Your Bangalore stays out in the field for weeks in all weathers. Whilst its been designed to withstand the worst of the British weather, some mild corrosion of the electrical components is inevitable. This can affect the reliability of the gas ignition, leading to mis-fires. Give your ignition system a service every year and you'll find that your Bangalore continues to give you years of reliable service.


The ignition system consists of:


  • Spark plug
  • HT (speed) lead
  • Ignition coil
  • Control box connections
  • Battery (your own external 12V battery for the Bangalore Model A or the mini-internal battery for the Bangalore Models B and C)

Make the Bangalore safe for working on
Before working on your Bangalore, make it safe by:
  1. Turning off the gas at the bottle
  2. Setting the safety switch to "OFF" or "SAFE".
  3. Disconnecting the battery.

Spark Plug
Gently unscrew the spark plug from the ignition tube and remove it. Make sure:
  1. it's a short-reach spark plug and;
  2. the ground electrode has been removed from the tip

See "How do I replace the spark plug" for more information.

Using a wire brush or wire wool, give both ends of the spark plug, including the thread, a good scrub to remove any corrosion. Give the thread of the hole into which the spark plug screws a good scrub too.

Gently replace the spark plug back into the ignition tube, taking care not to cross-thread it or over-tighten it. Make sure there's a good seal between the spark plug and the ignition tube.

Ignition Coil

Disconnect the HT lead and the live and neutral wires from the top of the coil. Unscrew the coil from the gun chassis and disconnect the earth wire.


Give all the terminals of the coil a clean with a wire brush or wire wool. Give the earth connection point a good scrub, too.


Clean all the terminals of the wires.


Secure the coil and reconnect the earth, live and neutral wires. Make sure each wire has a good, firm connection. Use a pair of pliers to gently crimp the terminals if they feel loose.


Replace the HT lead and make sure it has a good, firm connection onto the top of the coil.


Control Box Connections

Each time the Bangalore fires, it recoils quite violently. Repeated firings over a long time can very occasionally work loose the connections on the back of the board.


Unscrew the board from the control box and have a look at the green connection blocks on the back of the board. Reseat them if they feel loose.


See "How to reseat the connectors on the back of the board" for more information.


Battery

Make sure your battery is fully charged before using your Bangalore.


See "How much charge is left in my battery?" for more information.


Final Checks

Have a final check for any vermin damage to any of the wires in your Bangalore. Rats and mice can sometimes get into Bangalores and chew the wires.



Servicing your ignition system can often solve a lot of problems, particularly when your Bangalore isn't sparking.


If you have any further problems, please: