Test Ignition Module Before Replacing Igniter Spark Generator

by grillrepair on

Although there are a lot of ignition assemblies that are used to ignite the gas in barbecue grills, there are not a lot of variety in the design of the systems of ignitors.  One of the most common forms of ignition is the all-in-one ignition module.  This image is an all-in-one design called that because the black box spark generator and the button and the mounting assembly are all one item.

The module has a hole in the center to allow a triple-A battery to be inserted positive side down.  Many all-in-one spark generator modules have a spring netween the under-side of the rubber button and the battery but this design has a metal clip in the button with a metal strip to allow the battery to make a connection inside the module when the button is pressed while a battery is inside.

BBQ Grill Battery Ignition Module from Back side.

BBQ Grill Battery Ignition Module from Back side to show 2 electrode outlets to plug in ignitor electrodes.

The hole in the center of the module has a raised edge to allow for the height of the battery and to add threads for the mounting bracket nut.

Universal igniter module removed and disassembled.

Universal igniter module removed and disassembled to show mounting nut and button above battery holder cavity.

Notice the threads on the raised walls of the battery holder are very thin and small.

These threads are what pushes through the BBQ grill control panel so all we see of the ignition assembly is the rubber button sticking through.

The round mounting nut is threaded all the way around the inside of the installation nut.  This round nut is threaded onto the battery cylinder threadings after the module is placed behind the control panel with only the battery and the raised  plastic cover sticking through the control panel.

BBQ Grill Spark Generator Module with Battery Under Button.

BBQ Grill Spark Generator Module with Battery Under Button. Battery positive pole is installed down with negative pole sticking up.

Once the mounting nut is tightened from the front of the control panel, the module is held tightly against the inner wall of the control panel.  On the back-side of the spark generator module there are 1 or 2 or 3 or 4, 5, 6 metal outlets that are about 1/8 inch thick.  These are the plugs for the electrode wires to attach to so the electrodes can bolt inside the grill and spark next to the gas where the spark ignites gas emitting from the barbecue burner.

 

 

 

 

 

 

universal spark generator module sparking against metal

universal spark generator module sparking against metal

 

Test Your Module To See If It Works.

It is common for us to receive a call or an e-mail form a client claiming their BBQ ignition is not working.  Usually the ignition assembly is not working because the electrodes inside the barbecue are dirty.

Note: Usually the ignition assembly is not working because the electrodes inside the barbecue grill are dirty.

These are small spark plugs like the spark plugs in your car.  Any electrode will spark when it is attached to any module.  Because the electrode has to be inside the barbecue to be able to put the spark in the gas to ignite the electrodes are placed to be tainted by dripping grease, marinades, sauces, dirt, rain water and more.  The electrode wire at attached to a steel rod that passes through grounding

all in one spark generator module sparking against steel shelf

all in one spark generator module sparking against steel shelf

porcelain and then continues through the porcelain to spark at its tip.  If the tip of the electrode or the steel next to the tip of the electrode has grease, marinade, dirt, etc on it then the spark does not have a clean place to spark against and it will not spark, will not ignite the gases.

Usually if the ignition is not working, we need to get into the lower fire box of the barbeque and clean the tips of the electrodes with a little degreaser and a small file or a little sandpaper.  This is the way to repair the ignition about 90 percent of the time.

Sometimes humidity or moisture or excess heat or something can cause the module to stop working.  The spark generatpr is just a small and simple electrocal product and they do not last forever.  To test the module we want to see if it will spark when the spark generator is not attached to the electrodes.  We can do this from inside the barbecue but it is difficult to get-to and difficult to see.

Quickliter spark module sparking purple lightening.

Quickliter spark module sparking purple lightening.

Test the module by first removing the module from the appliance.

Grounding.

A lot of modules need a clean ground connection either from an extra wire mounted to a steel support bracket, bolt or nut inside the control panel and these modules will still generate a spark but much weaker when they are not grounded.  With aluminum grills an extra wire is necessary.  With stainless steel barbecues the electrode mounting bracket is often a good enough ground so long as the bracket and the mounting hardware is clean and tight against the firewall of the barbecue.

