All right, here goes..... i bought a 1986 Toro Lawn tractor on ebay
for quite a steal. Briggs 11HPi brought it home and stuck my jump-
starter on it and got to work. at first it obviously would not fire
up. i tinkered a little and could get it to fire up off of starting
fluid. at that point i started checking the gas lines, which were
clogged. i cleared the lines and tinkered with the carb for a while
and i eventually got it to fire up off of gas, but could only get the
engine running with the throttle up high. but it ran!!!! i rode it
around my property for about 10 MIN but it would still only run with
the throttle up high. the engine sounded great with no knocking or
sputtering. i went inside and ate dinner and when i returned (about an
hour later) it wouldnt even fire off of starting fluid. NOTHING. i
figured that the motor was flooded and i knew the carb needed
cleaning, so i removed the carb, drained the oil, and took the plug
out to hopefully clear some gas out of the chamber. that night i
cleaned the carb. the next day i re-filled the engine with oil,
reinstalled the plug, and cranked the motor a few times w/o carb to
hopefully clear any remaining gas out of the chamber. i reinstalled
the carb, but did not hook the gas line up to it. i gave it a squirt
of starting fluid and NOTHING. i can hear that the motor has
compression. and the plug is not wet, so at this point i dont think it
is flooded. i checked and i get a strong spark (ouch) from the wire to
the engine, but i cant seem to get a spark between the contacts on the
end of the plug when the wire is attached to it when i ground the plug
to the motor. i know the plug is good, because i tried it in my
snowthrower and it worked great. i am pretty sure that it is something
simple, seeing as though i had it running, but i am out of ideas.
please help!!

On Dec 11, 9:38*am, 93JONK wrote:
All right, here goes..... i bought a 1986 Toro Lawn tractor on ebay
for quite a steal. Briggs 11HPi brought it home and stuck my jump-
starter on it and got to work. at first it obviously would not fire
up. i tinkered a little and could get it to fire up off of starting
fluid. at that point i started checking the gas lines, which were
clogged. i cleared the lines and tinkered with the carb for a while
and i eventually got it to fire up off of gas, but could only get the
engine running with the throttle up high. but it ran!!!! i rode it
around my property for about 10 MIN but it would still only run with
the throttle up high. the engine sounded great with no knocking or
sputtering. i went inside and ate dinner and when i returned (about an
hour later) it wouldnt even fire off of starting fluid. NOTHING. i
figured that the motor was flooded and i knew the carb needed
cleaning, so i removed the carb, drained the oil, and took the plug
out to hopefully clear some gas out of the chamber. that night i
cleaned the carb. the next day i re-filled the engine with oil,
reinstalled the plug, and cranked the motor a few times w/o carb to
hopefully clear any remaining gas out of the chamber. i reinstalled
the carb, but did not hook the gas line up to it. i gave it a squirt
of starting fluid and NOTHING. i can hear that the motor has
compression. and the plug is not wet, so at this point i dont think it
is flooded. i checked and i get a strong spark (ouch) from the wire to
the engine, but i cant seem to get a spark between the contacts on the
end of the plug when the wire is attached to it when i ground the plug
to the motor. i know the plug is good, because i tried it in my
snowthrower and it worked great. i am pretty sure that it is something
simple, seeing as though i had it running, but i am out of ideas.
please help!!

You get spark but not strong enough to fire the plug, it ran before,
maybe a weak ignition system, mine would not fire when the motor was
hot. 22 yrs old, free is a good price.

On Dec 11, 10:00*am, ransley wrote:
On Dec 11, 9:38*am, 93JONK wrote:





All right, here goes..... i bought a 1986 Toro Lawn tractor on ebay
for quite a steal. Briggs 11HPi brought it home and stuck my jump-
starter on it and got to work. at first it obviously would not fire
up. i tinkered a little and could get it to fire up off of starting
fluid. at that point i started checking the gas lines, which were
clogged. i cleared the lines and tinkered with the carb for a while
and i eventually got it to fire up off of gas, but could only get the
engine running with the throttle up high. but it ran!!!! i rode it
around my property for about 10 MIN but it would still only run with
the throttle up high. the engine sounded great with no knocking or
sputtering. i went inside and ate dinner and when i returned (about an
hour later) it wouldnt even fire off of starting fluid. NOTHING. i
figured that the motor was flooded and i knew the carb needed
cleaning, so i removed the carb, drained the oil, and took the plug
out to hopefully clear some gas out of the chamber. that night i
cleaned the carb. the next day i re-filled the engine with oil,
reinstalled the plug, and cranked the motor a few times w/o carb to
hopefully clear any remaining gas out of the chamber. i reinstalled
the carb, but did not hook the gas line up to it. i gave it a squirt
of starting fluid and NOTHING. i can hear that the motor has
compression. and the plug is not wet, so at this point i dont think it
is flooded. i checked and i get a strong spark (ouch) from the wire to
the engine, but i cant seem to get a spark between the contacts on the
end of the plug when the wire is attached to it when i ground the plug
to the motor. i know the plug is good, because i tried it in my
snowthrower and it worked great. i am pretty sure that it is something
simple, seeing as though i had it running, but i am out of ideas.
please help!!

