Why Your Grill Igniter Clicks But Will Not Light

Click. Click. Click. Smell of gas, no flame, and a decision forming about takeout.

The good news: a clicking igniter is not a broken igniter. The click is the igniter working. Something else in the chain is failing, and it is usually one of five things. Three of them cost nothing to fix.

First, a safety point that is not optional. Every click you make with the gas flowing is filling the firebox with unburned gas. If it has not lit after a few attempts, turn the burner valves off, open the hood, and give it a full two or three minutes to clear before trying anything else. A firebox full of gas that finally catches is how people lose eyebrows. Troubleshoot with the gas off; only turn it on for an actual ignition attempt.

One test that splits the problem in half

Before replacing anything, find out whether you have an ignition problem or a gas problem. Light the burner manually: most grills have a match-lighting hole in the side of the firebox, and a match in the coiled holder that came with the grill, or a long lighter, works fine. Check your manual first, a few grills prohibit manual lighting, and if yours does, skip this test.

• Burner lights from a match and burns normally: the gas side is fine. Your problem is spark delivery: battery, electrode, wire or module. Keep reading.
• Burner will not light from a match either: the igniter was never the problem. Gas is not reaching the burner. Jump to the last section.

That one test saves most of the parts people buy for this fault.

The spark side, in the order to check it

1. The battery

Push-button and electronic igniters run on a AA or AAA battery that lives behind the ignition button. It dies quietly, and it corrodes in a damp coastal winter. Swap it, and check the terminals for white crust while you are in there.

This fixes more clicking grills than every other repair on this page combined. Also check that the little plastic cap and spring behind the button went back in the right order; they only fit one way, but they will absolutely go in wrong.

2. The electrode tip

The electrode is the ceramic-and-metal pin sitting beside the burner. For a spark to do anything it has to be clean, dry, and about an eighth of an inch from the burner or its igniter tab.

• Wet: after rain or a wash-down, dry it. Spark jumps badly on a wet tip.
• Dirty: grease film insulates it. Clean the tip gently with a cloth and a little rubbing alcohol, not sandpaper.
• Out of position: compare it against the other burners. If it has been bent by a grate or a brush, ease it back to roughly the same gap.
• Cracked ceramic: a hairline crack lets the spark leak to ground before it reaches the tip. Cracked means replace; electrodes are cheap.

At dusk, with the gas off, press the igniter and watch. You should see a fat blue spark at the tip. A spark somewhere else along the electrode, or no spark at all, is your diagnosis.

3. The wire

Follow the wire from the electrode back to the module. You are looking for a break, a chewed section (rodents like the insulation), or a connector that has vibrated loose. Push every connector home. A wire that has melted against the firebox needs rerouting as well as replacing, or the new one goes the same way.

4. The module

If the battery is new, the electrode sparks weakly or not at all, and the wiring checks out, the spark module behind the button is the remaining suspect. On multi-burner grills a dead module usually kills the spark on several burners at once, which is the giveaway. Modules are model-specific, so this is a model-number purchase, not a universal one.

If the match would not light it either

Now it is a gas problem, and the usual suspects, in order:

• Empty or low tank. Yes, really. Check it first.
• Tripped regulator. Propane regulators have a safety device that trips if the tank valve is opened fast with a burner valve already on. Turn everything off, disconnect the tank, wait a minute, reconnect, and open the tank valve slowly with the burners closed.
• Blocked burner ports or a spider web in the venturi tube. Spiders love gas tubes. A blockage here gives you no flame or a weak orange one.
• A failed valve or regulator. If the steps above change nothing, stop and work through which grill part has failed before buying anything.

If you would rather hand it off

In the greater Washington DC area, our sister service BBQ Rescue offers grill cleaning, minor repair, grill assembly, monthly maintenance, Big Green Egg gasket replacement and diagnostic check-ups. They are a certified specialist for Napoleon, Big Green Egg and Weber.

The service area includes Washington DC, Alexandria, Annapolis, Ashburn, Baltimore, Bethesda, Bowie, Crofton, Fairfax, Gaithersburg, Germantown, Glen Burnie, Laurel, Leesburg, Odenton, Olney, Potomac, Rockville, Severna Park, Silver Spring, Springfield, Towson, Tysons Corner, Upper Marlboro and Vienna, among others.

BBQ Rescue: 301-543-9336, weekdays 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, Saturday 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, closed Sunday.

Frequently asked questions

Why does my igniter click but not spark?
Clicking is the button and module doing their job; no spark at the electrode means the energy is not arriving. Battery first, then the wire and its connectors, then a cracked electrode, then the module.

Can I use my grill with a broken igniter?
Usually, by match-lighting through the hole provided, if your manual permits it. It is a workaround, not a fix, and it gets old by the third cook.

How long do grill igniters last?
Electrodes and modules commonly run five years or more. Batteries go annually, faster in damp climates, which is why the battery is always the first check.

Do I replace the electrode or the whole igniter kit?
If the module sparks other burners fine, replace just the failed electrode. If nothing sparks on a fresh battery, price the kit; on older grills a full igniter kit often costs little more than the module alone.

Why will my grill not light even with a match?
That is a gas-supply fault, not an ignition fault: tank, tripped regulator, blocked ports or venturi, or a failed valve, roughly in that order.

Getting the part

Igniter kits, electrodes and modules are model-specific, so find the model number first, then browse grill replacement parts or go straight to your brand: Weber, Bull, AOG or Blaze.

Free shipping on orders over $75. If the tag is gone, send photographs of the ignition assembly to us and call 1 (866) 850-3450, and we will identify it with you.