Ohio_Tractor_Nut 0 #1 Posted March 30, 2009 Guys, When I connect the battery on my A-100 I am working on, I get smoke coming from under the flywheel - from the alternator I assume. The engine is a verticle shaft 10 HP Briggs. The smoke does not show up immediately, it takes a minute or so. I think the alternator is still working because the lights light up with the engine running and they get brighter when I throttle the engine. There are only two wires coming from the alternator. One goes to the starter solenoid and the other to the light switch. As a side note, the smoke shows up with the light switch in the off position and the engine off also. This tells me that there is a short and that it is isolated to either the wire coming from the alternator to the light switch or the wire from the alternator to the solenoid. I do not think the wire from the light switch to the lights would short the system because the switch is in the off position. Does that sound correct? Has anyone seen this before? Could the alternator itself be bad? I want to try to fix this without removing the flywheel and I think I am stuck. Please !!! Thanks! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Docwheelhorse 2,559 #2 Posted March 30, 2009 It could also be the magneto coil burning up..... Without lifting the flywheel there isn't much you can check or do. I have also seen mysterious bursts of smoke from engines without any signs of damage afterwards Doesn't mean its right but falls into the category of if it isn't broke don't fix it. One note which may seem obvious---if you hook the battery up BACKWARDS it will do exactly what you describe and if you don't discnnect it quick enough you will have a cooked electrical system Good Luck Tony Share this post Link to post Share on other sites