Cover the backside of the clear plastic tester with black electrical tape to create a spark viewing window . Viewing the spark in sunlight is easier . Myself I prefer the Lisle 20700 spark tester . Great Video ! 2/23
Thank you for the video. Im working on an ls swap. a 5.3L v8 into an 80 Camaro, need to confirm if the cylinders are getting spark. Tomorrow Im going to harbor freight to get these. Im glad to have found this video.
@Kevin Robinson Quick note you may be interested in, how about both of the bulbs from the HF inline spark plug lights were bad, new in the package. Fortunately, we had similar bulbs in that made them work fine. Not mad, HF has pulled through so many times. My advice to anyone would be to grab some extra bulbs. Thank you for your content :)
I agree. You don't need both - just the straight in-line tester will work for vehicles, lawn mowers, etc. Of course, Harbor Freight wants you to buy both.
I actually needed the 90 degree angled one for my ATV. The plug is directly underneath the fuel tank, so not enough room to work with for the straight one.
I make my own . An old plug wire and a peice of clear plastic hose. It works.Cut 4 inches off each end, splice together with the hose, leave a 1/4 inch gap.
The Lisle branded spark checker comes with a short section of double ended plug wire, one end straight, one 90, for 15 bucks. And for 30, they make a kit that also has adapter for coil on plug systems too. I like HF for a lot, but in this case the better quality Lisle with more features is also cheaper.
Only tells you if your getting voltage to the plug. If you just take the plug out while it's connected to the boot, and ground it to the engine, then you'll know if you actually do have spark. And thats free. If you were not getting spark at that point then I would use this tester to make sure that the coil is sending voltage to the plug in which case you would then know the plug is bad....
RainbowSixThree Enlightened Removing a spark plug and exposing a live spark can be extremely life-threatening even fatal... Norvelt Golf Course, Pennsylvania, USA Worker killed repairing a golf cart that wouldn't start by removing spark plug from engine and unsafely exposing a live spark when testing for spark. www.osha.gov/pls/imis/establishment.inspection_detail?id=107382764 Idaho (USA) - 12yo boy airlifted to hospital with burns to 45% of his body. After helping his dad to repair a lawnmower which wouldn't start. www.idahostatesman.com/news/local/article164363622.html Jet Ski incident in Missouri (USA) - man airlifted to hospital with 2nd degree burns. www.autoinjury.com/Blog/2012/May/Jet-Ski-Explosion-Swimmer-Electrocution-Among-La.aspx Mississippi (USA) - 11yo boy helping his Grandpa test for spark on a garden tiller, airlifted to hospital with 2nd degree burns. chronicle.augusta.com/metro-latest-news-health/2012-04-20/super-bowl-champ-visits-young-fan-joseph-m-still-burn-center Georgia (USA) - a mechanic was working on the carburetor of a 1979 Ericson sailboat when gasoline caught a spark from a sparkplug and ignited, causing second-degree burns to the man’s arms and legs, Hall County Fire Marshal Scott Cagle said. The man was taken to Northeast Georgia Medical Center by a relative, and was airlifted to the Grady Burn Center in Atlanta. www.gainesvilletimes.com/news/man-receives-2nd-degree-burns-after-boat-catches-on-fire/ New Hampshire (USA) - The Marine Patrol’s Crystal McLain said that David Ross, 44, of Medford, Mass. was attempting to fix an engine problem when the explosion occurred. Ross opened the engine compartment and pulled out a spark plug, then cranked the engine to clear excess fuel, when gas fumes triggered the explosion. Ross and a 13-year-old boy suffered second degree burns to their faces and torsos. Both were treated at Memorial Hospital and released. www.ossipeelake.org/news/2006/06/three-boaters-injured-in-two-accidents/ Arizona (USA) - man was working on the right side of ski at the shoreline & had just removed some spark plugs to check this part of the motor when the engine suddenly exploded on him, knocking him back about 20 ft into the water. Luckily, he did not lose consciousness & was able to swim back to shore to grab the emergency fire extinguisher from our jetski to try & put the fire out. www.linkedin.com/pulse/jetski-explosion-replacement-jessie-sheltra/ (USA) - you want to put a plug on the end of a spark plug wire then hold it against the block while someone else cranks it. I have a friend with 2nd degree burns on his face while doing that. www.focusfanatics.com/forum/general-technical-chat/207847-not-focus-but-civic-wont-start.html#/forums/57 South Africa (CARforums.co.za) "Pull the plug out the motor, earth it on the head and pull the starter" "We tried that once, landed me with leg full of second degree burns" www.carforums.co.za/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=31220 Australia - local government Penrith City Council - workplace incident testing a spark plug for spark on a leaf blower resulted in an explosion and hospitalization of a council mechanic with second-degree burns to face and harm.