You get spark but not strong enough to fire the plug, it ran before,
maybe a weak ignition system, mine would not fire when the motor was
hot. 22 yrs old, free is a good price.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

so maybe a bag coild armature? could the magneto wheel be bad? i would
think

On Dec 11, 10:11*am, 93JONK wrote:
On Dec 11, 10:00*am, ransley wrote:





On Dec 11, 9:38*am, 93JONK wrote:

All right, here goes..... i bought a 1986 Toro Lawn tractor on ebay
for quite a steal. Briggs 11HPi brought it home and stuck my jump-
starter on it and got to work. at first it obviously would not fire
up. i tinkered a little and could get it to fire up off of starting
fluid. at that point i started checking the gas lines, which were
clogged. i cleared the lines and tinkered with the carb for a while
and i eventually got it to fire up off of gas, but could only get the
engine running with the throttle up high. but it ran!!!! i rode it
around my property for about 10 MIN but it would still only run with
the throttle up high. the engine sounded great with no knocking or
sputtering. i went inside and ate dinner and when i returned (about an
hour later) it wouldnt even fire off of starting fluid. NOTHING. i
figured that the motor was flooded and i knew the carb needed
cleaning, so i removed the carb, drained the oil, and took the plug
out to hopefully clear some gas out of the chamber. that night i
cleaned the carb. the next day i re-filled the engine with oil,
reinstalled the plug, and cranked the motor a few times w/o carb to
hopefully clear any remaining gas out of the chamber. i reinstalled
the carb, but did not hook the gas line up to it. i gave it a squirt
of starting fluid and NOTHING. i can hear that the motor has
compression. and the plug is not wet, so at this point i dont think it
is flooded. i checked and i get a strong spark (ouch) from the wire to
the engine, but i cant seem to get a spark between the contacts on the
end of the plug when the wire is attached to it when i ground the plug
to the motor. i know the plug is good, because i tried it in my
snowthrower and it worked great. i am pretty sure that it is something
simple, seeing as though i had it running, but i am out of ideas.
please help!!

You get spark but not strong enough to fire the plug, it ran before,
maybe a weak ignition system, mine would not fire when the motor was
hot. 22 yrs old, free is a good price.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

so maybe a bag coild armature? could the magneto wheel be bad? i would
think- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

sorry, i meant a "bad coil armature". and i would think that the
magneto wheel wouldnt go bad as that seems like a pretty simple part.

On Dec 11, 10:26*am, 93JONK wrote:
On Dec 11, 10:11*am, 93JONK wrote:





On Dec 11, 10:00*am, ransley wrote:

On Dec 11, 9:38*am, 93JONK wrote:

All right, here goes..... i bought a 1986 Toro Lawn tractor on ebay
for quite a steal. Briggs 11HPi brought it home and stuck my jump-
starter on it and got to work. at first it obviously would not fire
up. i tinkered a little and could get it to fire up off of starting
fluid. at that point i started checking the gas lines, which were
clogged. i cleared the lines and tinkered with the carb for a while
and i eventually got it to fire up off of gas, but could only get the
engine running with the throttle up high. but it ran!!!! i rode it
around my property for about 10 MIN but it would still only run with
the throttle up high. the engine sounded great with no knocking or
sputtering. i went inside and ate dinner and when i returned (about an
hour later) it wouldnt even fire off of starting fluid. NOTHING. i
figured that the motor was flooded and i knew the carb needed
cleaning, so i removed the carb, drained the oil, and took the plug
out to hopefully clear some gas out of the chamber. that night i
cleaned the carb. the next day i re-filled the engine with oil,
reinstalled the plug, and cranked the motor a few times w/o carb to
hopefully clear any remaining gas out of the chamber. i reinstalled
the carb, but did not hook the gas line up to it. i gave it a squirt
of starting fluid and NOTHING. i can hear that the motor has
compression. and the plug is not wet, so at this point i dont think it
is flooded. i checked and i get a strong spark (ouch) from the wire to
the engine, but i cant seem to get a spark between the contacts on the
end of the plug when the wire is attached to it when i ground the plug
to the motor. i know the plug is good, because i tried it in my
snowthrower and it worked great. i am pretty sure that it is something
simple, seeing as though i had it running, but i am out of ideas.
please help!!

You get spark but not strong enough to fire the plug, it ran before,
maybe a weak ignition system, mine would not fire when the motor was
hot. 22 yrs old, free is a good price.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

so maybe a bag coild armature? could the magneto wheel be bad? i would
think- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

sorry, i meant a "bad coil armature". and i would think that the
magneto wheel wouldnt go bad as that seems like a pretty simple part.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Mine was bad ignition module and shorting coil, the ignition module
only didnt work at first when hot then failed, but now that its cold
it should work ? Or maybe the old plug wire is bad also, or could it
be simpler like a saftey switch under the seat or on the transmission
that is half bad allowing some juice to the coil but not enough to
fire the motor, im just guessing here so keep looking.

