[s-cars] Checking for spark

[tedebearp at yahoo.com]

Might be too late for the fuel wash as my wife has tried to start the engine repeatedly (and she did shut it down while it was cold because it was running roughly). Now what?  Pull all the spark plugs and let the fuel evaporate?  Put some transmission oil in each cylinder?

As I mentioned in my last post, it's my wife's E46 with a no-start condition (and no trouble codes) - but I figure the principles we're discussing are the same for any car.  

Sent from my iPad

> On Jan 25, 2016, at 4:16 PM, Tom Green <trgreen at comcast.net> wrote:
> 
> Teddy,
> 
> You can remove the coil pack and lay it across the engine.  You may have to clip some zip ties if you have the wires bundled up close.  Remove all the plugs and put them back in the connectors.  Adjust the coil pack cover so all plugs have the threads grounded on the valve cover.  Pull all the injector connectors to prevent fuel washing the cylinders.  Check for spark with all the coils attached to resistance (grounded plugs).  With reduced lighting, you may be able to subjectively judge spark strength of each coil.  If you are interested in only one cylinder you can disconnect coil power from the unused half at the firewall (2 or 3 ) and concentrate on the 2 or 3 that still have power.  This is the Bentley means for checking for a weak coil that may be dropping out at high boost levels, but has sufficient power for smooth operation at idle.
> 
> Tom
> 
> 
>> On Jan 24, 2016, at 5:14 PM, Theodore Chen <tedebearp at yahoo.com>  wrote:
>> 
>> How do you do it with a coil on plug system?  I used to do it on my Mustang by removing the spark plug, attaching the spark plug wire, grounding the spark plug by laying it on the engine (thereby grounding it), and watching for spark while trying to start the engine.
>> 
>> Can I do the same thing with the coil on plug setup?  I can use a jumper cable to clamp the spark plug and a good ground.
>> 
>> Sent from my iPad
> 
>