I doubt that your basic problem is the coil. You did not say if you had tried to start it with the key turned to the ignition on position and then direct connected from battery to the starter itself. If you checked and got a voltage at the coil with the key on and then had the key switched off when you jumped the starter you would not get a start. I'd try to solve the problem of why the starter won't work as it should first and then try to run down any ignition problems per se. The other person who wrote probably had the right idea. Did you have the hi-lo shift in neutral? If not, try doing that and seeing if the starter will actuate using the regular switch? If the starter won't function even with the Hi-Lo in neutral, then run a jumper wire from the battery to the primary wire connection on the solenoid and see if the solenoid functions. Perhaps you did that already -if I misunderstood, I am sorry. I understood you to mean that you got it to turn over when you ran a heavy jumper cable from battery directly to the battery cable terminal on the starter. If that is correct and if the solenoid does NOT function when you jump its primary wire terminal, then I'd pull the starter and have it checked out. Once you get the engine to turn over using the operator controls then I'd continue to trouble-shoot the actual ignition. Coils are quirky, especially old ones but I think it would be very unusual for one to break down completely in that short a storage time. I hope that your problem is solved by putting the Hi-Lo in neutral. I just bought a 165 after last having owned a Massey in 1977 and I forgot that myself and I had put thousands of hours on a MF 180 and MF 50. So it is easy to overlook and it has caught 1000s of guys. Good luck! Ed
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