OK, after 50+ years, this one I've not seen before -- any guesses?

Air-cooled Wisconsin 4-cylinder gasoline engine in the boom lift.

Was running normally when parked it couple of weeks ago but yesterday
didn't want to start--quite unusual; it's kinda' easy to flood if not
careful, but normally fires right up. Yesterday didn't want to fire.

Ended up cranking 'til started pulling battery down so put the charger
on. After a few minutes was looking around checking plug wires, etc.,
all on, none broke, etc. and pulled the coil discharge wire. It felt
warm. The coil itself was too hot to touch. Anybody have a cause or
experience such a thing before?

--

In article , dpb wrote:
OK, after 50+ years, this one I've not seen before -- any guesses?

Air-cooled Wisconsin 4-cylinder gasoline engine in the boom lift.

Was running normally when parked it couple of weeks ago but yesterday
didn't want to start--quite unusual; it's kinda' easy to flood if not
careful, but normally fires right up. Yesterday didn't want to fire.

Ended up cranking 'til started pulling battery down so put the charger
on. After a few minutes was looking around checking plug wires, etc.,
all on, none broke, etc. and pulled the coil discharge wire. It felt
warm. The coil itself was too hot to touch. Anybody have a cause or
experience such a thing before?

Internal short in the coil?

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

Doug Miller wrote:
In article , dpb wrote:
OK, after 50+ years, this one I've not seen before -- any guesses?

Air-cooled Wisconsin 4-cylinder gasoline engine in the boom lift.

Was running normally when parked it couple of weeks ago but yesterday
didn't want to start--quite unusual; it's kinda' easy to flood if not
careful, but normally fires right up. Yesterday didn't want to fire.

Ended up cranking 'til started pulling battery down so put the charger
on. After a few minutes was looking around checking plug wires, etc.,
all on, none broke, etc. and pulled the coil discharge wire. It felt
warm. The coil itself was too hot to touch. Anybody have a cause or
experience such a thing before?

Internal short in the coil?

Got me...I suppose it might somehow be possible, but surely new symptom
to me.

I took positive lead off and charged battery -- guess I'll go try
cranking and see if there's any spark -- I disconnected stuff last night
to be sure it didn't sit there and somehow heat up to a problem point.
Since it didn't fire at all, I'm now thinking it probably wasn't
sparking--I was thinking fuel last night when first messing around...

If so, seems like pretty bizarre failure while sitting when drove it in
and parked it.

Maybe somebody else will come along and have had similar experience in
past...

--

trainfan1 wrote:
dpb wrote:
OK, after 50+ years, this one I've not seen before -- any guesses?

Air-cooled Wisconsin 4-cylinder gasoline engine in the boom lift.

Was running normally when parked it couple of weeks ago but yesterday
didn't want to start--quite unusual; it's kinda' easy to flood if not
careful, but normally fires right up. Yesterday didn't want to fire.

Ended up cranking 'til started pulling battery down so put the charger
on. After a few minutes was looking around checking plug wires, etc.,
all on, none broke, etc. and pulled the coil discharge wire. It felt
warm. The coil itself was too hot to touch. Anybody have a cause or
experience such a thing before?

--

Points stuck closed or shorted.

Ah...not bad!

It's a hybrid ignition w/ solid-state "points" module in distributor --
although a failure there seems more likely than the coil itself...

Gee, wonder what the chances of NAPA having one of them puppies in stock
is?

--

dpb wrote:
OK, after 50+ years, this one I've not seen before -- any guesses?

Air-cooled Wisconsin 4-cylinder gasoline engine in the boom lift.

Was running normally when parked it couple of weeks ago but yesterday
didn't want to start--quite unusual; it's kinda' easy to flood if not
careful, but normally fires right up. Yesterday didn't want to fire.

Ended up cranking 'til started pulling battery down so put the charger
on. After a few minutes was looking around checking plug wires, etc.,
all on, none broke, etc. and pulled the coil discharge wire. It felt
warm. The coil itself was too hot to touch. Anybody have a cause or
experience such a thing before?

--

Points stuck closed or shorted.

Rob

I've had welded points overheat and fry a coil. Check to see that the module
is opening and closing the ignition circuit, then check to see that the coil
is still good



"dpb" wrote in message ...
trainfan1 wrote:
dpb wrote:
OK, after 50+ years, this one I've not seen before -- any guesses?

Air-cooled Wisconsin 4-cylinder gasoline engine in the boom lift.

Was running normally when parked it couple of weeks ago but yesterday
didn't want to start--quite unusual; it's kinda' easy to flood if not
careful, but normally fires right up. Yesterday didn't want to fire.

Ended up cranking 'til started pulling battery down so put the charger
on. After a few minutes was looking around checking plug wires, etc.,
all on, none broke, etc. and pulled the coil discharge wire. It felt
warm. The coil itself was too hot to touch. Anybody have a cause or
experience such a thing before?

--

Points stuck closed or shorted.

Ah...not bad!

It's a hybrid ignition w/ solid-state "points" module in distributor --
although a failure there seems more likely than the coil itself...

Gee, wonder what the chances of NAPA having one of them puppies in stock
is?

--

RBM wrote:
I've had welded points overheat and fry a coil. Check to see that the module
is opening and closing the ignition circuit, then check to see that the coil
is still good


I'll have to do some larnin' to figure out how to do that specifically,
but I suspect I already know the answer since I don't have spark.

It's a failure mode w/ points and the solid-state modules I hadn't run
across before...

--

The points or the module should open and close to complete the circuit
furnishing voltage to the primary side of the coil. If you have a low
voltage test lamp with alligator clips, attach the clips to the two primary
terminals of the coil, and with ignition on and the sparkplugs removed,
slowly crank the engine. The test light should go on and off as you crank.
If it doesn't, there is a problem with the module or points or the wiring
involved in that circuit


"dpb" wrote in message ...
RBM wrote:
I've had welded points overheat and fry a coil. Check to see that the
module is opening and closing the ignition circuit, then check to see
that the coil is still good


I'll have to do some larnin' to figure out how to do that specifically,
but I suspect I already know the answer since I don't have spark.

It's a failure mode w/ points and the solid-state modules I hadn't run
across before...

--