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I have a toro 21" bagger self propelled that has a Tecumseh Engine on it. The engine model appears to be TVS100-44013B. It wont start. I removed the plug and connected it back to the boot and grounded it on the engine. I could not see any spark. I was apprehensive to "hold" the boot with my fingers *will I get shocked"? so I am not 100% certain it stayed grounded while I pulled the cord. But I didnt see any spark on the plug(brand new). I even took it inside my dark shed to try it.

Any ideas on my method or what to check next? Mower is 1987 but it didnt get heavy use over the years.

Thanks

Journey.

Was the plug wet when you pulled it out..?

Have a look at this, it may help you.

I keep a wire about 2 feet long with enough naked wire to wrap around a spark plug base and enough to ground out someplace else. Then I don't have to try and ground it out on the head where exhausting combustible gases might explode! I've heard of that happening and did a few times on me as well. Might make up a grounding clamp with some big clips, that way you can lay the plug wherever you wish.

journey005 said:

I have a toro 21" bagger self propelled that has a Tecumseh Engine on it. The engine model appears to be TVS100-44013B. It wont start. I removed the plug and connected it back to the boot and grounded it on the engine. I could not see any spark. I was apprehensive to "hold" the boot with my fingers *will I get shocked"? so I am not 100% certain it stayed grounded while I pulled the cord. But I didnt see any spark on the plug(brand new). I even took it inside my dark shed to try it.

Any ideas on my method or what to check next? Mower is 1987 but it didnt get heavy use over the years.

Thanks

Journey.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the Printouts I hope to put them to use. As far as the plug being wet, I dont remember . I do recall it was dirty but not certain if it was wet.

If spark plug is wet, engine getting fuel and may not be getting a good spark, so worth checking out.

EngineMan said:

If spark plug is wet, engine getting fuel and may not be getting a good spark, so worth checking out.

Click to expand...

Doesnt seem as if the plug getting wet (put new one in and cranked a couple times). As best I can tell, the plug is not getting spark. I removed blower housing cover( is that the right terminology?). to get a closer look at things and this thing is filthy. I started to clean it up and I also started noticiing things missing like O ring for oil tube and gasket for oil fill tube. 1 of the bolts for the muffler. I guess what I should do next is find out why I am not getting spark. So is the next step to sand contacts ( they dont really look bad or rusted but I dont know what to look for). or if its the solid state assembly to test next, HOW do I test it? I dont want to sink money into the small parts if the thing isnt going to get back running. ( I paid 3 dollars just for 2 "used" blower cover screws.

have you put any fuel into the spark plug hole (cylinder) and then put the plug back in and try to start..? you may have a little spark but no fuel..!

Some info that may help you out.....

EngineMan said:

have you put any fuel into the spark plug hole (cylinder) and then put the plug back in and try to start..? you may have a little spark but no fuel..!

Some info that may help you out.....

Click to expand...

First, Thanks for the PDF.

I have not put any fuel into the spark plug hole. I held the spark plug in my hand and pulled cord and didnt feel a thing. I held the threaded metal of the spark plug attached to the boot. I am guessing I am not getting spark.

I am not certain which part to check next? Maybe remove the solid state module which has the spark plug wire and boot attached to it? Im not sure how to check the part for good or bad, or even if that is the next logical step.

You don't test a spark plug by holding in your hand. take a look at video.

How to check for Spark Plug Fire (in any engine) - YouTube

Ignition Coil and Spark Plug Testing - YouTube

EngineMan said:

You don't test a spark plug by holding in your hand. take a look at video.

How to check for Spark Plug Fire (in any engine) - YouTube

Ignition Coil and Spark Plug Testing - YouTube

Click to expand...

Thanks for those videos, those help a lot since I really never had to work on mowers before . This one I am trying to fix is 25 yrs old.

I think that tester is nifty idea . I did ground the plug to the engine and pulled and still couldnt see spark and I even closed the door on the storage shed to make it dark and I didnt see any spark so I thought if I held it, I would feel the shock if it was getting spark.

To test the solid state ignition module without that tester is it possible to just get a bare jumper wire and try it that way?

I think thats what I will try this afternoon when it stops raining.

Thanks for those links, I saved them .

EngineMan said:

Was the plug wet when you pulled it out..?

Have a look at this, it may help you.

Click to expand...

I am not getting spark at the plug.

Would you happen to know of any frugal method for testing the part they call "solid state assembly" can I remove it and test it with a meter or any test without buying any new testers.

The video with the tester looks nice but I dont want to spend 30 bucks for a tester.

journey005 said:

I am not getting spark at the plug.

Would you happen to know of any frugal method for testing the part they call "solid state assembly" can I remove it and test it with a meter or any test without buying any new testers.

The video with the tester looks nice but I dont want to spend 30 bucks for a tester.

Click to expand...

I have one of these testers which work fine, especially for $3.99 at your local Harbor Freight store.

Bruce

Search results for: 'spark plug tester'

I installed The Tecumseh oem solid state coil . It cost 42.95. I also put dipstick "o" ring and a muffler bolt.

Primed it and "ONE PULL" it started an ran.

Now in this process, I cleaned this thing over which hasnt been done in years.

I ran the mower for about 5 minutes while testing the throttle, the brake, and the self propel drive gears.

Gears worked ok, throttle seemed ok but when I lowered the engine speed, it seemed to "miss" a bit.

It also seems "loud" . So I am not 100% sure if its normal or not since it was loud before the coil issue.

After running it. I shut it down and looked it over. It seemed REALLY Hot for 5 minutes of running but then again, I never really messed it with much after cutting before to really notice since I just pushed it back in storage after cutting. so maybe its normal.

What i DID notice was a but if oil around the muffler area on the deck. Not a lot but a bit.

The muffler does not have a gasket on it and in looking at the engine diagrams for parts, it doesnt seem to show one.

I am not sure what to do next. Any Ideas???

You have the answer to this under your new post "Re: Toro Tecumseh solid state coil install."