No Spark—No Joy

High-resistance plugs and tester.

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Many times starting problems can be traced to spark plugs with high resistance. The high resistance of the plug can make it very difficult for the magneto to fire a spark, especially at lower starting rpm. Long-term wear of the magneto points can become a problem as well. The plugs should be checked at the annual condition inspection, every 100 hours, or whenever starting problems are noted. Tempest makes a really nice go/no-go tester, but you can use a normal ohmmeter as well. Resistance should be less than 2K ohms when tested across the center electrode. Most new plugs will indicate around 800-1200 ohms.

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Vic Syracuse
Vic is a fixed-wing and helicopter commercial pilot, CFII with ASMEL/ASES ratings, an A&P/IA, DAR, and EAA technical advisor and flight counselor. Passionately involved in aviation for over 40 years, he has built 11 aircraft and logged over 10,000 hours in 72 different kinds of aircraft. Vic volunteers as a Young Eagle pilot, has his own sport aviation business called Base Leg Aviation, and has written two books on aircraft prebuy and condition inspections.

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