Different Spark issue K301

[pfrederi 18,558]

I did a refresh on a K301 that was running but leaked like a sieve.  She had a breakerless ignition.  This is the engne that i showed on here with the cracked flywheel. Put on a replacement and finished her up.  No start  not even a pop on carb cleaner.  Harbor freight spark plug tester was flashing.  ???  Replaced plug no change pulled the plug to look at the spark.  Barely visible.  Put the Briggs & Stratton tester on it and would  not jump the gap. The thing had started easily before i tore her down  Only change was the flywheel.  There is no solid test for magnets that I am aware of so I pulled the magnetic ring out of the cracked flywheel and put it in. (incidentally I was concerned about alignment issues but it is idiot proof.  There are three screws two are bigger and holes in the ring are different 2 big one small.)

 

Bottom line she popped right off on carb cleaner and the B&S tester jumps the gap.    Never had a bad magnet ring before...

 

I have several Beakerless and I rather like them.   Bottom line Harbor Freight testers are not always to be believed/...

 

 

Edited May 30, 2021 by pfrederi

[ebinmaine 71,843]

8 minutes ago, pfrederi said:

Bottom line Harbor Freight testers are not always to be believed

I've read/ heard that before. 

Not sure which type you have but there are cheap spark testers on the market that put a bulb in a parallel circuit to the actual plug wire. 

It'll tell you if there's power going through the wire but not show a weak output. 

 

 

[squonk 43,361]

Yup you're flashing a bulb as opposed to jumping a gap.

[JoeM 8,168]

Yep that old gap tester is pretty much foolproof.

I do use those bulb testers on running engines that have intermittent misses. Seemed like a carb issue at first. The videos are before and after repairing a wire.

 

 

 

[squonk 43,361]

Don't forget. Cylinder pressure increases the voltage needed to jump the gap. 

 

(Ask @elcamino/wheelhorse about this and plumbing issues!)