@@sparkplugtestingkit Jesus Christ, I guess the severity of a shock is dependent on current since most electrical systems are on 12 volts but theoretically you can just check the spark by removing the spark plug. I’ve done it on vehicles when they’re running by only removing the boot but that’s for quick checks to see if the cylinders are firing the spark plugs with older vehicles. Usually it’s not a big issue but if you’re not careful you can get a nasty shock. It’s happened to me a few times but it doesn’t mess you up too badly. That being said, those are some horrible stories and at the end of the day it’s your life at risk. I agree with OP that you can just check using old school methods but tools like this do make life easier even if you can get by without them for general purpose use.
This is better than the other demonstrations, I don't want to see the engine running just want to see it turnigng over so I can compare the lighting level to my own tester, my engine is not running , I'm trying to see if I have good spark.
@@Robinson-Homestead I'm not in direct sunlight, but am outside, with a little bit of shade. I have this same tester, mine just shows a little bit of white light at the base of the bulb. I don't know if it's your lighting , but yours is giving off a nice redish' light as if it's really pretty east to tell you've got spark. I wish mine was more obvious, but it could be that that is my problem, not enough power from the coil.
working by myself - How do I see the light if I am pulling? I did see someone mentioning video recording it then play back. Can you daisy chain some high voltage wire to extend the length?
Ok, so from what I understand; if I was trying to start up a power washer and I was pulling on the cord and it's not starting I should still see some spark indicating that the spark plug is perfectly fine. Is this correct?
@@Robinson-Homestead ok great! I ended up purchasing one because I was having problems with the unit starting. As the coil is pulled, there is no spark. This should tell me ignition coil or carburetor.
Since both the spark plug and the ignition coil must be in working condition to produce sparks, this tool does check both the spark plug and the ignition coil.
the hole reason i watched this video is to find out where the spark plug tester connects to i know one end goes on the spark plug but then YOU DIDNT TELL US WHERE THE OTHER END GOES???? some sort of cap where does the cap connet to??
Yes and no. There are times when one of the spark plugs is not working, but the engine still runs (for example, running as 3 cylinder instead of 4 cylinder). In this case, the vehicle's power and fuel efficiency are decreased.
Thank you Kevin for sharing, I just bought the straight boot style at HB, for 3.99, its a valuable, inexpensive, diagnostic tool, great job!!!
Cover the backside of the clear plastic tester with black electrical tape to create a spark viewing window . Viewing the spark in sunlight is easier . Myself I prefer the Lisle 20700 spark tester . Great Video ! 2/23
Good idea thanks.
I purchased one of these, was very helpful, much better than trying to hold a spark plug to see if there is a spark
That's right.
Thank you for the video.
Im working on an ls swap. a 5.3L v8 into an 80 Camaro, need to confirm if the cylinders are getting spark.
Tomorrow Im going to harbor freight to get these.
Im glad to have found this video.
Thanks so much for the comment and watching glad to help.
@Kevin Robinson
Quick note you may be interested in, how about both of the bulbs from the HF inline spark plug lights were bad, new in the package.
Fortunately, we had similar bulbs in that made them work fine.
Not mad, HF has pulled through so many times. My advice to anyone would be to grab some extra bulbs.
Thank you for your content :)
I agree. You don't need both - just the straight in-line tester will work for vehicles, lawn mowers, etc. Of course, Harbor Freight wants you to buy both.
Thanks for watching KS
I actually needed the 90 degree angled one for my ATV. The plug is directly underneath the fuel tank, so not enough room to work with for the straight one.
Every one who owns a lawnmower should have one or two
For sure thanks for the comment.
I make my own . An old plug wire and a peice of clear plastic hose. It works.Cut 4 inches off each end, splice together with the hose, leave a 1/4 inch gap.
Cool thanks for the info.
Great video, I just purchased the 90 degree angle for my tractor.
Nice 👍
Thanks for the comment and watching.
Your welcome
Phil Hartman approves of your tool storage technique.
thanks bud, I needed to see which one I wanted and you helped me nail it down (straight one).
glad i could help
You should seriously be sponsored by Harbor Freight as many tools that you review.