On Dec 11, 10:51*am, ransley wrote:
On Dec 11, 10:26*am, 93JONK wrote:





On Dec 11, 10:11*am, 93JONK wrote:

On Dec 11, 10:00*am, ransley wrote:

On Dec 11, 9:38*am, 93JONK wrote:

All right, here goes..... i bought a 1986 Toro Lawn tractor on ebay
for quite a steal. Briggs 11HPi brought it home and stuck my jump-
starter on it and got to work. at first it obviously would not fire
up. i tinkered a little and could get it to fire up off of starting
fluid. at that point i started checking the gas lines, which were
clogged. i cleared the lines and tinkered with the carb for a while
and i eventually got it to fire up off of gas, but could only get the
engine running with the throttle up high. but it ran!!!! i rode it
around my property for about 10 MIN but it would still only run with
the throttle up high. the engine sounded great with no knocking or
sputtering. i went inside and ate dinner and when i returned (about an
hour later) it wouldnt even fire off of starting fluid. NOTHING. i
figured that the motor was flooded and i knew the carb needed
cleaning, so i removed the carb, drained the oil, and took the plug
out to hopefully clear some gas out of the chamber. that night i
cleaned the carb. the next day i re-filled the engine with oil,
reinstalled the plug, and cranked the motor a few times w/o carb to
hopefully clear any remaining gas out of the chamber. i reinstalled
the carb, but did not hook the gas line up to it. i gave it a squirt
of starting fluid and NOTHING. i can hear that the motor has
compression. and the plug is not wet, so at this point i dont think it
is flooded. i checked and i get a strong spark (ouch) from the wire to
the engine, but i cant seem to get a spark between the contacts on the
end of the plug when the wire is attached to it when i ground the plug
to the motor. i know the plug is good, because i tried it in my
snowthrower and it worked great. i am pretty sure that it is something
simple, seeing as though i had it running, but i am out of ideas.
please help!!

You get spark but not strong enough to fire the plug, it ran before,
maybe a weak ignition system, mine would not fire when the motor was
hot. 22 yrs old, free is a good price.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

so maybe a bag coild armature? could the magneto wheel be bad? i would
think- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

sorry, i meant a "bad coil armature". and i would think that the
magneto wheel wouldnt go bad as that seems like a pretty simple part.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Mine was bad ignition module and shorting coil, the ignition module
only didnt work at first when hot then failed, but now that its cold
it should work ? Or maybe the old plug wire is bad also, or could it
be simpler like a saftey switch under the *seat or on the transmission
that is half bad allowing some juice to the coil but not enough to
fire the motor, im just guessing here so keep looking.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I dont think it is any of the safety switches. i completely bypassed
the seat switch and disconnected the circuit for the kill switch that
attaches to the coil armature. i dont think this one has an ignition
module, but i could be wrong. i am going to try and replace the coil
armature. what should i use to gap the armature from the magneto wheel?

ransley wrote:
On Dec 11, 9:38 am, 93JONK wrote:
All right, here goes..... i bought a 1986 Toro Lawn tractor on ebay
for quite a steal. Briggs 11HPi brought it home and stuck my jump-
starter on it and got to work. at first it obviously would not fire
up. i tinkered a little and could get it to fire up off of starting
fluid. at that point i started checking the gas lines, which were
clogged. i cleared the lines and tinkered with the carb for a while
and i eventually got it to fire up off of gas, but could only get the
engine running with the throttle up high. but it ran!!!! i rode it
around my property for about 10 MIN but it would still only run with
the throttle up high. the engine sounded great with no knocking or
sputtering. i went inside and ate dinner and when i returned (about an
hour later) it wouldnt even fire off of starting fluid. NOTHING. i
figured that the motor was flooded and i knew the carb needed
cleaning, so i removed the carb, drained the oil, and took the plug
out to hopefully clear some gas out of the chamber. that night i
cleaned the carb. the next day i re-filled the engine with oil,
reinstalled the plug, and cranked the motor a few times w/o carb to
hopefully clear any remaining gas out of the chamber. i reinstalled
the carb, but did not hook the gas line up to it. i gave it a squirt
of starting fluid and NOTHING. i can hear that the motor has
compression. and the plug is not wet, so at this point i dont think it
is flooded. i checked and i get a strong spark (ouch) from the wire to
the engine, but i cant seem to get a spark between the contacts on the
end of the plug when the wire is attached to it when i ground the plug
to the motor. i know the plug is good, because i tried it in my
snowthrower and it worked great. i am pretty sure that it is something
simple, seeing as though i had it running, but i am out of ideas.
please help!!

You get spark but not strong enough to fire the plug, it ran before,
maybe a weak ignition system, mine would not fire when the motor was
hot. 22 yrs old, free is a good price.


I've seen a bad spark plug cause this, try a new one, even though it
works on the other motor. Also make sure the wire is not damaged.

