Rough Running Engine fixed!
in General Tech Discussion
8 years ago
A couple of days ago I finally cured my rough running engine problem. Looking back, it makes me feel kinda dumb for not
doing it sooner. The cure: I had a cold cylinder and a very rough running engine several weeks back, and Joe at Lockwood
suggested I clip 1/8" off the top and bottom sparkplug wires at the plug connector. I did this and that cylinder was no
longer cold after a run, but the engine was still running rough. especially on ignition module A.
At this point I was almost sure my problem was with the ignition and sent the modules to Lockwood for bench testing. The
modules checked out okay. So now I was back to square one. Then the thought occurred to me to clip the ends off all the
remaining plug wires and voila! Problem solved. Now the engine runs great. At mag check, I'm now getting only 80 rpm
drop on each module. Hopefully, this info may help someone with the same problem.
Also, I found out a couple of things that might be of use to others on this forum; One, Lockwood will bench test your
ignition modules for $50. Second, if you have a rough running engine, try clipping 1/8-1/4" off the sparkplug leads and
then rescrewing them back into the sparkplug connectors.
If your ignition modules fail the bench test, you can order the smooth start kit which includes both new modules, for
under $1,000, and $25 of the bench test will be deducted from that amount.
Many thanks to all who suggested fixes to my problem!
Walt Shipley
doing it sooner. The cure: I had a cold cylinder and a very rough running engine several weeks back, and Joe at Lockwood
suggested I clip 1/8" off the top and bottom sparkplug wires at the plug connector. I did this and that cylinder was no
longer cold after a run, but the engine was still running rough. especially on ignition module A.
At this point I was almost sure my problem was with the ignition and sent the modules to Lockwood for bench testing. The
modules checked out okay. So now I was back to square one. Then the thought occurred to me to clip the ends off all the
remaining plug wires and voila! Problem solved. Now the engine runs great. At mag check, I'm now getting only 80 rpm
drop on each module. Hopefully, this info may help someone with the same problem.
Also, I found out a couple of things that might be of use to others on this forum; One, Lockwood will bench test your
ignition modules for $50. Second, if you have a rough running engine, try clipping 1/8-1/4" off the sparkplug leads and
then rescrewing them back into the sparkplug connectors.
If your ignition modules fail the bench test, you can order the smooth start kit which includes both new modules, for
under $1,000, and $25 of the bench test will be deducted from that amount.
Many thanks to all who suggested fixes to my problem!
Walt Shipley
