Pinzssi 4.0 No Spark Issue

[Bugfoot]

I need some advice on where to start. I think I am having issues with my pinzssi 4.0 system. From what I tested, I don’t seem to have spark. Any advice on how to diagnose a 4.0 pinzssi system would be greatly appreciated. Some sort of checklist.

Some background; I have had this 710 for about 3 months, got it running really good and put about 1000 miles on it. I acquired it in the winter and had it running great in cold weather. On the first warm day about 78F after driving for about 40 minutes, I turned it off, it sat for about 10 minutes then wouldn't start back up. I originally thought it was a fuel issue, and I still think the original issue was, but when I got it home I now seem to have no spark either. I tested the spark by pulling a plug and grounding it to metal when I first broke down, it sparked at the time, but after trailering it home, and doing the same test again, no spark. Thanks for any help!

[rmel]

Make sure the terminals on the Coil pack are fully engaged.
Especially the two vertical terminals, these have a right angle take-off.
If the spring inside the terminal is a bit too long it has been known to
push the connection apart. If that happens your running on 2 cylinders
as this is a wasted spark ignition.

Check the ground connection as well on the coil pack board. Ground
relies on a sheet metal screw to chassis for connection, it's possible
that came loose.

It's also not a bad idea to remove the cap on the timing wheel
housing and make sure the static timing LED goes on when you rotate
the crank (by hand) to and past TDC. No light no power (or ground).

Don't rule out the possibility of heat soak when you encountered
a non start situation after 10 to 15 minuets. If the intake manifold
is not insulated that can happen. They get pretty hot sitting directly
on top of the heads.

[Bugfoot]

Thank you for the advice and quick response. I just checked what you listed and it all appears to be working order. While check all of it, I did test battery volage and one battery is a little low reading at 12.3 volts. Is that a possible issue?

As for the items you listed, this is what I found.
1) The terminal leads are fully engaged, although I do have one that I know pops off if bumped. (I plan on changing the wires out for better fitting ones.)
The engine turns over fine but seems to have no spark at all.
2) I checked the ground screws and they are all seated and snug.
3)I did what you said about checking the timing wheel and the LED did come on and at the correct time as well.

If all of that seems okay what else should I check?

Again, thank you for any help.

[rmel]

Well I guess you need to rule out that low'ish battery.

Lead acid or AGM? 12.3 is ~65% charged if Lead-Acid.

The Eaton DCDC converter on the coil pack board will
operate within spec if the house voltage is no lower than 18V.
So you may want to put a Volt meter on your 24V supply when
your cranking to make sure that's not an issue -- maybe?

[rmel]

Oh. Just some info on the HV connections to the coil pack.
These coils are Mazda protege. The vertical terminal is a
Direct on plug connection using a special boot. The boot was
Removed and a spring with a standard terminal used. I don’t
like this arrangement but it’s what was done. As such there
is no better connection. What works is to trim the spring
until the boot can be pushed beyon the collar then use a
small tie wrap to secure. When that wire pops off the coil
internal driver could get damaged with an unclamped output.

Let’s see where you end up with your batteries and if you
still don’t have spark there are a couple of tests I can walk
you through.

Aslo search "PinzSSI REDUX" on this forum for additional information.

[Bugfoot]

I checked the voltage at the idle shutoff where the 24v ties in. It originally read at 24.2v before cranking and dropped to a fairly consistent 20.3 when cranking. So battery is definitely low, but above the 18v you said it needed. It didn't even give an inclination of firing, is it possible both coil packs got fried or went bad? What should I check next?

Again, thank you for the help and information!

[rmel]

Ya, there's a couple of things you can try.

First to try is to check the input resistance to the Trigger inputs on the coil packs.
You need an Ohm meter for this.

On each coil pack there are three terminals; +12V, Trigger and GND. With power OFF. Measure
from +12V to Trigger you should see approximately 1,000 Ohms. If Open circuit or a low
resistance something is wrong. If not 1,000 Ohms, try disconnecting the Trigger wire that
connects to the coil pack from the controller and remeasure. If still too low or high it's a bad
pre-driver circuit in the coil. If you see ~1,000 ohms this is NOT conclusive that the coil is
good or bad but eliminates a potential issue.

Next REMOVE both HV connections from the Coil and measure the resistance between the two
HV terminals. You should see ~8,000 Ohms. If you see very high resistance (mega-ohms) that's
open circuit and the coil is bad. You may want to try this test before the other.....

If the above two tests are OK, the next test is easy but you have to be VERY careful. It's the
absolute simplest way to test the coil for spark.

Remove Plugs 1&4, tie the bodies together with a clamp, then make sure they are grounded to
chassis. Connect a short wire to the Trigger input and with a VERY quick touch to ground, you
should see spark on both plugs if the coil is good. Do it quick to avoid excessive current in the coil.
Repeat for plugs 2&3 with their respective coil.

If your coils spark but there is no spark via the PinzSSI then it may be possible the controller is
bad or there's a bad connections somewhere. These controllers are typically very reliable.

If you want to go over this by phone PM me with your number.