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Thread: 185s ignition

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Dec 2018
    Location
    Brooklet Ga
    --
    6

    185s ignition

    I let my 185S sit up for quite a while as I finished restoring my last airplane and now it has no fire. I changed the plug and pulled it for a half mile or so behind my Polaris Ranger with no luck. Does anyone have a suggestion as to where to start looking. Thanks Skip

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    South Florida
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    6,722
    Stator and CDI box are the common faults with those , make sure all wire connections are good .
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  3. #3
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    USA
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    4,114
    Do you have and know how to use a multi meter? It would making the troubleshooting process a lot easier if you do.

    Here's the troubleshooting tree down to no spark It's a good list of possible issue.




    Here's how to test of of the electrical components, again multi meter needed for this. If there's anything you can't read, let me know and I can zoom in and read it off for you.





    Also pulse generator gap is pretty critical too.



    I normally get service manuals from http://www.oscarmayer.net/atc/manuals/ but it looks like it's missing this service manual. I'll send it to the site owner so he can update the page.

    If you don't have a multi-meter, you'd have to do some funky wiring with lights and such to visualize things like hook a light to the CDI wires that go to the coil to see if the coil is getting signal etc and work backwards from there electrically. It's possible the CDI box is at fault. If everything tests well, pop the CDI box out and smack it on a hard surface a couple times, don't try to destroy it, just enough to jar things around and try it again. I've read some members have had luck doing that. I believe this model also has the CDI still in production but it's pretty expensive.

    Let us know how things go.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Dec 2018
    Location
    Brooklet Ga
    --
    6
    Thanks guys I have 3 or 4 meters I fly and restore antique airplanes for a hobby so I have darn near every tool known to mankind. I just ordered the puller for the flywheel if I need to pull that. What are you calling the CDI box I know what it is but where is it located is it near the coil underneath the tank. I have never had to turn a wrench on this thing since I bought it new in 82 except to change the plug and change the oil and air filter. I guess I have been lucky all these years. It has never given me any trouble but after sitting 3 years I guess it went to sleep on me.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    USA
    --
    4,114
    The CDI box is typically under the tank near the coil. There's no real good way to test the CDI, so it's kind of a if nothing else works, try another CDI (known working is best). In the service manual photos, the box right next to the ignition coil is the CDI box. I'm pretty sure it's the only black box on the whole machine so hard to mistake it for another part.

    I'd target the ohm tests on the exciter coil and pulse generator. The exciter coil is the "power supply" for the CDI, the pulse generator is like an electric distributor, it pulses every revolution and the CDI triggers spark based on that. I haven't seen it often, but the ignition coil can fail too. CDI's are generally they work or they don't. Most common cause I know if is the pin header gets stress cracks where it's solder inside. If you don't mind opening things up, it should be possible to cut open the CDI box opposite to the connector and reflow/resolder the pins. The capacitors also way beyond their expected life span (~20 years), so if you know how to look up their specs and buy replacements, you could recap the CDI box and have a like new performing CDI for pretty cheap + the effort. It will never look pretty again though lol.

    Hopefully I didn't go over your head on the electronics talk. I wouldn't mess with the CDI unless it's the last thing that could be at fault. Also never hurts to double check your have a solid frame ground connection. Ohm check between the green wire on the CDI plug to the engine. Closer to 0 ohms the better.

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