Troy-Bilt/Briggs Won't Start/No Spark

[Boudreaux In Eunice La.]

The coil is on it's way to you.... I sent it Priority 2 day but you know how that goes..... LOL..... If you need the tracking number let me know Mon Ami ~!~!

 

[NeedAFix]

Nearly successful with a very confusing result! First, what I feel is some needed background about the Kill Wire:

Initially, in regard to the original OEM coil, on the LawnSite Forum (Oct 17), the kill wire was addressed in message #12: "You did not post if you had spark or not with the kill wire disconnected. Did you try that?" I replied in message #13: "I went and mounted the coil without the wire connected, reassembled things, and got no spark."

On this forum, in message #3 (Oct 30), I wrote: "In regard to 'remove the ground wire/Kill wire from the tab on the coil, and with a known good plug crank the engine. If no spark replace the coil,' That is one of the things that I did do." Also in that message I wrote: "However, with a new coil properly mounted on the engine there still is no spark."

So, I have been following suggestions. I had tested the original coil and the two news coils that I had with both the kill wire connected and with it disconnected and either way I got no spark.

Yesterday I got a used (but known to be good) coil from Boudreaux. He was kind enough to remind me to " Please leave the black kill wire off for the first start up and run". Knowing that I had tested the other three coils numerous times with the wire disconnected, today I decided to try something different. I disconnected the run lead and the ground lead and then completely removed the kill wire assembly from the engine. I then properly mounted the used (but known to be good) coil and reassembled things. The mower started up and ran. After it ran for a while I pulled the plug wire to stop it.

Glad that it was running I began to wonder if the used (but known to be good) coil was the solution or if removing the kill wire assembly had any effect. So I decided to remove the used (but known to be good) coil and replace it with the original OEM coil. Surprise, surprise, the mower started up and ran.

From the very beginning, Oct 16: "the mower started easily but before I walked 100 feet it slowed to a stop, much like it would when a mower runs out of gas." Is that a symptom of a kill wire assembly problem? I have the kill wire assembly on my desk. There are no breaks in either wire and none of the insulation is worn or missing. Makes no sense to me.

 

[Boudreaux In Eunice La.]

That means you have a break in the insulation somewhere and it is shorting against the engine somewhere.....

That is why I asked you if you took the kill wire off of the coil completly and tried to start it.....

Maybe a few pics would have helped also with your diagnonsis.... Most mowera have only a kill switch when you let go the handle it stops the mower....

Let us know Mon Ami ~!~!

 

[Boudreaux In Eunice La.]

Oh BTW I have no idea what you are talking about when you say take off run lead and ground lead.... There is only 1 wire that goes to the coil and that's the ground kill wire... If anything else is hooked to the coil then it's not gonna run or blow the coil up ~!~!

 

[Boudreaux In Eunice La.]

Oh and yes walking 100 feet and it stops is a symptom of a coil overheating and going dead....

 

[NeedAFix]

I'm confused, again.

The kill switch wiring assembly that I have has two wires with a connector on one end that goes to the coil.

"asked you if you took the kill wire off of the coil completly"? To me that means unplugging the connector from the coil. Once it is unplugged it has no contact at all with the coil. What other meaning is there?

"Most mowera have only a kill switch when you let go the handle it stops the mower". That is how this Troy-Bilt works, let go of the handle and it stops.

 

[NeedAFix]

Looking at a Briggs parts site, as best as I can tell if I'm looking at it correctly, I see that Briggs calls this a WIRE STOP, item #[356C], Briggs and Stratton 690808.
https://www.jackssmallengines.com/j...ic-starter-electrical-flywheel-brake-ignition
.
Only that WIRE STOP is plugged into the coil blade that is on the underside of the coil. What I called the "run" side is where one wire goes from the coil connector and connects to the cable side that closes when the bail is closed. The second wire I called a ground. It goes from the coil connector toward the front of the engine and plugs into a blade that looks to me like a ground connection.

"walking 100 feet and it stops is a symptom of a coil overheating and going dead". That description was the original symptom that I reported. However, the old original coil is not dead, it is now mounted and it is working. I ran it for about a half of an hour cutting up some leaves.

 

[NeedAFix]

I'm not sure how this will look but it is an image of the wire that I removed from the engine.

 

[Boudreaux In Eunice La.]

I see what you mean now by a run side...... Where does that spade plug go to ????? The bare end goes to the lil hook on the kill brake assembly..

If you are plugging the spade plug to a ground somewhere then that is a direct ground to kill the spark on the coil.....

It seems to me that spade plug is going to something the has a isolator washer or bushing that is worn out and making contact with the metal.......

Most versions have only 1 wire coming from the coil and it hooks to the kill brake assembly and when you release the handle the brake moves and then makes ground contact and kills spark to the coil.....

I would look real good at what that spade plugs to... That's where your problem was all this time.......

Let us know Mon Ami ~!~!

 

[Boudreaux In Eunice La.]

If you did indeed unplug the wire from the coil itself in the beginning, you should have had spark......