1964 Tecumseh outboard electrics...grrr!

Have a 1964 Tecumseh Ted Williams 3hp outboard, with no spark.
Has new coil, condenser, plug, wires, correct points setting and looks clean. So why no spark? I've missed something....
Thanks for your help.
 
Did you try it with the kill wire disconnected to see if it is the problem? Also if the ignition point cam was removed make sure it is on correctly for the rotation direction.
 
I have a couple of four-stroke-cycle Tecumseh/Lauson outboards made in the late 1940s. I assume your engine is a two-stroke-cycle Power Products? Seems there ought to be an electronic-ignition conversion for it. As far as what your specific problem is right now? If the coil is good, points and condensor good, flywheel timing correct and magnet good - it has to make spark. Something missing in the equation somewhere.
 
I have found even the most subtle things can derail the process. More than once I have seen the wire from the condenser rotate with the screw and ground out against the backer plate when it's tightened. Also had a bad condenser in a new set of points once. This one stranded me on the freeway right near my house and I walked home to get the old one out of the trash and managed to swap it on the side of the road. Old one got me running again and I managed to make it to work that day.

Did you have spark before installation of the new parts?

Had an old outboard start running badly and it turned out to be a coil. Got a new one from Napa and it was bad out of the box. Local marine repair guy had a good one and got me going again.
 
Are the magnets rust free? Proper gap between flywheel and coil? Cam lobe on with arrow showing? Coil wire firmly inserted in coil end and making electrical contact?
 
Good morning! I don't really have a dog in this race, but I wonder why rust on magnets is mentioned. The magnetism is the same with or without rust. Just sayin'....

Dennis M. in W. Tenn.
 
Hello David Lewis,

Clean the points. Draw a piece of withd paper between the point.
Now you got spark?

Guido.
 
Check the flywheel key.

You can disconnect the coil from the points, rig up a test light and a battery to verify the points are making contact. The battery and test light will put a small load on the points, a more realistic test than an ohm meter.
 
(quoted from post at 10:43:25 03/29/20) Good morning! I don't really have a dog in this race, but I wonder why rust on magnets is mentioned. The magnetism is the same with or without rust. Just sayin'....

Dennis M. in W. Tenn.

Dennis, I agree with you 100%, as long as the rust on the flywheel hasn't progressed to the point it's dragging on the coil/armature/stator as the flywheel turns it has NO effect.

For years, Briggs and Stratton had a FAQ page (that unfortunately has finally disappeared or been moved) that stated: "Rust on the flywheel magnets causes a loss of spark. Not true. A magnetic field does not care about rust. It has no effect on it."

I've posted a link to that MANY times here over the years.
 

I've got a belt driven generator that once lost it's magnetism.
Can a the flywheel on an engine loose it's?
 
I have the factory tech manual for that engine if you need any info. There is a large section just on the Power Products 2-stroke-cycle engines used on outboard motors. To my surprise, even back in the day, they offered a fully electronic ignition for it. Kind of an oddity. I worked for a Lauson-Tecumseh-Power Products dealer in the late 60s, early 70s and never actually saw that electronic ignition in a small 2-stroke-cycle version.
cvphoto10080.jpg
 
Here is what Lauson-Power Products says about testing the flywheel magnets on the two-stroke-cycle engine.
cvphoto10083.jpg
 
I cant say if this applies to your flywheel magnet and coil or not (if you have such a system???), but on engines where its adjustable the coil to flywheels magnet spacing is fairly critical and needs close within tolerance (if adjustable??). Even if it matters or not, I still always clean up the magnet and coil of any rust. The points (if so equipped) need gapped and be free and clear of any oxidation or pitting or carbon build up and I have seen a short in the points assembly or some sort of a kill wire cause ignition failure.

John T NOT an owner of that engine nor any manual so take this with a grain of salt. The manual would be my source of information
 
If it IS a genuine Power Products two-stroke-cycle engine made just for outboard motors it is an odd-ball setup. No way to adjust the air-gap between the coil and flywheel. The coil sits inside the flywheel and moves with the throttle on a pivot mount. A say "genuine" because I have seen a few cheap outboards with Power Products two-stroke-cycle lawn mower engines (not designed for outboard use).
cvphoto10094.jpg


cvphoto10095.jpg
 
Awhile ago, my young song dropped a flywheel and knocked the magnetism out if it. I picked up a hammer and smacked it firmly about 90 degrees away from the magnet. Magnetism restored as I hit it with the thought of nothing to loose.
Other than that you have already been told to file the new points.
 
The point gap on those engines is very critical. Make sure that the gap is .020" and not .025. At .025 you get no spark at all.
 
As said, "A pictures worth a thousand words"

Thanks John, that should help the original poster and helped us all learn a thing or two

Keep safe up there neighbor

John T
 
My 71 7.5hp merc. had spark to one cylinder (dual points and cylinders) last year. The wiring to one set of points was shorted out. The insulation had gotten hard and brittle. Because the wires bend as you accelerate, I replaced them all with special very fine thread wire. It worked perfectly.
 

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