Ok Ivan! That is very interesting information. I've seen that overheated electrode tip before, and never really knew what to make of it! I just went out and checked the plug, and I think I see some possible evidence that it is still happening, even with this new ignition system. I also just finished checking the ignition timing with a timing light. The CDI seems to advance the spark as engine speed increases. I was able to rev the engine very high and the maximum advance I witnessed was about 30 BTDC. This is the setting which seems to deliver satisfactory performance. The CDI controller however does not seem to retard the timing at all; it just advances to a point, then it seems to stop advancing at 30 BTDC, even though engine RPM continued to increase. Perhaps I'll start looking for a CDI which has this advance curve that you and others have mentioned. I chose to try this DC fired CDI simply for the reason that I didn't know how to hook up a AC fired unit to our grubbee engines, fearing that the generator output would be an inadequate power source for the more common AC fired CDI, but I could very likely be wrong on that assumption.
Thanks for all the insight!
-Fred
Thanks for all the insight!
-Fred