What happens to a non-firing cylinder

Hey guys,

So my bike makes this clicking noise, and now I'm thinking it has something to do with a bad connection between the spark plug and cap on the #4 cylinder. The cap just sits on there really loosely, and besides that it's pretty corroded.

Anyway, my question is this:
I'm thinking I could start the engine, and then use a piece of plastic or something to lift that wire off of the spark plug, thus stopping that cylinder from firing, and seeing if the noise stops. Would anything be harmed by this? What happens to the fuel that goes into the cylinder if it doesn't get ignited?

 

Yo Chris; The clicking could be a coil spark arc,usually caused by a bad ignition wire. Opinions may vary on your question,but when you have one cyl.
not firing you are not igniting the fuel in that cyl.The fuel is acting like a washing or cleaning agent in your cylinder. the term usually given is "fuel wash".Fuel not ignited will play hell on ring wear,cyl wear and also dilute your engine oil. So if it were my bike I would pull off the suspect ign.wire and test it an OHM meter. If found with high resistance and corrision I would pull the rest of them off, probably change the plugs and buy a good set of ign. wires, I bet it will do the trick. Hope and pray that you havent done to much cyl/ring damage and ride the thing. I would also suggest to change the oil and filter while you are at it. Gasoline dosent make for a very good crankcase lubericant! eddie :smile: