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Jim, This could be complicated, but I will start with some basics and you can post back more questions. Around May I will probably have a full article in Green Magazine to troubleshoot mags, but heres a short outline which may get you going for now. First, if its on the tractor, remove the plugs to eliminate compression, and see if when you turn the crank around, you hear a distinctive loud snap from the mag. You should hear it when each piston crosses TDC. They fire at TDC each piston on both pwr and exhaust. If you never ever hear that loud snap, shes not gonna fire at hand crank speeds, although it could still work on a pull start with higher RPM. If its off the tractor, you should be able to turn the mag by its rear coupler, it should be fairly hard to turn over by fingers and still wind up and release the spring and loud sanp when she fires. Okay, if she snaps, then you have to look for a spark. With the cap removed, attach a wire from the mags steel frame and have it within about 1/8 inch away from that little button on the outside of the coil (where the caps spring fits) and when you turn the mag till she snaps, a spark should jump between the wires end and the coils output button if the mag (coil, points, condensor etc) are okay. Then, if the cap and rotor and plug wires are reattached and you turn the mag till she snaps, a plug should show a spark across its gap if its frame (threaded portion or case) is grounded back to the mag. If you get a spark out the coils high voltage output button, the coil and points and condensor are okay, but if none to the plugs with cap and rotor installed, you may have a cap or rotor poblem, assuming the plugs and wires are okay. Cap and rotor problems could be cracks or carbon paths etc. Okay, if NO FIRE anywhere, cap removed or installed, and the mag snaps over, you may have a coil or points or condensor problem or a short. 1. Corroded or pitted or burned points or improperly adjusted points are the first place to look. Rotate the mag and the points should open to at least 0.015 when they are up on high cam. If not, adjust them and then try the above tests again. Also, if they are burned or pitted or carboned up or even gray oxide coated, that can prevent a spark even if gapped properly. Try a light cleaning and see if you get a spark, if so, install new points because once the silver coat is bad, they wont last long. 2. If the points are clean and properly gapped and still no spark, be sure any kill switch wires or that external kill swith wire stud are not grounded out or any wires to that kill switch stud are not grounded. Grounding that wire is how you short out the points and kill the engine. 3. If points are okay and gapped and no shorts and mag snaps and still no fire, you could have a bad or shorted condensor. I can test them, but if youre not familiar with electricity etc you might just want to try a new one and see if you get a spark. If its shorted, it kills the spark, if removed you can stil get a weak spark. 4. If points are okay and gapped and no shorts and condensor is okay and mag snaps and still no spark, you could have a bad coil. Sooooo ooo, try some of these thigns and rememebr it has to wind up and snap over at hand crank speeds to fire, and it may just need new points and condensor and nothing more serious. I or many good ol boys on here, especially the clooney man, can further instruct you on timing etc. once you get her to fire. Good Luck, Ol John T Nordhoff in Indiana
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