Kawasaki FC420V on JDLX172

Hayfarmer

Well-known Member
motor turns over but no fire. the lower terminal on coil is grounded when wire not hooked up to it. Is that correct or is coil bad?
 
Does your engine have that little heater gizmo? Screws to the side of the engine with a blue wire comming out of it. Around $20.oo on Ebay. Bet ya it is dead. Called an igniter. It is a kind of heat sensitive variable resistor current limiter.
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I think it does, the one on it is silver and ahs white wire out of it that I believe goes to terminal on coil. with that wire removed the terminal on coil is grounded, I thought that terminal was to shut down coil, but it is grounded all the time. Is there a way to check the heat sensor you referred to?
 
Well, no, its not a heater, not a variable resistor, etc.

What it actually does is what the points would do. When the voltage in the wire from the coil is highest (or reaches a certain voltage), it opens the ground circuit from the coil, then the collapse of the magnetic energy in the coil causes a high voltage in the coil's secondary winding to to jump the spark plug gap.
 
so i guess you are saying that that terminal on the coil is normally grounded, but at a certain voltage this gizmo opens it up so you get a spark? sort of like a mini electronic ignition modual? Is that correct?
 
Very likely your meter will show a ground on that terminal. I'm not saying that makes your coil 'good' or 'bad'.

But in my experience with those engines, the little metal box was the problem every time.
 
The igniter module can only be tested by replacing it with a known good one. That?s what the Deere service manual and the Kawasaki manual both have to say. It is the electronic module that controls the spark. If your wiring is good, and coils aren?t shorted that little box is usually the reason there is no spark.
 
(quoted from post at 14:41:06 02/20/19) The igniter module can only be tested by replacing it with a known good one. That?s what the Deere service manual and the Kawasaki manual both have to say. It is the electronic module that controls the spark. If your wiring is good, and coils aren?t shorted that little box is usually the reason there is no spark.


First, before spending $$$, disconnect tractor harness-to-engine harness connector that connects the common wire from the coil and "ignitor" to the ignition switch.

That wire allows the ignition switch to short the ignitor terminal to ground and "kill" the spark when the key is switched "off".

Disconnecting it will rule out a short in the wiring or a "bad' ignition switch.
 
That is why the guys working in the service department have a spare of that little gizmo in their snap on tool box. Just buy a new one and stick it on.
 
lots of variation in price on ebay from "genuine John Deere) over $100 to cheapies. Will too much heat casue this module to fail? Engine I am working on was treated pretty porely. Lots of stuff around engine fins near ignitor. Even one large mouse nest, with mouse. Not sure how he got in as metal around engine is in tact.
 
If there is a gap somewhere big enough for them to squeeze their head through the rest can follow.
 
I am kind of wondering if those guys are working on something besides lawnmowers or maybe smoking something strong
 

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