Another Furnace Question

[Dieter]

The furnace on our '76 Clipper sometimes will not light. The fan comes on, and it makes the second click, but there is no fire, so to speak. I know this, because I once lit it manually with a stove-top lighter, but that felt like a bad idea to me at the time (did it anyway). Could it be some sparker that's not sparkin'?

Thanks,

Dieter

[amclipper]

On our 77, there is no "sparker".   On ours you have to light the pilot by hand - no automatic lighter.
ed

[Conrad]

My furnace needed a new spark control board.  Symptom was that it would occasionally light up then less occasionally as time passed.  The first click would sound off then the second as it failed to light.  $110 for the board local to me.  I have a 76 clipper and had to remove the unit from under cabinet.  I tested the unit by using an extension hose for the LP gas and jumper wires for the electrics.  My diagnosis ended with a choice between the gas valve and the board.  The gas valve seemed to test ok, voltage appeared where I would have expected and all , so I went with the board.  So far so good.

[HPotter]

Apparently you have a Suburban furnace. We have the same problem from time to time. It appears that scale falls off the inside surfaces of the combustion chamber and shorts out the spark gap.
The fix is to remove the front panel, then open the little window port which exposes the spark gap. I usually just reach in with a matchstick and sort of stir around with it. This dislodges the scale and removes the short. This failure occurred shortly after we bought our Clipper in '82 and we took it to a service shop where the entire igniter board was replaced. I doubt now that it was needed. I've probably done the above fix at least 25 times and it always works.
Harold Potter, #886

[Dieter]

Thank you for the responses. I do appreciate the knowledge base out there. I have time this weekend, and will take a closer look at the issue before while the weather is warm.

Dieter