Ever Scope a Household furnace igniter?

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  • Witsend
    Banned
    • Nov 2012
    • 2942

    Ever Scope a Household furnace igniter?

    I'm bored, and need to stop ranting on this forum awhile about having to purchase OE subscriptions, j-boxes, and and an LSID, and how you might be able to get around it , and realize this might get me booted me off forum for posting pictures of other competitors Cr@p that should not be. posted on a Snap On Forum I removed those pictures and I apologize.

    Thinking, about checking out my old furnace igniter pattern out with my old Snappy Counselor 2 , but need to figure out if it can be even be done and what I should have the setting put on .
    Anyone done this before
  • Steve6911
    Moderator
    • Feb 2007
    • 2206

    #2
    Originally posted by Witsend
    Thinking, about checking out my old furnace igniter pattern out with my old Snappy Counselor 2 , but need to figure out if it can be even be done and what I should have the setting put on .
    Anyone done this before

    I don't think I would do that! You might wind up letting the smoke out of the box with a wrong connection. That's a great tool and I don't think there is anyone left that can put the smoke back in one of those if you have a oops!

    Comment

    • greasybob
      Senior Member
      • May 2008
      • 1590

      #3
      Is it an actual spark igniter or a glow plug type ? An igniter type might be the same as an ignition coil. Use an amp probe, it's non invasive, maybe an inductive pickup. The scopes don't like things above 400 volts. I use my vantage Ultra for a lot of me electronic projects, Arduino and Raspberry PI stuff. You can make lots of interesting stuff with used car electronic parts.

      Comment

      • Witsend
        Banned
        • Nov 2012
        • 2942

        #4
        I don't think I would do that! You might wind up letting the smoke out of the box with a wrong connection. That's a great tool and I don't think there is anyone left that can put the smoke back in one of those if you have a oops!
        I think I'll see what I'm dealing with for supply voltage using my DVOM before messing with the scope.

        Is it an actual spark igniter or a glow plug type ? An igniter type might be the same as an ignition coil. Use an amp probe, it's non invasive, maybe an inductive pickup. The scopes don't like things above 400 volts. I use my vantage Ultra for a lot of me electronic projects, Arduino and Raspberry PI stuff. You can make lots of interesting stuff with used car electronic parts.
        It's an old gas furnace with an actual spark igniter that when it's working correctly I usually hear a long rapid succession of a spark arcing. I'm thinking the old Honeywell igniter might have a little trigger wheel inside that gets spun up by an 8 track player motor that might be taking a Honeydip. If I flip the electrical box switch off and pull the furnace burner access panel and actuate the cutoff switch several times and snap the access panel back on and flip the electrical box switch on 9 out of 10 times the igniter will discharge spark for 4seconds and work and the furnace lights up. I was thinking the access panel safety switch might be the problem but it ohms out ok. When the furnace misfires, it makes a ratcheting relay sound and I typically don't hear that nice long spark discharge beforehand.

        Comment

        • phill57
          Senior Member
          • Oct 2007
          • 474

          #5
          Enough knowledge to be dangerous. 8-)

          Originally posted by Witsend
          I think I'll see what I'm dealing with for supply voltage using my DVOM before messing with the scope.


          It's an old gas furnace with an actual spark igniter that when it's working correctly I usually hear a long rapid succession of a spark arcing. I'm thinking the old Honeywell igniter might have a little trigger wheel inside that gets spun up by an 8 track player motor that might be taking a Honeydip. If I flip the electrical box switch off and pull the furnace burner access panel and actuate the cutoff switch several times and snap the access panel back on and flip the electrical box switch on 9 out of 10 times the igniter will discharge spark for 4seconds and work and the furnace lights up. I was thinking the access panel safety switch might be the problem but it ohms out ok. When the furnace misfires, it makes a ratcheting relay sound and I typically don't hear that nice long spark discharge beforehand.
          I played with a house Natural Gas furnace a few years ago before I moved. It used a glow plug ignition unlike yours. I know of your design, my current shop furnace is waste oil and the igniter which is a spark between to electrodes remains on constantly whenever the furnace runs. I gather yours is natural gas or diesel heating fuel. Sounds like the igniter controller is failing. When I went to purchase parts for my furnace from the commercial vendor he was not very keen on selling me parts but did reluctantly. My problem turned out to be a faulty relay but my furnace will not be the same as yours I'm sure. I would google the problem and I'm sure you can find info on it.

          Good luck and don't blow yourself up.

          Comment

          • Witsend
            Banned
            • Nov 2012
            • 2942

            #6
            Good luck and don't blow yourself up.
            Thanks Phil . I'm still debating it . Got the BMW 750I out of park and into neutral but it still would not go into drive or reverse and had to roll it out of garage . I don't know what happened to the trans after the guy tried to drive it over to me but his Meccatronic Remote must have taken a Sh@t

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