Ignition problem pt6a-34
The other day I started an routing inspection on our pt6a-34. When I pulled the ignition cable off the LH plug in exciter box I found that the RH igniter was not sparking. So I plugged back in the ignition cable (after 10 minute wait for exciter to dissipate) and pulled the rh plug out from the exciter box and did the same. The LH igniter was sparking but seemed to do so erratically. I plugged them both in and checked again and the LH one fired (more consistantly I might add). So next I plugged the LH ignition cable into the RH plug on the exciter. No firing/sparking. I then plugged the RH ignition cable into the LH plug on the exciter box. No spark. This made me wonder what kind of condition my igniters were in so I pulled them both and found the RH igniter out of tolerance and actually worn a little into the cooling holes. This led me to believe that the RH igniter was bad. So I put the LH igniter (the one still sparking) in the RH position and vise-versa with the other ignitor. I then repeated the tests by removing the LH cable from the exciter box and seeing if the RH igniter would fire with the good igniter in that location. It did not. This told me either the ignition cable or exciter box was bad. I then did the same for the LH side with the bad igniter and no surprise it wouldn't fire. It appears to me that I not only have a bad igniter but also a bad exciter box. I am new to pt6a maintenance and just want to throw this out there to see if anyone with more experience has any advise for me before I buy another exciter box and new igniter. Can a worn/bad igniter cause an exciter box to fail?