The high tension cable should be firmly connected to the plug terminal under all circumstances. A loose connection will cause misfiring or will bring the engine to an abrupt halt. If snap terminals are not used the plug binding screw should be screwed down tightly on the wire. When making connections see that the wire is bright and clean, and that frayed ends of the wire do not project beyond the plug and make contact with other parts of the engine.
A large percentage of high tension ignition troubles are due to short circuits in the spark plug which are generally caused by deposits on the surface of the plug insulation. Soot or oil may be removed from the plug by scrubbing the porcelain and the interior of the chamber with gasoline applied by a tooth brush. Examine the plug for cracks, and if any are found, replace the porcelain or throw the plug away. A cracked porcelain is always a cause of trouble.
To test a plug for short circuits, remove it from the cylinder, reconnect the wire, and lay the sleeve of the plug on some bright metal part of the engine in such a way that only the threaded portion is in contact with the metal of the engine. Close the switch and see if sparks pass through the gap. If no sparks appear, and if the coil is operating properly, clean the plug. As an additional test for the condition of the coil, hold the end of the high tension cable about ¼ inch from the metal of the engine while the coil is operating. If a heavy discharge of sparks takes place between the end of the cable and the metal of the engine, the coil is in good condition.
If a partial short circuit exists, the spark at the gap will be weak and without heat; the result will be intermittent, or misfiring with a loss of power. Moisture in the cylinder is a common cause of plug short circuits, the moisture coming from leaks in the water jacket or from the condensation of gases in a cold cylinder. A drop of water may bridge the spark gap, allowing the current to flow from one electrode to the other without causing a spark.
If a cloud of bluish white smoke has been issuing from the exhaust pipe before the misfiring started, you will probably find that the trouble is due to sooted or short circuited plug.
The remedy is to decrease the amount of lubricating oil fed to the cylinder.
When a magneto is used the intense heat of the spark causes minute particles of metal to be torn from the electrodes and deposited on the insulation as a fine metallic dust. This will of course cause a short circuit and must be removed. Short circuits are sometimes caused by the magneto current melting the electrodes and dropping small beads of the metal between the conductors. All metallic particles should be removed from the plug.
While a spark plug may show a fair spark in the open air test, it will not always produce a satisfactory spark in the cylinder on account of the increased resistance of the spark gap due to compression.
Compression increases the resistance of the spark gap enormously and thin, highly resisting carbon films that would cause very little leakage in the open air will entirely short circuit the gap under high pressure, the current taking the easiest path which in the latter case is the carbon deposit.
In order to produce conditions in the open air test similar to those in the cylinder we must devise some method of increasing the resistance of the spark gap in the open air above any possible resistance that could be offered by the carbon film.