And 30,000 subscribers to boot.
They don't sponsor but maybe one day.
Thank you ,your video very informative my 98 olds aurora uses the straight one!
Nice little tools to have. Inexpensive as well! Thank you for sharing!
Thanks Paul.
Very well done sir. Thank you!
Thank you so much for watching.
Thanks it’s a fairly bright light I was surprised
Thanks for watching
Great job showing us how they work thanks.
No problem 👍 thank you for the comment.
so what purpose is the 90 degree tester used for?
The Lisle branded spark checker comes with a short section of double ended plug wire, one end straight, one 90, for 15 bucks. And for 30, they make a kit that also has adapter for coil on plug systems too. I like HF for a lot, but in this case the better quality Lisle with more features is also cheaper.
Only tells you if your getting voltage to the plug.
If you just take the plug out while it's connected to the boot, and ground it to the engine, then you'll know if you actually do have spark. And thats free.
If you were not getting spark at that point then I would use this tester to make sure that the coil is sending voltage to the plug in which case you would then know the plug is bad....
RainbowSixThree Enlightened Removing a spark plug and exposing a live spark can be extremely life-threatening even fatal...
Norvelt Golf Course,
Pennsylvania, USA
Worker killed repairing a golf cart that wouldn't start by removing spark plug from engine and unsafely exposing a live spark when testing for spark.
www.osha.gov/pls/imis/establishment.inspection_detail?id=107382764
Idaho (USA) - 12yo boy airlifted to hospital with burns to 45% of his body. After helping his dad to repair a lawnmower which wouldn't start.
www.idahostatesman.com/news/local/article164363622.html
Jet Ski incident in Missouri (USA) - man airlifted to hospital with 2nd degree burns.
www.autoinjury.com/Blog/2012/May/Jet-Ski-Explosion-Swimmer-Electrocution-Among-La.aspx
Mississippi (USA) - 11yo boy helping his Grandpa test for spark on a garden tiller, airlifted to hospital with 2nd degree burns.
chronicle.augusta.com/metro-latest-news-health/2012-04-20/super-bowl-champ-visits-young-fan-joseph-m-still-burn-center
Georgia (USA) - a mechanic was working on the carburetor of a 1979 Ericson sailboat when gasoline caught a spark from a sparkplug and ignited, causing second-degree burns to the man’s arms and legs, Hall County Fire Marshal Scott Cagle said.
The man was taken to Northeast Georgia Medical Center by a relative, and was airlifted to the Grady Burn Center in Atlanta.
www.gainesvilletimes.com/news/man-receives-2nd-degree-burns-after-boat-catches-on-fire/
New Hampshire (USA) - The Marine Patrol’s Crystal McLain said that David Ross, 44, of Medford, Mass. was attempting to fix an engine problem when the explosion occurred. Ross opened the engine compartment and pulled out a spark plug, then cranked the engine to clear excess fuel, when gas fumes triggered the explosion.
Ross and a 13-year-old boy suffered second degree burns to their faces and torsos. Both were treated at Memorial Hospital and released.
www.ossipeelake.org/news/2006/06/three-boaters-injured-in-two-accidents/
Arizona (USA) - man was working on the right side of ski at the shoreline & had just removed some spark plugs to check this part of the motor when the engine suddenly exploded on him, knocking him back about 20 ft into the water. Luckily, he did not lose consciousness & was able to swim back to shore to grab the emergency fire extinguisher from our jetski to try & put the fire out.
www.linkedin.com/pulse/jetski-explosion-replacement-jessie-sheltra/
(USA) - you want to put a plug on the end of a spark plug wire then hold it against the block while someone else cranks it. I have a friend with 2nd degree burns on his face while doing that.
www.focusfanatics.com/forum/general-technical-chat/207847-not-focus-but-civic-wont-start.html#/forums/57
South Africa (CARforums.co.za)
"Pull the plug out the motor, earth it on the head and pull the starter"
"We tried that once, landed me with leg full of second degree burns"
www.carforums.co.za/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=31220
Australia - local government Penrith City Council - workplace incident testing a spark plug for spark on a leaf blower resulted in an explosion and hospitalization of a council mechanic with second-degree burns to face and harm.
