no juice.
It has a black box, just like my Magna did, for the ignition. It does not have a fuse box though. I have not been able to find anything on google of any value except somebody with a bigger model with the same issue and everyone was talking stator. No resolution for them. I have trouble thinking it is stator as the battery has kept a good charge. My guess is it is the little black spark box.
I have no manuals or anything for it. My sister gave it to me not running. I put a new battery, cleaned up the carb and it has run like a champ ever since. Till now.
I all I know is it is a Honda Recon 250, I think 2001.
check the on/off switch. if that grounds the coil in the off position, it could have gotten water inside or be corroded causing no spark.
THANK YOU CHAD! It was the switch. I totally slipped even thinking about it. What a relief.
Quote from: DG on March 18, 2011, 10:12:01 PM
THANK YOU CHAD! It was the switch. I totally slipped even thinking about it. What a relief.
cool beans :) Always check the simple stuff first :)
Normally it's not this easy.........BUUUTTTT, it's great when it is! I guess that makes Chad the electrical Guru.
This thing has been running for so long with so much neglect I was just expecting something to go bad on it.