Once the module is removed and the electrode wires and any ground wires have been removed we want to make sure we have a new battery installed.  Going through a bunch of testing only to discover the only problem with the ignitor is that the battery is too low to send a strong arc is a big waste o time.

Module with battery and button being tested for sparks.

Module with battery and button being tested for sparks.

Always start using and testing the module with a new battery installed.

Once the module is in the palm of your hand and the battery is installed properly — in this spark generation module the AAA battery is installed positive-end-down — we want to test the spark.

We test the spark by placing the module against a pice if steel.  This can be something attached to the grill ike a stainless steel grill hood or the control panel or eve the tip of a screwdriver.  If you go through this process with the module still installed in the barbecue the tip of a screwdriver is usually the best way to test the spark, and often the only tool that we can extend into the controls area.

We want to place the module where the button can be pressed but pressed with the rest of our hand, and body away from the back of the module where the raw outlets do not have anything plugged into them.  On these images I removed the module from the BBQ Grill and held the metal outlet spades about

Spark module generating strong gas lighting sparks.

Spark module generating strong gas lighting sparks.

1/4 inch away from the edge of a metal fire-proof file cabinet.

I held the module from the front so my hands are not near the spades and I placed the spades a quarter inch from the steel cabinet.  With the bottom spade very close to the steel I leaned the module back so the top spade is about 3/4 inch from the steel cabinet.

As you can see in these images, my module is sparking at the steel cabinet.  The lower spade is arcing and the top spade, further away is also arcing.

This module is working well.  In five seconds the module sent out about 20 sparks which look like miniature purple or white lightening.  Once we know the battery, button and the module is working well we have determined we do not need to replace the module.  When that happens our next step is to test the electrodes but first we want to remove the electrodes and clean not only the tips of

Sparking module testing from outside bbq grill.

Sparking module testing from outside bbq grill to see sparks jumping from spade outlets for electrodes.

the electrodes but also the brackets that hold the electrodes to the grill or burner or bracket inside the grill.  If we have an extra spade (we burner electrodes but 4 outlets on the spark generator module) then we also want to make sure the electrode wire attached to the extra spade is stripped at the opposite end and wrapped to a steel strut, nut, or bolt and taped-off so it does not arc inside the control panel.

 

Once we are able to remove the spark generator module and test it to mke sure the module is not the failure then we know that is not the replacement part we need to repair our barbecue.  Although this does not tell us if the ground wire or the electrodes are the problem, isolating the assembly piece by piece will eventually allow us to find the exact failure where the ignition assembly is doing something other than sparking.

Two outlet sparking module test

Two outlet sparking module test against a steel cabinet once the module is removed from the gas grill.

Always note there can not be any “empty” outlet spades on the barbecue grill ignition module.  If we have a spark generator module that has 6 outlets we have to have all six spades connected to wires.  It is possible to add a “jumper” wire but the system will work properly for longer if we ground all the outlets to electrode wires.  Some of these will install to spark plug electrodes inside the barbecue and some will terminate at a ground.  A jumper-wire is a small wire with a female attachment on both sides.  When we have a 6 outlet module but have 4 or less wires to plug into the module then we can use the jumper wire to attach 2 spades to the same wire.  This creates a closed circuit and does not hurt anything.  As mentioned above it is better to add a ground but sometimes we have to use a igniter module with more outlets than we need, even after we attach one of them to a rground position.

 

Universal gas barbecue grill ignition module testing

Universal gas barbecue grill ignition module testing instructions

Testing the gas grill ignition module so we know what replacements

Testing the gas grill ignition module so we know what replacements we need for repairing the ignition on any barbecue grill models.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Majestic Grill Parts.

http://www.Grill-Repair.com

954-2-GRILL-2 (.)

Contact Majestic Grill Parts Anytime With Any Questions About Any Brand, Make, Model of Barbecue Grill, Fire Pit and Fireplace.

 

 

 

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