93JONK wrote:
On Dec 11, 10:00 am, ransley wrote:
On Dec 11, 9:38 am, 93JONK wrote:





All right, here goes..... i bought a 1986 Toro Lawn tractor on ebay
for quite a steal. Briggs 11HPi brought it home and stuck my jump-
starter on it and got to work. at first it obviously would not fire
up. i tinkered a little and could get it to fire up off of starting
fluid. at that point i started checking the gas lines, which were
clogged. i cleared the lines and tinkered with the carb for a while
and i eventually got it to fire up off of gas, but could only get the
engine running with the throttle up high. but it ran!!!! i rode it
around my property for about 10 MIN but it would still only run with
the throttle up high. the engine sounded great with no knocking or
sputtering. i went inside and ate dinner and when i returned (about an
hour later) it wouldnt even fire off of starting fluid. NOTHING. i
figured that the motor was flooded and i knew the carb needed
cleaning, so i removed the carb, drained the oil, and took the plug
out to hopefully clear some gas out of the chamber. that night i
cleaned the carb. the next day i re-filled the engine with oil,
reinstalled the plug, and cranked the motor a few times w/o carb to
hopefully clear any remaining gas out of the chamber. i reinstalled
the carb, but did not hook the gas line up to it. i gave it a squirt
of starting fluid and NOTHING. i can hear that the motor has
compression. and the plug is not wet, so at this point i dont think it
is flooded. i checked and i get a strong spark (ouch) from the wire to
the engine, but i cant seem to get a spark between the contacts on the
end of the plug when the wire is attached to it when i ground the plug
to the motor. i know the plug is good, because i tried it in my
snowthrower and it worked great. i am pretty sure that it is something
simple, seeing as though i had it running, but i am out of ideas.
please help!!
You get spark but not strong enough to fire the plug, it ran before,
maybe a weak ignition system, mine would not fire when the motor was
hot. 22 yrs old, free is a good price.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

so maybe a bag coild armature? could the magneto wheel be bad? i would
think


Possible, but in close to 20 years of playing with those things, I've
yet to see a bad one. Get a tuneup kit that replaces the points and
condenser, double check all the wiring, particularly the one to the
ignition switch. Sometimes water gets in the switch and shorts the kill
wire to ground.

93JONK wrote:
On Dec 11, 10:51 am, ransley wrote:
On Dec 11, 10:26 am, 93JONK wrote:





On Dec 11, 10:11 am, 93JONK wrote:
On Dec 11, 10:00 am, ransley wrote:
On Dec 11, 9:38 am, 93JONK wrote:
All right, here goes..... i bought a 1986 Toro Lawn tractor on ebay
for quite a steal. Briggs 11HPi brought it home and stuck my jump-
starter on it and got to work. at first it obviously would not fire
up. i tinkered a little and could get it to fire up off of starting
fluid. at that point i started checking the gas lines, which were
clogged. i cleared the lines and tinkered with the carb for a while
and i eventually got it to fire up off of gas, but could only get the
engine running with the throttle up high. but it ran!!!! i rode it
around my property for about 10 MIN but it would still only run with
the throttle up high. the engine sounded great with no knocking or
sputtering. i went inside and ate dinner and when i returned (about an
hour later) it wouldnt even fire off of starting fluid. NOTHING. i
figured that the motor was flooded and i knew the carb needed
cleaning, so i removed the carb, drained the oil, and took the plug
out to hopefully clear some gas out of the chamber. that night i
cleaned the carb. the next day i re-filled the engine with oil,
reinstalled the plug, and cranked the motor a few times w/o carb to
hopefully clear any remaining gas out of the chamber. i reinstalled
the carb, but did not hook the gas line up to it. i gave it a squirt
of starting fluid and NOTHING. i can hear that the motor has
compression. and the plug is not wet, so at this point i dont think it
is flooded. i checked and i get a strong spark (ouch) from the wire to
the engine, but i cant seem to get a spark between the contacts on the
end of the plug when the wire is attached to it when i ground the plug
to the motor. i know the plug is good, because i tried it in my
snowthrower and it worked great. i am pretty sure that it is something
simple, seeing as though i had it running, but i am out of ideas.
please help!!
You get spark but not strong enough to fire the plug, it ran before,
maybe a weak ignition system, mine would not fire when the motor was
hot. 22 yrs old, free is a good price.- Hide quoted text -
- Show quoted text -
so maybe a bag coild armature? could the magneto wheel be bad? i would
think- Hide quoted text -
- Show quoted text -
sorry, i meant a "bad coil armature". and i would think that the
magneto wheel wouldnt go bad as that seems like a pretty simple part.- Hide quoted text -
- Show quoted text -
Mine was bad ignition module and shorting coil, the ignition module
only didnt work at first when hot then failed, but now that its cold
it should work ? Or maybe the old plug wire is bad also, or could it
be simpler like a saftey switch under the seat or on the transmission
that is half bad allowing some juice to the coil but not enough to
fire the motor, im just guessing here so keep looking.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I dont think it is any of the safety switches. i completely bypassed
the seat switch and disconnected the circuit for the kill switch that
attaches to the coil armature. i dont think this one has an ignition
module, but i could be wrong. i am going to try and replace the coil
armature. what should i use to gap the armature from the magneto wheel?


I can look in my B&S service manual when I'm at home.

Did you check the points? They're usually under the flywheel, those and
the condenser commonly corrode or fail.

It could be that the ignition system is not up to voltage. There are a
variety of reasons for this as mentioned by others here. I'd try closing
down the spark gap to a minimum (say 0.010 inch or less) and trying to
start it again (at full or near full throttle). If it starts then you
should look into fixing a weak ignition system. If it doesn't start then
(most likely but not certainly) your problem is not with the ignition.

