(IGNITION) How To: Test your ignitors
 

OK, we had Ray give us a crazy way to test ignitors in bulk, but I figured that we needed a method that can be done indoors so it doesn't matter what's going on outside.

To that end, I pulled the old test schematic we've seen over and over and slapped together an ignitor test station with some wire, speaker quick disconnect clips (fat and thin, the thin type being for car stereo speakers' negative tabs...what is that? 0.14" for the thin type?), a 12V test lamp and the trusty yellowtop Optima battery, the finest battery upgrade for an RX-7, EVAR.

Here's the old schematic we're used to seeing that got Ray so 'enraged' he came up with that crazy testing-on-the-engine-while-it's-running thread from a while's back...and an added bonus for any entrepeneurs out there. My quicky design for a test box I decided I won't be making.

https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1205019152


First, I pulled some old paired wire and then put the quick disconnects on it...only one big and one thin one is necessary. I use heat shrink tube for everything which ended up making one of the pics somewhat confusing. The other end of that paired wire simply had the ends stripped with bare wire exposed.


https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1205019152

Here's the connections while I was setting up my 'proof of concept' station to test the schematic. By "clip" in the pic, I mean quick disconnect clip. There are two flat pins in that recessed socket, you push your test wire clip on the left side one. The big clip goes on the spade up top closest to those pins...easiest way to remember it when it comes time for mass testing of ignitors? Stay Left.

https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1205019152


Proof of Concept test one, wire not touching...

https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1205019152


Proof of Concept test success!

https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1205019152

After that, I decided on a quicker way to secure the ground to the case instead of a wound rubber band...the Quick Grips find yet another application.

https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...3&d=1205019466


The test station in its final state.

https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...4&d=1205019466


Basically, it's just a matter of

• ...get your fabbed test wire with the two quick disconnects already attached and determine which of the wires is connected to the fat clip...that one gets strapped to the positive battery terminal throughout all of the testing. It doesn't get touched again. The other wire needs to hang loose away from touching anything, its the switch wire.
• ...plugging in the two clips...with the silver ground plate facing you, just remember to plug into the left side terminals. One clip is fat and the other is thin, so you can't mix them up, right?
• .... use the Quick Grips to hold the ground wire to the case.
• ...use the test lamp's alligator clip to get the right side spade that didn't get the big quick disconnect clip, make sure that alligator clip does not touch the other spade if it's a fat alligator.:rlaugh:
• ...touch the "switch" wire to the top positive post of the battery to see if the lamp lights up.

If it does, you're golden.

Including the time it took me to go out to the garage and get the Quick Grips to change how the ground wire would be attached to the ignitor, I was able to test ALL of these ignitors in 7 minutes even as I enjoyed a White Russian beverage as a distraction.:D

How a stock 1stgen RX-7 owner measures his Wealth...:crackup:

https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...5&d=1205019466


I dunno...I might end up building a test box or two and see if I can hawk them on my website that's about to debut here in a month or so.




:cool:

arhives?

Nice. Archive worthy. What where the results for the 7 test items?

Sweet, can I bring it the junkyard to test ignitors?

Rich (64MGB) built a portable version of this that runs on a 9v battery. That would be a good setup for testing junkyard ignitors.

Edit: Here you go: https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...ignitor+tester

in the hayness iirc it says you can test with a digital voltmeter test the ohms i think it said 1000ohms was the magin number but i have allways found them at 1600-1800 in working condition but if they gave readings when u switch the conections around they were toast.

Thanks for the reference, gsl-se addict. But mine actually has clips to clip it on the car battery. You could easily convert it to use a 9v battery though.

Rich

You're right. Maybe I was thinking that becuase you were going to try the 9v. Anyway, shouldn't be a problem to use a 9v and would make it nice and portable.

Did you do those other mods to the tester yet? :p: lol

ahhh, the trusty ol continuity checker, nice idea. i made one when i was younger and had a dirt bike for setting timing. when the contacts closed, light on.

You can find all sorts of parts to make a dedicated tester from http://www.allelectronics.com including wire, rechargable batteries, cases, and etc.... I used to shop there alot when I worked with electronincs. They mey even have some overstock Multimeters that always come in handy for electrical work.