Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

  I'm having a problem getting any type of spark on a B/S small engine. I changed the points and condenser yesterday and checked the coil with a home made tester with a 6V battery. With that I got a spark to the spark plug.  Which to me indicates the secondary and primary is working. Using a multi-meter connected to the plug wire and ground, it appears to have voltage to the plug. The point are set right and the gap between the magneto and flywheel are set. I've checked everything I can think of to check. Shorted wires, open wires, etc. The engine is a 92982, type 1704. There is no kill switch, and if there was I wouldn't be getting any voltage at the plug wire when using a multi-meter. I'm lost as to what is going on. Any help would certainly be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Is the problem here that your engine is not starting? Well, if your getting spark, I would seriously check your carb. I would clean the carb as it may be dirty. Beings thought that your engine is so old that it uses points and condencer, one may be still not working or adjusted properly. If you want my advice, get rid of the points and condencer and upgrade to solid state ignition.

Let us know how it goes...

  As I said in the post. I am not getting any spark under normal conditions. Its nothing to do with the carb. I can get a spark by using a coil tester. But that is by using a 6V battery to induce spark to see if the primary and secondary winding are working properly. I just got done changing the magneto to a known good one. Still no spark when trying to start by the pull rope. I have also tried different spark plugs. It should use a J8C, and it is brand new. Its has nothing to do with the carb. I can't get a spark. The meter says its there, but it don't come out of the plug? I agree about the solid state, but that isn't an option at the moment. The only thing I haven't changed is the flywheel, and the magnet on that appears to be fine. I have checked all the points on a known good engine with the one I am having ignition problems with and they both are the same? Anyone else have any good advice or help? Thanks again.

Remove the sparkplug and put a little gas in the sparkplug hole and put the sparkplug back on. Pull the rope a few times. If the engine still does not start, you might not have compression? If you don't have compression, the engine is not going to fire. Is it really easy to pull the rope as if you had the sparkplug off? Another thing I would check is that the sparkplug gap is set to .030

DRLMN-1--I believe you stated that you had fire to the sparkplug.  I would change it---many times it is the culprit.   If it is not I hope you will find the trouble---Will

Did  it run before you changed the parts?

Is the condenser good?

Are you sure no wire is shorting?

How are the crank bearings?

Does a steel nail stick to the magnet?

To test the magnets, hold a screwdriver about 3/4" away - if the magnets pull the screwdriver towards them, they're ok. How is the flywheel shear key? Is it installed or "sheared"? The coil to flywheel gap should be .012" - use a piece of 3x5" index card to make for an easy setting. The new condensor could be defective  - I have seen it happen. Double check your point gap too - it should be .020".

HTH & let us know the outcome...

Marty 

I have done all of what you suggested. Several times actually. Checked and re-checked. As I said in my original post, by using a multi-meter, there is voltage at the spark plug lead. Just can't get it to come out the other end. I have tried several different spark plugs, but can't get a spark out of any of them. I do small engine repair for a living since I am semi-retired, so I am working on this one for a client, so I don't have an option of throwing it out or I would. This one has me baffled. All the checks and re-checks I have done and everything I have seen says this thing should run, or at least produce a spark. Hope someone can come up with something. Thanks again.

  pecanmanwill wrote:
No. What I said was that by using a multi-meter, I have voltage at the plug lead. If I connect a plug to the lead and and gound it, I can't get a spark across the air gap. I have tried several different type of plugs with the same results.

Termy wrote:
Compression or no compression. You have to have a spark first. That what I can't get. Everything I have checked, checks out fine.

hey folks ...

snowshoveler reporting for duty. i kinda let this one go thinking  that you would be running by now...however ?

DRLMN1...im a master teck for briggs and certified for the rest,so im kinda lost when you say you used a home made tester with a 6 volt battery.

im not gonna say it cant be done but your engine has magneto ignition not battery ignition.when you apply voltage to the coil you fry its internals.

the tester made by briggs is a simple thing that connects to the coil wire and to the plug or block it has a little window in it and if spark appers in it when cord is pulled then coil is okay ,if no spark present then check points and condensor which you did.if still no spark then replace coil,please note -new electronic is cheeper than old point type 

it sounds like your coil is burnt but you might have come up with some new way to test them (please explain)

your new points could have some anticorrosion material on them preventing contact,you could check with multi meter .you just need to check the wire coming from them to coil .check for continuity while turning flywheel by handand noting results with meter.

later chris