And God said, "Let there be Spark!"

After rebuilding the engine in the last post, I have spent the last two weeks working on the timing.  That is a job that should take about 20-30 minutes for a novice.

I don't know many times I have found top-dead-center, then 27º before-top-dead-center, checked for the break in continuity at 27º btdc, put the flywheel on... then tried for a spark.  

NOTHING!

Over and over.. tear down, set points, flywheel on, try for spark.  NOTHING!

I have been in a trouble-shooting email conversation with Rick Chapman in Ohio looking for answers.  About 10 emails from each of us describing the problem and restating the correct procedures.  And of course there are the alternate procedures on the karting forums from Steve O'hara and others.  

Still NOTHING!   

I worked on it for over an hour yesterday and finally took a walk to pray about it.  Yes, that should have been first.  I just was so frustrated and felt like screaming.

Rick had suggested there may be a short somewhere.  OK... But I am a total novice at electrical stuff.  But I love schematics, so I drew up this of the ignition system:

I was looking for the short so the diagram shows the two "sides" to complete the circuit. One is the condenser side(dotted lines); the other the block side(slash lines).  I did this just before going off to bed (I only dreamed about it a little).

Today I bought a new points file... and filed the @#$% out of the points. And rebuilt the points, timing, coil, etc.

NOTHING!

aaaaaaggggghhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!

I did scream a little.  I felt like have been banging my head against the wall for two weeks.

With everything put together, I used a drill to turn over the crank to test for a spark.  NOTHING!  Then there was....

BANG!  TINGLE-TINGLE-TINGLE-TINGLE!   My pinky finger that I was holding the spark wire with got shocked!  That was a surprise.   But there was a spark.  So I did it again.  TINGLE-TINGLE-TINGLE-TINGLE.  Crap!  That means a the current is getting to the shroud... so there is a short somewhere.  

I left my schematic beside my bed this morning, so I turned to go get it to try to find the short.  

BANG! (this was in my brain, this time)   In my minds eye I saw the area schematic at the spark plug.  THE SPARK PLUG NEEDS TO BE TOUCHING THE BLOCK  to complete the circuit!  I was getting shocked because I WAS THE BLOCK carrying the current.

So I pressed the spark plug to the shroud... and... BRIGHT, BEAUTIFUL, HOT SPARKS!

I sort of remember Sonny Gerber showing me that, but it was over shadowed by an old prank he told me about.  (I will not discuss it here.  I will show you if you mess around the engine)

Now I feel so dumb!  or at least ignorant.   But I did learn a lot about setting the timing...over and over and over.  

Now I can move on to putting the engine on the frame and trying to fire it off.