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Carbon Tracking Ignition Miss

Yeeha! Stephen

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How long has it been since you've seen a sparkplug wire-end carbon track?
Been ages for me. Probably on an old small block Chevy.
I spent all morning looking for a miss on a DR650 and finally traced it to that.
Cleaned the cable end and the tops of the plugs with some cleaner and a Scotchbrite pad and everything seems ok now.
But will it last? Guess I'll run down and order some plug cable ends for good measure. Grrr... :giveup:
 
Back in the day we used to pull distributor caps and use a #2 pencil to draw rings around inside.
 
You can NOT successfully clean/remove carbon tracking! It actually eats into the material. REPLACE that wire!!

PS to Leon; you're bad! Ha!
 
True Dat....if it tracks change it out. That way you don't get caught away from home with a dead scooter.
 
The reason for the carbon track is extream resistance at some point beyond the track causing the charge to seek the path of least resistance . Kinda like trying to pump water thru a plastic pipe at 2000 psi . Ain't gonna make it .
 
The high voltage charge will always find the path of least resistance. Dust and moisture are two of the most common causes, that is why using a high pressure washer is bad on all electrical equipment on a motorcycle and things like fuel systems. If you wash a carb you would do well to avoid direct spray on it, if you do spray it remove the float bowl or look for a drain plug you can remove, most carbs come with a plug you can use to change jets. That will let water in the bottom of the carb to get out. Avoid spraying switches on the handlebars in particular. You can remove bar switches and use a over the counter spray to protect the switches, they tend to corrode when filled with water. Back in the day, I used to make money hand over fist when people brought BSA ,Triumph and Norton bikes in complaining of no electrical sparks or no lights. First thing I did was remove the niche chrome cover from the points recess to see how much water would come pouring out. The Amal carbs with ticklers would instantly fill up with water if you sprayed them at the local car wash. Japanese wireing is better but stiil tend to corrode with the type of chemical cleaning stuff car washes use.
 
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