I will check for the arcing...I have pulled the offending plug and it comes out clean with a little gas residue on it...in stark contrast to the others ...

any simple ways to check that cyl's compression besides going out and buying a gauge I would use prolly once or twice?

I thought about a valve problem but the thing starts easy and idles well with no strange noises...could this be symptomatic of stuck valves or badly burned seats maybe?

thanks

Mike