330 spark issue

[HomeliteMan]

I have my 330 apart to put on a new pulse line, intake boot, and carburetor mount plate, and to just clean it up a little. So I decided while I had it apart I would check the spark to just make sure it is getting good spark before I put it back together. I put on my spark tester and turned the flywheel over with my drill and it is not getting good spark until it is spinning very fast and just thought that it should have a little bit better spark even when it is spinning slow. I was wandering if anyone has any advice on it?

[edju1958]

I'd say to check your air gap on your flywheel,it should be set at .015.You can use a business card rather than a feeler gauge because the feeler gauge is made of metal & may cause difficulties with the setting of the air gap due to the magnets on the flywheel.I almost always use a business card.I 'd think that a thousandth of an inch or two thousands wouldn't matter too much as long as you're in the ballpark.

                                                          Edn

[HomeliteMan]

Thanks for the advice. I will give it a try tomorrow.

[5terrysupersaws]

Dec 4, 2018 19:49:11 GMT -5 HomeliteMan said:

I have my 330 apart to put on a new pulse line, intake boot, and carburetor mount plate, and to just clean it up a little. So I decided while I had it apart I would check the spark to just make sure it is getting good spark before I put it back together. I put on my spark tester and turned the flywheel over with my drill and it is not getting good spark until it is spinning very fast and just thought that it should have a little bit better spark even when it is spinning slow. I was wandering if anyone has any advice on it?

Electronic Ignition systems may require more flywheel rpm than points ignitions to produce spark.
All should be well if spark is produced on a test plug (ground electrode removed) or jump a gap of .250"

Recommend removing the module and flywheel to ensure there is no debris behind that would affect cooling.

[HomeliteMan]

Thanks, I appreciate the advice.

[sweepleader]

I use a business card too when setting the air gap but it is more like .006". I suspect that Ed may have been thinking of the point gap when he said .015".

[edju1958]

Dec 5, 2018 13:58:56 GMT -5 sweepleader said:

I use a business card too when setting the air gap but it is more like .006". I suspect that Ed may have been thinking of the point gap when he said .015".

I got the air gap info from Acres' site.Even though it said that the 330 had an ignition module,it said the air gap was .015.

                                                                         Ed

                                                                

[sweepleader]

Hmm, well, can't argue with that, not that I wanted to. I do know that the closer the gap, the better the magnetic coupling between the flywheel magnets and the coil/module iron core. That translates to a hotter spark. There does need to be enough gap so the parts do not touch when running, under heat stress and all. There needs to be allowance for any play in the crank bearings but if they have as much as .001" they will not be long for this world.

Like you, I use the business card, always worked, no trouble. :{)

[HomeliteMan]

So today I went ahead and took the coil off and cleaned it, I looked at the magnet, it looked good. So I went ahead and put the coil back on and set the air gap with a business card. After that I tested the spark with my drill again because I haven't put it back together yet since I'm still waiting on one last part for it, and it should be here Friday. But when I tested the spark it seemed the same so I guess when I put it back together, I can see if the spark I'm getting now will be enough.

[edju1958]

If you continue to have weak  spark & the saw won't fire,do like Sweepleader says & narrow the air gap even more.Sometimes as the module begins to get weak it needs a closer gap.

                                                                                                   Ed

[5terrysupersaws]

Dec 5, 2018 20:43:26 GMT -5 HomeliteMan said:

So today I went ahead and took the coil off and cleaned it, I looked at the magnet, it looked good. So I went ahead and put the coil back on and set the air gap with a business card. After that I tested the spark with my drill again because I haven't put it back together yet since I'm still waiting on one last part for it, and it should be here Friday. But when I tested the spark it seemed the same so I guess when I put it back together, I can see if the spark I'm getting now will be enough.

What are you using as a "spark tester" ?

[HomeliteMan]

I will try that if the spark issue continues. thanks for all the help.

[HomeliteMan]

I'm using an inline spark tester.

[HomeliteMan]

Here is the tester.

[5terrysupersaws]

Dec 6, 2018 17:01:06 GMT -5 HomeliteMan said:

Here is the tester.

This tester will only show a presence of spark and with a spark plug on the end of it some voltage will be lost 
lighting the lamp.

Eliminate the tester and use a non resistor spark plug with the ground electrode removed or bent away to increase
it's gap to about a 1/4 inch.Use a jumper lead from the body of the plug (or from the bent away ground electrode) to 
a cylinder fin..this will ensure a good ground.
Spin with your drill in the proper direction, if spark is achieved on the test plug then all is good and there is adequate 
voltage produced to fire the spark plug under compression .

Add: remove the spark plug from the cylinder to allow the engine to spin freely while doing the test.

[ettrick]

We do not really know the rpm the drill is going. A pull rope is quite fast just not many revolutions. It sounds like it sparks good when you speed it up so i bet no problems. I do not know how these saw modules work, but on some old snow machines i work on, the spark is retarded to start and then changes when rpm comes up. One type i have has two windings, a thin type with more turns for easier spark to start, and thicker type wire with less turns for running since the higher rpm produces more power. The thin wire fails sooner so the system will not allow starting after stopping, even though it ran good before shutting the engine off. I wonder how these modules are wired.
Dan

[HomeliteMan]

I won't get a chance to work on it again till Sunday evening but will try testing the spark without the tester, and Dan you could be right, the spark might be fine to begin with. I will let you guys know what I come up with when I work on it again.

[HomeliteMan]

So I got back to work on my 330 tonight since my new carburetor mount plate didn't show up till today even though it was supposed to be here last Friday. But anyway I got everything back together and tested the spark with the recoil starter back on the saw and it seemed to be fine so it may have been fine to begin with. I primed the carb and tried to start it and it fired, once I got fuel up to the carb through the line it started idling good. I made a few carb adjustments and got it running good on the high side, so I think with some fine tuning it will be good to go.

[onlyhomelites]

Great to hear!

[sweepleader]

Great! I love it when one of these old things comes back to life!