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
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
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.
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
Compression or no compression. You have to have a spark first. That what I can't get. Everything I have checked, checks out fine.
Location: bridgewater nova scotia...aka the swamp
Joined: Jan 3, 2003
Points: 1261
Re: No Spark Reply #10 May 30, 2005 5:05 pm
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
craftsman 10/28 snowblower with tracks husky 372xpg chainsaw sachs dolmar bc212 bushsaw mondo trimmer monster tractor with trailer cheep wheelbarro and couple shovels and a partridge in a pear tree
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
Chris, I will try to explain the tester. It seems to work okay. I've taken a 6V lantern battery, attached two leads, one to the plus side and the other to the minus side. Solder a 6V bulb to the plus side. On the engine, make sure your points are in the open position. Attach a spark plug to the plug lead and ground it. I used alligator clips. They work good for grounding. Ground the minus side of the battery to the frame. Momentarily touch the contact point of the condensor. You should see a spark at the air gap of the plug. This is suppose to indicate the primary and secondary windings in your coil are working. It didn't fry anything. I hope I explained it good enough to understand. I did this to the magneto I thought may be bad and to a known good one. I put the one in an engine and it still works fine. Back to the other one now. I did clean the points off befores I installed them. I didn't realize it before, but this engine appears to be made up of maybe three different engines. It has a gear reduction on it also. The guy uses it on his cement mixer. In my original post I gave a model number and type. Now I'm not sure what it is. Its probably at least 30 years old. He did ask me if I could find a new one one with a gear reduction on it. Anyway when I use a multi-meter, I do get voltage at the plug lead and also the electrode. Just can't get a spark at the air gap? I have a feeling it is a spark plug problem, althou I have tried several different ones. J19LM, J8, C8J, etc, etc. I have re-adj. and re-checked everything numerous times, and cannot find anything wrong or obvious that would cause this. It may be something simple as hell, but it sure has given me fits.
I just wanted to let you know how your “discussion board” helped me resolve a no start on my Rotor Tiller.
I bought a Rotor Tiller last spring that quit running at the end of the summer. I haven’t had time to return the “Tiller” to the store I purchased it from, until recently which I found out the ignition system had no spark .The stores shop said the ignition coil failed and there was no warranty covering the failure. The cost for the repair would be around $ 85.00. Before spending $ 85.00 on a Rotor Tiller less than a year old I contacted my dad who is an Auto Technician to give me his opinion. After talking to a few small engine technicians he could not get an exact test for diagnosing a coil on a small engine. The small engine shops my dad visited said “the coil would have to be removed and brought in for testing on their equipment”
He removed the coil and took it to small engine shop and they said it was not in working condition. He ran a few test on it with his meter and he questioned the coil was bad. So he started researching the internet and came across "Abby’s Guide Outdoor Power Equipment" and found a post by DRLMN1 (Dennis Lemmon) dated May 29, 2005 on a no spark and how to test a coil. My dad followed the test using a 6 volt battery charger instead of a battery and found the coil in working order. After further diagnosis my dad found a “terminal end connection” on what he said “the transistor ignition” not crimped correctly and repaired the problem.