EJ in NJ

93JONK wrote:
All right, here goes..... i bought a 1986 Toro Lawn tractor on ebay
for quite a steal. Briggs 11HPi brought it home and stuck my jump-
starter on it and got to work. at first it obviously would not fire
up. i tinkered a little and could get it to fire up off of starting
fluid. at that point i started checking the gas lines, which were
clogged. i cleared the lines and tinkered with the carb for a while
and i eventually got it to fire up off of gas, but could only get the
engine running with the throttle up high. but it ran!!!! i rode it
around my property for about 10 MIN but it would still only run with
the throttle up high. the engine sounded great with no knocking or
sputtering. i went inside and ate dinner and when i returned (about an
hour later) it wouldnt even fire off of starting fluid. NOTHING. i
figured that the motor was flooded and i knew the carb needed
cleaning, so i removed the carb, drained the oil, and took the plug
out to hopefully clear some gas out of the chamber. that night i
cleaned the carb. the next day i re-filled the engine with oil,
reinstalled the plug, and cranked the motor a few times w/o carb to
hopefully clear any remaining gas out of the chamber. i reinstalled
the carb, but did not hook the gas line up to it. i gave it a squirt
of starting fluid and NOTHING. i can hear that the motor has
compression. and the plug is not wet, so at this point i dont think it
is flooded. i checked and i get a strong spark (ouch) from the wire to
the engine, but i cant seem to get a spark between the contacts on the
end of the plug when the wire is attached to it when i ground the plug
to the motor. i know the plug is good, because i tried it in my
snowthrower and it worked great. i am pretty sure that it is something
simple, seeing as though i had it running, but i am out of ideas.
please help!!

On Dec 11, 12:53*pm, Ernie Willson wrote:
It could be that the ignition system is not up to voltage. There are a
variety of reasons for this as mentioned by others here. I'd try closing
down the spark gap to a minimum (say 0.010 inch or less) and trying to
start it again (at full or near full throttle). If it starts then you
should look into fixing a weak ignition system. If it doesn't start then
(most likely but not certainly) your problem is not with the ignition.

EJ in NJ



93JONK wrote:
All right, here goes..... i bought a 1986 Toro Lawn tractor on ebay
for quite a steal. Briggs 11HPi brought it home and stuck my jump-
starter on it and got to work. at first it obviously would not fire
up. i tinkered a little and could get it to fire up off of starting
fluid. at that point i started checking the gas lines, which were
clogged. i cleared the lines and tinkered with the carb for a while
and i eventually got it to fire up off of gas, but could only get the
engine running with the throttle up high. but it ran!!!! i rode it
around my property for about 10 MIN but it would still only run with
the throttle up high. the engine sounded great with no knocking or
sputtering. i went inside and ate dinner and when i returned (about an
hour later) it wouldnt even fire off of starting fluid. NOTHING. i
figured that the motor was flooded and i knew the carb needed
cleaning, so i removed the carb, drained the oil, and took the plug
out to hopefully clear some gas out of the chamber. that night i
cleaned the carb. the next day i re-filled the engine with oil,
reinstalled the plug, and cranked the motor a few times w/o carb to
hopefully clear any remaining gas out of the chamber. i reinstalled
the carb, but did not hook the gas line up to it. i gave it a squirt
of starting fluid and NOTHING. i can hear that the motor has
compression. and the plug is not wet, so at this point i dont think it
is flooded. i checked and i get a strong spark (ouch) from the wire to
the engine, but i cant seem to get a spark between the contacts on the
end of the plug when the wire is attached to it when i ground the plug
to the motor. i know the plug is good, because i tried it in my
snowthrower and it worked great. i am pretty sure that it is something
simple, seeing as though i had it running, but i am out of ideas.
please help!!- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

it's not a bad plug, because i checked my snowthrower and this plug
fires it up no problem. i picked up a new armature for cheap, and i
will see if this fixes the problem. also, i will try closing the gap
on the plug. from there i guess i will take the flywheel/magneto off
and check the points and condenser, but what am i looking for?

93JONK wrote:
On Dec 11, 12:53 pm, Ernie Willson wrote:
It could be that the ignition system is not up to voltage. There are a
variety of reasons for this as mentioned by others here. I'd try closing
down the spark gap to a minimum (say 0.010 inch or less) and trying to
start it again (at full or near full throttle). If it starts then you
should look into fixing a weak ignition system. If it doesn't start then
(most likely but not certainly) your problem is not with the ignition.

