Briggs shut off

[Mudrig150 331]

So I found a 1974 briggs 8 horse I'm using for my little tractor, and it has a hand shut off. It's a small piece of steel that you push onto the spark plug to ground the plug and shut off the engine. I need a style that has a wire for the shutoff. Could I just change the coil and add a wire and a relay?

[Achto 29,405]

2 hours ago, Mudrig150 said:

. I need a style that has a wire for the shutoff. Could I just change the coil and add a wire and a relay?

 

You have options here. I'm going to guess that this is a points model engine. All Briggs use a ground out to kill the engine. 

 

1 - Install a toggle switch -  Remove the fan shroud, there should be a wire running from the coil to under the fly wheel. This will be the wire running to the points. If this is going to a terminal on the coil, add a wire to that terminal that will reach to your switch. If there is not a terminal, spice your wire on to the points wire. Connect the wire to one side of the switch. Connect a wire from the other side of the switch to ground. When the switch is in the ON position it will kill the engine.

 

2 - You can do the same as above using a key switch. Connect the wire from the points to the M terminal on the switch. Connect a wire from the G terminal to ground. The engine will kill when the key is in the OFF position.

 

3 - Get rid of the points all together. Purchase a solid state coil. Remove your old coil and cut the old points wire off, you can tuck it out of the way & leave the points under the fly wheel. They will not hurt anything. There will be a terminal on the solid state coil, this will be for your kill wire. Run a wire from this terminal to your toggle switch or key switch as described in the above 2 options.

Edited April 5, 2019 by Achto

[ebinmaine 72,725]

I would like to vote for option number three.

I had that done 8 or 10 years ago to a 1979 Briggs 8 horse.

I would highly recommend it.

 

[Achto 29,405]

Honestly, with how cheap & easy it is to switch to solid state ignition on a Briggs. I don't even know why they sell points for them anymore.

[Achto 29,405]

Here's Taryl to show you how easy it is to switch to an electronic ignition on a Briggs.

 

 

[ebinmaine 72,725]

12 hours ago, Achto said:

Honestly, with how cheap & easy it is to switch to solid state ignition on a Briggs. I don't even know why they sell points for them anymore.

If I remember correctly it's around the same price a points and condenser.

 

Starts great.

Runs great.

No maintenance.

Yeah.

 

[Mudrig150 331]

Guess I have to go magneto as I've burned up 2 coils so far. Both gave one really bright spark then died. I've set the points like 5 or 6 times and still nothing.

[ebinmaine 72,725]

Just now, Mudrig150 said:

Guess I have to go magneto as I've burned up 2 coils so far. Both gave one really bright spark then died. I've set the points like 5 or 6 times and still nothing.

Let me just say first that I know  little about ignition systems....

I think if you're having enough trouble to kill 2 coils nearly instantly it would be in your best interest to figure out where the actual problem lies. You may have a shorted wire somewhere or something along that line.

 

[Mudrig150 331]

I checked the wire. It has no rubbing. I just can't seem to get the points to set right, .20 and I get nothing, .15 I HAD weak spark, but now it just burns up coils.

[Mudrig150 331]

Could flywheel wobble cause loss of spark? I don't know why, but it came off straight but it's now slightly warped...

[ebinmaine 72,725]

Do you have a d v o m with which to check the readings against some sort of specs or manual?

[ebinmaine 72,725]

Just now, Mudrig150 said:

Could flywheel wobble cause loss of spark? I don't know why, but it came off straight but it's now slightly warped...

I'm not really the one to answer this but it makes sense to me that it would be able to cause all kinds of funny issues in consideration that that flywheel is your source of ignition timing

[Achto 29,405]

1 hour ago, Mudrig150 said:

Guess I have to go magneto as I've burned up 2 coils so far.

 

Are you running some type of battery power to the coil?

[Achto 29,405]

1 hour ago, Mudrig150 said:

but it came off straight but it's now slightly warped...

 

is the key on the crank seated in the fly wheel?

[Mudrig150 331]

The key is seated. There is no external power to the coil. I have set them by look, but the flywheel is not warped in the sense that the magnets move back and forth, but they change distance from the coil.

[Achto 29,405]

7 minutes ago, Mudrig150 said:

There is no external power to the coil.

 

OK, I was just curious as to why your coils were burning up. I have not seen this happen on a Briggs.

 

9 minutes ago, Mudrig150 said:

but they change distance from the coil.

 

When the magnets are across the 2 pick ups on the coil, there should be an air gap of .010 to .012. The distance between to coil and the rest of the fly wheel should not matter, unless they come into contact with each other at some point.