In article , Roger Shoaf says...

Any advice on how to test the magneto armature and the capacitor?

The capacitor can be easily tested using a simpson meter.

Put the meter on the highest ohms setting (typically RX10K) and
connect the capacitor to the test leads. The needle should blip
upwards for an instant, and then fall back to infinite ohms.

If it does not blip upwards, or if it reads less than infinite
resistance on that scale, it is probably bad.

The mag coil probably has three leads - one that goes to gnd,
one that goes to the points, and one that goes to the plug.

You should read an ohm or so between the ground lead and the
points lead. You should read several thousand ohms or so
between the plug lead and ground.

If either reads dead open, then that's a fail.

If the HT lead reads low resistance to ground, that's
a fail.

There are ways to measure the HT insulation of the potted
coil but that requires a specialized instrument called
a "megger." If for some reason the motor starts and runs
fine when cold, but quits when hot and cannot be re-started,
due to lack of spark, that is a classic sign of failed
insulation on the HT side of the coil.

Jim


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