EJ in NJ



93JONK wrote:
All right, here goes..... i bought a 1986 Toro Lawn tractor on ebay
for quite a steal. Briggs 11HPi brought it home and stuck my jump-
starter on it and got to work. at first it obviously would not fire
up. i tinkered a little and could get it to fire up off of starting
fluid. at that point i started checking the gas lines, which were
clogged. i cleared the lines and tinkered with the carb for a while
and i eventually got it to fire up off of gas, but could only get the
engine running with the throttle up high. but it ran!!!! i rode it
around my property for about 10 MIN but it would still only run with
the throttle up high. the engine sounded great with no knocking or
sputtering. i went inside and ate dinner and when i returned (about an
hour later) it wouldnt even fire off of starting fluid. NOTHING. i
figured that the motor was flooded and i knew the carb needed
cleaning, so i removed the carb, drained the oil, and took the plug
out to hopefully clear some gas out of the chamber. that night i
cleaned the carb. the next day i re-filled the engine with oil,
reinstalled the plug, and cranked the motor a few times w/o carb to
hopefully clear any remaining gas out of the chamber. i reinstalled
the carb, but did not hook the gas line up to it. i gave it a squirt
of starting fluid and NOTHING. i can hear that the motor has
compression. and the plug is not wet, so at this point i dont think it
is flooded. i checked and i get a strong spark (ouch) from the wire to
the engine, but i cant seem to get a spark between the contacts on the
end of the plug when the wire is attached to it when i ground the plug
to the motor. i know the plug is good, because i tried it in my
snowthrower and it worked great. i am pretty sure that it is something
simple, seeing as though i had it running, but i am out of ideas.
please help!!- Hide quoted text -
- Show quoted text -

it's not a bad plug, because i checked my snowthrower and this plug
fires it up no problem. i picked up a new armature for cheap, and i
will see if this fixes the problem. also, i will try closing the gap
on the plug. from there i guess i will take the flywheel/magneto off
and check the points and condenser, but what am i looking for?


Corroded points. They're cheap enough to replace, tuneup kit has the
points and condenser. Use a feeler gauge to set a .022" gap with the
points open. It's very common for points to corrode when the engine sits.

First try the sparkplug gap trick. When voltage is low the spark cannot
make the large jump. Decreasing the jump can get a small spark through.
Usually, any spark that can jump the gap (when installed in the
cylinder) will run an engine, although it will not run well at low loads.

I assure you that if you pull the flywheel/magneto off you will
immediately see the condenser and the points. You cannot really check
the condenser. Check out the points for being properly adjusted
(gapped), and pitting. If this were my machine, since I'd gone through
all the work of getting the flywheel off I'd replace the condenser and
points regardless of apparent condition.

I'D ALSO REPLACE THE FLYWHEEL KEY SINCE THIS HAS CAUSED SIMILAR PROBLEMS
FOR ME IN THE PAST. If the key is partly sheared then the spark timing
can get messed up. The key can partially shear (without completely
breaking) if the blade stops very abruptly, like when hitting large
rocks etc.

HTH

EJ in NJ

93JONK wrote:
On Dec 11, 12:53 pm, Ernie Willson wrote:
It could be that the ignition system is not up to voltage. There are a
variety of reasons for this as mentioned by others here. I'd try closing
down the spark gap to a minimum (say 0.010 inch or less) and trying to
start it again (at full or near full throttle). If it starts then you
should look into fixing a weak ignition system. If it doesn't start then
(most likely but not certainly) your problem is not with the ignition.

EJ in NJ



93JONK wrote:
All right, here goes..... i bought a 1986 Toro Lawn tractor on ebay
for quite a steal. Briggs 11HPi brought it home and stuck my jump-
starter on it and got to work. at first it obviously would not fire
up. i tinkered a little and could get it to fire up off of starting
fluid. at that point i started checking the gas lines, which were
clogged. i cleared the lines and tinkered with the carb for a while
and i eventually got it to fire up off of gas, but could only get the
engine running with the throttle up high. but it ran!!!! i rode it
around my property for about 10 MIN but it would still only run with
the throttle up high. the engine sounded great with no knocking or
sputtering. i went inside and ate dinner and when i returned (about an
hour later) it wouldnt even fire off of starting fluid. NOTHING. i
figured that the motor was flooded and i knew the carb needed
cleaning, so i removed the carb, drained the oil, and took the plug
out to hopefully clear some gas out of the chamber. that night i
cleaned the carb. the next day i re-filled the engine with oil,
reinstalled the plug, and cranked the motor a few times w/o carb to
hopefully clear any remaining gas out of the chamber. i reinstalled
the carb, but did not hook the gas line up to it. i gave it a squirt
of starting fluid and NOTHING. i can hear that the motor has
compression. and the plug is not wet, so at this point i dont think it
is flooded. i checked and i get a strong spark (ouch) from the wire to
the engine, but i cant seem to get a spark between the contacts on the
end of the plug when the wire is attached to it when i ground the plug
to the motor. i know the plug is good, because i tried it in my
snowthrower and it worked great. i am pretty sure that it is something
simple, seeing as though i had it running, but i am out of ideas.
please help!!- Hide quoted text -
- Show quoted text -

it's not a bad plug, because i checked my snowthrower and this plug
fires it up no problem. i picked up a new armature for cheap, and i
will see if this fixes the problem. also, i will try closing the gap
on the plug. from there i guess i will take the flywheel/magneto off
and check the points and condenser, but what am i looking for?

On Dec 11, 1:28*pm, James Sweet wrote:
93JONK wrote:
On Dec 11, 12:53 pm, Ernie Willson wrote:
It could be that the ignition system is not up to voltage. There are a
variety of reasons for this as mentioned by others here. I'd try closing
down the spark gap to a minimum (say 0.010 inch or less) and trying to
start it again (at full or near full throttle). If it starts then you
should look into fixing a weak ignition system. If it doesn't start then
(most likely but not certainly) your problem is not with the ignition.

