Well here's the info.... and I'm not quite sure what to make of it. I do like the service guy and he's been out before for annual cleanings and understands my level of DIY is above a general homeowner but certainly not a pro so he explains things as he's going. I had it in lockout mode (didn't reset it) before he came. Told him everything I had done so far including the fact that I had removed the blue wire in the aquastat about 6 weeks ago to cold start (more on that in another post I am going to revive) but I plugged it back in to see what would happen and nothing changed.
Anyway, he looked at the eye, clean. Check resistance and all checked out ok. Replaced the nozzle. It was pretty dirty on the top again and I told him I had just cleaned it. He checked electrode settings and spacing was ok but he said the porcelain was really dirty. I told him I was going to clean those up but I didn't know if that was safe so we just wire brushed the ends and left it at that. Then he checked fuel pressure. It was reading 105. The front of the unit says 100 but he set it to 140. (This is where I got nervous). He said that there's addendums coming out now saying 160 - 200 is the setting to go with but he didn't want to go that high at all. When he first got there he said it's really odd that when it's "cold" it won't start without reset but a call fairly soon after it has been running fires it right up. When he pulled the nozzle, I asked him if it was possible that there's some tiny spec gunk that when it's heated up thins out but gets stickier as it cools and throws things off. He said yes it is possible, but he wasn't convinced and since it's a cheap part, let's just replace it. Ok for $5 I agree. He tested the primary control, said it isn't that since I just replaced it and it was still doing the same thing. Then he said, did you test the transformer? I said no, didn't know how. So he showed me the screw driver trick (with a WELL insulated handle). Spark across just fine. Screwdriver a 1/4" or so from each spring, even spark at both sides so he deemed the transformer to be ok. He tested for voltage to the aquastat and said that was fine. Set the low to 130 (which is what our boilermate is set to - a touch lower) and the high to 160 since he said we're not heating, don't need to have the high and low at 160 and 180. (He also said just pulling the blue wire isn't enough to cancel low - though my observation is that it is - so I'll post separately on that). He said the only other thing he can think of is that the aquastat is going fluky. He said let's leave it at the 130 - 150 and see how it does (it's only cooled to about 150 now and nothing has called for it). He said if it works ok, then turn it back up to the 160/180 and see how that does. If it works, he suspects the fuel pressure and/or nozzle and electrode cleaning was the issue. He said if it doesn't work, then he suspects the aquastat is on the way out. He said it's not a cheap part (I know it was $277 installed when I got a price to go to the one that doesn't have the low setting from my HVAC guys) but he said, clearly you have enough skills where I'd just get one, make a diagram and swap it out of the same kind. He said that that's what they'd do next and why pay for the service call. So that's where I'm at. So far nothing has called and I'm letting it cool off. In order not to have to wait until tonite, I may just turn up the temp control on the boilermate and see what's what.
So that's where I stand.... I'm sort of hoping it wasn't the nozzle and electrode thing or I'll feel silly but if it was the fuel pressure, I don't have the knowledge or tools to deal with that so I'd have had to call them anyway.