ndb8fxe

My Feedback: (1)

Alright so I screwed up pretty bad this morning. I was going to head to the field and so I decided to charge my A123 rx battery on my plane. after about 15 minutes I go back into the room and see that the charger put 1050 mah and counting into the battery, which to me is strange because I rarely use more than 600 mah. Just then as I am pondering I hear a little hiss and see some smoke from under the cowl. Instantly I realize that I plugged the charger into the 4.8v nicad ignition battery and the charger just keeps cranking. So I unplug the charger from the plane and model and start on pulling the prop and cowl to get the battery out. Anyway, the battery is located directly next to the ignition module and now after installing a new battery the engine will not fire. I'm wondering if during the battery overcharge if the module might have gotten too hot. What do you all think I should do next?

Thanks in advance,

Chris

ec121

My Feedback: (2)

Take the spark plug out of the head and see if you have a spark with the spark plug plugged into the plug wire.

w8ye

My Feedback: (16)

Should you ground the plug base to the engine?

Tired Old Man

My Feedback: (1)

Depends on what ignition he has. To be safe, you won't hurt any of them if you ground the plug to the engine.

ndb8fxe

My Feedback: (1)

I'll try that in the morning. How hot can the ignition module get before being damaged? The battery was right next to it when it went up so I'm kind of concerned with heat damage. I will try to see if it sparks.

MetallicaJunkie

testing for spark is my first step in trouble shooting a non firing motor...

w8ye

My Feedback: (16)

With some ignitions you can hear the spark

ndb8fxe

My Feedback: (1)

With an ei, how fast will I need to rotate the crank to get it to spark?

captinjohn

CDI ignition fires as magnet passes pick-up....you can rockprop back & forth and it will fire in both directions....speed is not needed....1 RPM will do it! Capt,n

arobatx

...with new properly charged battery and the igntion will not fire, you probably fried your ignition chargeswitch, I'd check and swap that first, if you see no spark in your test and you know your battery is good.

ndb8fxe

My Feedback: (1)

Thanks everyone. Not getting any spark. Just for giggles I tried a new plug with the same results : No Spark. What's next? Am I looking at needing a new ignition module? I checked voltage leading up to the plug that goes into the unit and it checked out fine. Just not sure where to go from here. Thanks again.

Andrew_S

My Feedback: (12)

Try plugging the battery directly into the module bypassing the on-off switch....Of course make sure the battery is good....If you get no spark, the ignition is bad......

arobatx

What does the Brilleli use for a sensor? Some blow pretty easy, but thankfully they are easy to replace Got any buddies with the same ignition, if so, bum their sensor for a test and go from there.

ndb8fxe

My Feedback: (1)

Okay, I tried plugging the battery directly into the ignition module with the same result: No Spark. I tried it both ways with the spark plug touching the cylinder head and without, still no spark. The battery voltage is reading 5.3v loaded.

I am not sure how to tell which sensor it uses, however it is an RCExl ignition Model A-01.

Thanks,

Chris

Andrew_S

My Feedback: (12)

It's probably fried then...By chance did you try spinning it over with a starter? It probably won't make a difference though..How old is the engine? Maybe it's still under warranty??

ndb8fxe

My Feedback: (1)

Didn't try a starter, just flipping it over by hand. Motor is way out of warranty besides I think it has something to do with me overcharging the battery and basically catching on fire right next to the unit and I wouldn't feel comfortable sending it for warranty work because it's my own fault.

Do I need to get the same ignition unit or can I get any kind I choose?

Thanks again,

Chris

arobatx

A brand new RCexl sensor is dirt cheap, call CH-ignitions, ValleyViewRc or any number of other places selling RCexl units, Its too bad you don't know someone running an Rcexl unit, where you can swap some parts and test. If you don't mind waiting a few days, get a sensor on the way. If you want it resolved yesterday, and you don't want to mess with troubleshooting, send the ignition to CH, or Jody at ValleyView, the entire ignition unit replacement cost really isn't bad if it is toast. Rcexl makes some handy little gadgets for testing the sensor and ignition unit making the trouble-shooting pretty quick when you don't have buddies with parts you can swap and test.

Tired Old Man

My Feedback: (1)

The statement above is just plain wrong!![:@]

A user does something that cooks off electronics, or does something else that is completely the fault of the user and suggests having the work done under warranty coverage. The best way to describe such a practice is fraud and/or theft. This is in not a warrant item or condition and to suggest otherwise says much about a person. Why not send crashed planes back to manufacturers as failing the warranty period?

flatspinjim

My Feedback: (3)

T.O.M, I have seen people dumb thumb a plane in, then send it back claiming manufacturer defect. The unreal part is they got a new plane.

ndb8fxe

My Feedback: (1)

Once again, Thanks to everyone for all the replies.

I'm looking online at the RCExl ignitions and they are listed for different engine types, ie, DL, MT, etc. My engine is not listed, however all the ignitions have the same model number A-01. This has me confused because they all have the same model number even though they are listed for different engines. Whats the scoup?

Thanks,
Chris

Andrew_S

My Feedback: (12)

Hey Im not tryin to defraud anyone T.O.M.! ! ! [:@]...Just suggesting....All it takes is a phone call to the manufacturer and explain the situation...Maybe they will fix it, maybe they won't..

Anyhow Chris, good luck on the fix and keep us posted......

Antique

My Feedback: (4)

All RC EXL ignitions are the same with the exception of the spark plug cap...

BadAzzMaxx

All you have to do to make sure it is the ignition (if it is a CH or RCexl ignition) and not the sensor is hook up your battery dirrect to the ignition, If it not a sheilded plug wire put a plug in and hold the plug on the engine or mount the gorund wire to the plug, Now take a small wire and touch the two outside wires in the connector that goes to the sensor and then release it, should fire one time if the ignition is good.

Most ignitions that do not have a sheilded plug have a ground wire on them. you can zip tie this to the plug for testing.

ndb8fxe

My Feedback: (1)

Thanks everyone! I've ordered a new ignition. I'll let you all know how it works out.

ndb8fxe

My Feedback: (1)

I got the new ignition and replaced the old one. The engine runs now. Thanks for everyones help.