EJ in NJ

93JONK wrote:
All right, here goes..... i bought a 1986 Toro Lawn tractor on ebay
for quite a steal. Briggs 11HPi brought it home and stuck my jump-
starter on it and got to work. at first it obviously would not fire
up. i tinkered a little and could get it to fire up off of starting
fluid. at that point i started checking the gas lines, which were
clogged. i cleared the lines and tinkered with the carb for a while
and i eventually got it to fire up off of gas, but could only get the
engine running with the throttle up high. but it ran!!!! i rode it
around my property for about 10 MIN but it would still only run with
the throttle up high. the engine sounded great with no knocking or
sputtering. i went inside and ate dinner and when i returned (about an
hour later) it wouldnt even fire off of starting fluid. NOTHING. i
figured that the motor was flooded and i knew the carb needed
cleaning, so i removed the carb, drained the oil, and took the plug
out to hopefully clear some gas out of the chamber. that night i
cleaned the carb. the next day i re-filled the engine with oil,
reinstalled the plug, and cranked the motor a few times w/o carb to
hopefully clear any remaining gas out of the chamber. i reinstalled
the carb, but did not hook the gas line up to it. i gave it a squirt
of starting fluid and NOTHING. i can hear that the motor has
compression. and the plug is not wet, so at this point i dont think it
is flooded. i checked and i get a strong spark (ouch) from the wire to
the engine, but i cant seem to get a spark between the contacts on the
end of the plug when the wire is attached to it when i ground the plug
to the motor. i know the plug is good, because i tried it in my
snowthrower and it worked great. i am pretty sure that it is something
simple, seeing as though i had it running, but i am out of ideas.
please help!!- Hide quoted text -
- Show quoted text -

it's not a bad plug, because i checked my snowthrower and this plug
fires it up no problem. i picked up a new armature for cheap, and i
will see if this fixes the problem. also, i will try closing the gap
on the plug. from there i guess i will take the flywheel/magneto off
and check the points and condenser, but what am i looking for?

Corroded points. They're cheap enough to replace, tuneup kit has the
points and condenser. Use a feeler gauge to set a .022" gap with the
points open. It's very common for points to corrode when the engine sits.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

cool. i am going to replace these either way, because it seems like it
is an easy way for me to have problems in the future if they arent
already shot. i assume that the easiest way to take the flywheel/
magneto off is to drive two long bolts into the threaded openings
adjacent to the crankshaft?

On Dec 11, 9:38*am, 93JONK wrote:
All right, here goes..... i bought a 1986 Toro Lawn tractor on ebay
for quite a steal. Briggs 11HPi brought it home and stuck my jump-
starter on it and got to work. at first it obviously would not fire
up. i tinkered a little and could get it to fire up off of starting
fluid. at that point i started checking the gas lines, which were
clogged. i cleared the lines and tinkered with the carb for a while
and i eventually got it to fire up off of gas, but could only get the
engine running with the throttle up high. but it ran!!!! i rode it
around my property for about 10 MIN but it would still only run with
the throttle up high. the engine sounded great with no knocking or
sputtering. i went inside and ate dinner and when i returned (about an
hour later) it wouldnt even fire off of starting fluid. NOTHING. i
figured that the motor was flooded and i knew the carb needed
cleaning, so i removed the carb, drained the oil, and took the plug
out to hopefully clear some gas out of the chamber. that night i
cleaned the carb. the next day i re-filled the engine with oil,
reinstalled the plug, and cranked the motor a few times w/o carb to
hopefully clear any remaining gas out of the chamber. i reinstalled
the carb, but did not hook the gas line up to it. i gave it a squirt
of starting fluid and NOTHING. i can hear that the motor has
compression. and the plug is not wet, so at this point i dont think it
is flooded. i checked and i get a strong spark (ouch) from the wire to
the engine, but i cant seem to get a spark between the contacts on the
end of the plug when the wire is attached to it when i ground the plug
to the motor. i know the plug is good, because i tried it in my
snowthrower and it worked great. i am pretty sure that it is something
simple, seeing as though i had it running, but i am out of ideas.
please help!!

Before going on and replacing all the hard expensive stuff first do
more basic stuff, I have seen a plug that will fire out of the motor
and even in the motor but it wont take any load since a lousy plug
wire was bad. To fire gas, start, run on choke and accelerate takes
more juice than to idle. A bad wire, plug, corroded connection, can
make it not get volts when needed, under load, it just happened to my
car, one cilinder missing under load, it was a bad plug wire. An old
machine, I would wonder about the flywheel key, it sets timing, if
they hit enough rocks that might be the issue, timing off.

Ernie Willson wrote:
First try the sparkplug gap trick. When voltage is low the spark cannot
make the large jump. Decreasing the jump can get a small spark through.
Usually, any spark that can jump the gap (when installed in the
cylinder) will run an engine, although it will not run well at low loads.

I assure you that if you pull the flywheel/magneto off you will
immediately see the condenser and the points. You cannot really check
the condenser. Check out the points for being properly adjusted
(gapped), and pitting. If this were my machine, since I'd gone through
all the work of getting the flywheel off I'd replace the condenser and
points regardless of apparent condition.