@@sparkplugtestingkit Jesus Christ, I guess the severity of a shock is dependent on current since most electrical systems are on 12 volts but theoretically you can just check the spark by removing the spark plug. I’ve done it on vehicles when they’re running by only removing the boot but that’s for quick checks to see if the cylinders are firing the spark plugs with older vehicles. Usually it’s not a big issue but if you’re not careful you can get a nasty shock. It’s happened to me a few times but it doesn’t mess you up too badly. That being said, those are some horrible stories and at the end of the day it’s your life at risk. I agree with OP that you can just check using old school methods but tools like this do make life easier even if you can get by without them for general purpose use.
This is better than the other demonstrations, I don't want to see the engine running
just want to see it turnigng over so I can compare the lighting level to my own tester,
my engine is not running , I'm trying to see if I have good spark.
This should work for you thanks for the comment.
@@Robinson-Homestead I'm not in direct sunlight, but am outside, with
a little bit of shade. I have this same tester, mine just shows a little
bit of white light at the base of the bulb.
I don't know if it's your lighting , but yours is giving off a nice
redish' light as if it's really pretty east to tell you've got spark.
I wish mine was more obvious, but it could be that that is my
problem, not enough power from the coil.
Thank you for the video. If you can’t see the spark plug tester. You could just use your phone to record and play it back.
Good idea thanks for the comment.
I didn’t know about this. I just had to change the spark plug on my edger. I could have use this.
Good tool Frank.
working by myself - How do I see the light if I am pulling? I did see someone mentioning video recording it then play back.
Can you daisy chain some high voltage wire to extend the length?
i just video taped it with my phone and played it back.
It you can see it in the bright sunlight then do your test in a darker area or at night.
would a timing light not do the same on a car+basically?
Should
Are you displaying if the spark plug itself is not sparking then there will be no spark in the see-through glass 🤔
True
You CAN run your engine with these installed. But agree might need 2 people if engine won't run at all.
Yeah I’ve got too old for that to great video Thanks
For sure not me.
Ok, so from what I understand; if I was trying to start up a power washer and I was pulling on the cord and it's not starting I should still see some spark indicating that the spark plug is perfectly fine. Is this correct?
I mean this would tell me the problem is something else?
This will let you know if you have spark coming from your coil.
@@Robinson-Homestead ok great! I ended up purchasing one because I was having problems with the unit starting. As the coil is pulled, there is no spark. This should tell me ignition coil or carburetor.
Ignition coil no spark
Thanks again Kevin, great video
Thanks for the comment Ron.
thanks
Thanks for the comment
Great review!
Thank you Git Gud.
Great video
Thank you Gary.
Hahahahaha!!!!!! I ve done that with the 9 v battery Hahahahaha!!!! And it socks Hahahahaha!!!!
LOL thanks for watching.
Good little review.
Thanks William.
Great review. Great suggestion. Keep them coming
How much each
Link in the description
The only problem with that tester is it will not show you if the spark plug is good or not.
I will do a video on spark plug test.
Are you sure about that? Are you saying the checker will still illuminate if there is no spark?
Since both the spark plug and the ignition coil must be in working condition to produce sparks, this tool does check both the spark plug and the ignition coil.
Nor does it show if a bearing is spun, wheel has fallen off, out of gas, if operator has gas, .....
the hole reason i watched this video is to find out where the spark plug tester connects to i know one end goes on the spark plug but then YOU DIDNT TELL US WHERE THE OTHER END GOES???? some sort of cap where does the cap connet to??
One end into the spark plug wire and one to the spark plug
4:29 he explains that it goes in the spark plug boot. That should be common sense though. Complete the circuit...
Skip 1/2 of the chat
Thanks for watching
👍🎥😎
Thanks for the comment M Ten.
you can run it with it on
Not sure
👍🏾
Thank you Mr J Johnson.
@@Robinson-Homestead sure thing i saw ur video then went to harbor freight yesterday almost 4bucks..family think i can fix lawnmowers lol
i thought this was for cars? not mowers
Anything with a spark plug.
30,000 WOW !!!!
Thank you Bent for the comment that's what i said.
they told me they wont honor 20% no more
I think they stopped that not good thanks for the comment and watching.
If the engine runs you have spark and you don't need that tester.
correct, thank you for watching.
@@Robinson-Homestead i hope this brother aont driving a lawnmower to work lol. S
Yes and no. There are times when one of the spark plugs is not working, but the engine still runs (for example, running as 3 cylinder instead of 4 cylinder). In this case, the vehicle's power and fuel efficiency are decreased.
Allow me to introduce you to the concept of "chasing down a misfire code"