Water heater ignition problem

[ierickso]

Hi, I have a 20-year-old 40 gallon tank natural gas water heater. I have been getting the warning light for too many ignition attempts. I unplugged the water heater and manually light the water heater and it works every time. The ignition appears to be working because I can see sparks, every time it clicks. I feel like it can’t be the thermocouple or the thermopile because it never gets to the point of lightning. It must be something to do with the ignition or the pilot but I find it weird that the ignition appears to be working , and the pilot lights really easily when I use the lighter to manually light it. Any thoughts on what my issue might be? Thanks.