[Mav]

Sup guys ... I know this is a Hot Rod Board but im at my whits end here ... Ive got an old snapper tiller, Its about 30 years old ... Ran great last year,I put it away for storage and im trying to get it fired back up but it wont run ... It has spark and sputters when i pull it but after a second theres no spark .... If i take the flywheel off and put it back on theres spark but only for a few seconds ... I pull it , it sputters and then nothing ? I can take the flywheel off again then put it back on then theres spark , It sputters then nothing ??? I sanded the flywheel and magneto , checked all the gaps , New points and condenser ,new plug and i even put all the old stuff back on and the same thing ... Whadda yall think ? New Magneto ?? <img src="confused.gif" border="0">

[BstMech]

I know this sounds strange, but take the coil and throw it in the oven at about 225 degrees for about twenty minutes. I did this to a mower of mine that sat outside all winter uncovered and it dried the coil out and worked all summer.

It must be that time of year again, my little brother just blew the motor on his tiller (didn't think to check the oil).

It was a nice little Wisconcin two horse iron crankcase and jug too.

[pcesak]

I hate to say it...but how much is a new tiller. It couldn't be much more than 300.00...Right. At ten bucks an hour(I use this figure to estimate my veg(TV) time)...it doesn't take long to get to 300.00.

I dorked around with a 25 year old Toro multi-yard tool in my earlier years that was given to me...I used it as an edger... Had to virtually rebuild it every time I edged my yard. Which was once a week. So , finally, I broke down and spent the 250 to get a new Craftsman after 4 years. Greatest day of my life.

There's something about being able to fix a contraption yourself when one is young. Amazing how that time quotient gets more valuable as you get older. Money becomes more plentiful and time becomes less plentiful. Time is indeed much more valuable than money.

My personal opinion...By a new one with better features.

Grins
Pc

[bluesman123]

I'm not convinced you've got a spark problem. The most common problem with tillers is that they sit around so long the gas goes bad and cloga everything up. I'd sniff the carb to see if it stinks and maybe do a rebuild anyway.

[Mav]

Na blues , the problem is definetly spark ... I can hold the plug and pull it and theres nothing .... i take the flywheel off and put it back on and theres plenty of fire ... but only for a sec ... Ill try the oven before i think about a new tiller ...

[4 Jaw Chuck]

Where ya been Mav? How did your mod to the car go, weren't you filling the body?

[Mav]

Hey 4 jaw !! Whats up ... Been going pretty good... I filled all the holes and i even went back and stripped off the bondo and started working with lead ... I Dropped in a Mustang II front end and i am in the process of fabing a grabber hood... LOL it seems the more i do the bigger my list gets !!... I took a center console from a 95 grand prix and seperated it and molded it to fit my hump ... I still have a few years to go but im well on my way !!!

[Jared]

hows the wire look at the point where it exits the coil? On almost all the old type engines I have worked with the wire will become loose. or there is too much gap and the coil doesnt come near the magnet on the magneto. check the gap between coil and magneto when you have spark and when the spark goes away. also look for grounds that could result from it spining. put some gas directly in the cylinder before you crank it over and see if it will stay going a bit longer. I find the best results when the coil and the magneto are almost touching. Have you replaced the plug????? on my dirtbike the plug died and would fire a bit but not stay running. check these out see if it helps. good luck.

[johnsongrass1]

You did check the shear key right?. Sometimes they slip on the shaft and throw the timing out. Other than that I'd say the mag has goe bad unles the wire are grounding somewhere. Lucky for you they don't cost much. I Believe that ten thousanths is the right clearance for the flywheel to Mag. Or a match book cover stuffed in there works too.