Thank you all for your inputs...the way I am checking for spark is...I removed the plug took the boot off of the spark plug wire to the coil, held it about 1/16 of an inch away from the casing pulled the cord, looked for spark, NO spark...next I disconnected the kill wire terminal from the side of the coil (wire comes out of terminal and branches out to the throttle linkage and the brake)I again held the plug wire next to the casing, pulled cord looked for spark, NO spark...I also did both checks with the plug hooked up and held it close to fhe casing, pulled cord and still NO spark (this check was performed with the old coil and plug and the new coil and plug) Finally I held the plug wire in my hand and pulled the cord, I felt a shock a little bit, but not enough to make me let go (it wasn't a jolt like it should be) I was thinking, I should be able to perform all these tests without the carb or linkages hooked up right, since I am checking for spark and not combustion?

For the connection to be secure: Apply a few drops of oil to the end of the wire. Push it thru the narrow end of the boot. Use a nose plier to pull the end out thru the end that goes onto the spark plug. Rotate the boot so that the small hole on the wire is aligned with the upper portion of the boot. ie:the hole should be in the opposite direction to the narrow end. From the picture it looks like the open end has straightened out a bit, so bend it slightly to give you a slight hook. Push the 'hook' into the small hole. If possible, use a plier to bend the hook a bit more once its fully in the wire. This will help it secure the hook even better. Now comes the tricky part: Pull the wire at the narrow end so that the end with the spring is pulled into the boot. While pulling it, use a nose plier to hold the spring in placeon the wire. Just before the spring goes into its correct position, you will have to push the spring while gently pulling the wire at the other end. Once everthing is in place, tug the wire to make sure that the spring has seated in the wire, or you might have to start all over again. So ensure that you dont have this problem again, lightly grease the knob on the spark plug. And, the next time you have to detach the boot from the spark plug, hold the boot and while pulling it off twist it in a clockwise direction, this will loosen the spring a bit. I repair Stihl machines in India, so if you need and more advice drop me an email. Joe

Thanks guys. I will focus on the coil shortly. I have one more weird thing that happen between the time I posted and before I read your responses. I thought the old ignition might have something to do with it so I pulled the wires and tapped on the old ignition. After I re-attached the wires, I turned the ignition key over to check for spark (I still had the plug out and checking for spark that way), the starter motor started running and would not shut off until I pulled the battery cable. It did not matter where the position of the key was in the switch. Each time I tried to re-attach the battery cable, the starter motor would kick on and stay running until I reomved the battery cable. OK. So I go out and buy a new matching 6 prong ignition and put it in. As soon as I tried to attach the battery cable, the same thing occurs - the starter motor starts running. I even pulled the wire harness off the ignition switch and then tried to hook up the battery cable - still the same problem. How can that happen if I don't even have the ignition swich hooked up? Now for the $64,000 dumb question. Is this weird starter motor problem related to the coil problem or is it just my dumb luck that something new is also wrong? Dave

It's been a long time since I thought about this. I was having an issue recently that I think was probably just water in an igniter (overflow or from a pot put back on the stove to dry after cleaning). I'd been meaning to check back and remind myself what I did and maybe update if I change something out. I did notice that the screws attaching the igniters were pretty corroded. That may have been a bad material choice on my part. My quick and dirty troubleshooting would be to trade igniters from a working burner to a nonworking burner to decide between module and igniter. If the same burner still doesn't work, you might also check out the wiring to see if it's been pinched or otherwise has a problem. That's my mute-the-work-conference-call-and-type-real-quick response.