I'D ALSO REPLACE THE FLYWHEEL KEY SINCE THIS HAS CAUSED SIMILAR PROBLEMS
FOR ME IN THE PAST. If the key is partly sheared then the spark timing
can get messed up. The key can partially shear (without completely
breaking) if the blade stops very abruptly, like when hitting large
rocks etc.

HTH



Happens in conventional mowers, but is unlikely in a tractor as the
blade is not directly driven. If you replace it, do use a proper
aluminum key, a steel key defeats the purpose.

cool. i am going to replace these either way, because it seems like it
is an easy way for me to have problems in the future if they arent
already shot. i assume that the easiest way to take the flywheel/
magneto off is to drive two long bolts into the threaded openings
adjacent to the crankshaft?


There is a puller tool that uses those holes, it's not terribly
expensive, but you could make something I suppose. I have a generic
puller that I use, but in the past I've used a piece of steel square
stock with a couple of holes drilled into it, rest that on the
crankshaft and put the bolts through it into the holes in the flywheel.

On Dec 11, 1:57*pm, James Sweet wrote:
cool. i am going to replace these either way, because it seems like it
is an easy way for me to have problems in the future if they arent
already shot. i assume that the easiest way to take the flywheel/
magneto off is to drive two long bolts into the threaded openings
adjacent to the crankshaft?

There is a puller tool that uses those holes, it's not terribly
expensive, but you could make something I suppose. I have a generic
puller that I use, but in the past I've used a piece of steel square
stock with a couple of holes drilled into it, rest that on the
crankshaft and put the bolts through it into the holes in the flywheel.

Just found out the engine does not have condenser or points according
the the illustrated parts catalog. so i guess that it is either low
voltage from the armature or bad timing. i'm going to check both of
these.

93JONK wrote:
On Dec 11, 1:57 pm, James Sweet wrote:
cool. i am going to replace these either way, because it seems like it
is an easy way for me to have problems in the future if they arent
already shot. i assume that the easiest way to take the flywheel/
magneto off is to drive two long bolts into the threaded openings
adjacent to the crankshaft?
There is a puller tool that uses those holes, it's not terribly
expensive, but you could make something I suppose. I have a generic
puller that I use, but in the past I've used a piece of steel square
stock with a couple of holes drilled into it, rest that on the
crankshaft and put the bolts through it into the holes in the flywheel.

Just found out the engine does not have condenser or points according
the the illustrated parts catalog. so i guess that it is either low
voltage from the armature or bad timing. i'm going to check both of
these.


That would be their "Magnetron" ignition, it's a small module pressed
into the armature, later styles have it built into the assembly.

Dissemble the carb, and use oven cleaner spray (really!) to take the green
slime off. Rinse well. Dry with paper towels, etc. Reassemble.

Replace the gasket between the carb and the engine. Very often the gasket is
missing or leaking. So, air comes in after the carb. Gook the gasket with
Permatex #2b non hardening (from your auto parts store.) If you get it on
your hands, use alcohol drygas to get the permatex off.

Also check to make sure the choke is closed for starting, and opens when the
motor starts.

Please check for hot blue spark.

Please let us know how this works out.
--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..


"93JONK" wrote in message
...
All right, here goes..... i bought a 1986 Toro Lawn tractor on ebay
for quite a steal. Briggs 11HPi brought it home and stuck my jump-
starter on it and got to work. at first it obviously would not fire
up. i tinkered a little and could get it to fire up off of starting
fluid. at that point i started checking the gas lines, which were
clogged. i cleared the lines and tinkered with the carb for a while
and i eventually got it to fire up off of gas, but could only get the
engine running with the throttle up high. but it ran!!!! i rode it
around my property for about 10 MIN but it would still only run with
the throttle up high. the engine sounded great with no knocking or
sputtering. i went inside and ate dinner and when i returned (about an
hour later) it wouldnt even fire off of starting fluid. NOTHING. i
figured that the motor was flooded and i knew the carb needed
cleaning, so i removed the carb, drained the oil, and took the plug
out to hopefully clear some gas out of the chamber. that night i
cleaned the carb. the next day i re-filled the engine with oil,
reinstalled the plug, and cranked the motor a few times w/o carb to
hopefully clear any remaining gas out of the chamber. i reinstalled
the carb, but did not hook the gas line up to it. i gave it a squirt
of starting fluid and NOTHING. i can hear that the motor has
compression. and the plug is not wet, so at this point i dont think it
is flooded. i checked and i get a strong spark (ouch) from the wire to
the engine, but i cant seem to get a spark between the contacts on the
end of the plug when the wire is attached to it when i ground the plug
to the motor. i know the plug is good, because i tried it in my
snowthrower and it worked great. i am pretty sure that it is something
simple, seeing as though i had it running, but i am out of ideas.
please help!!

On Dec 11, 2:12*pm, 93JONK wrote:
On Dec 11, 1:57*pm, James Sweet wrote:

cool. i am going to replace these either way, because it seems like it
is an easy way for me to have problems in the future if they arent
already shot. i assume that the easiest way to take the flywheel/
magneto off is to drive two long bolts into the threaded openings
adjacent to the crankshaft?

There is a puller tool that uses those holes, it's not terribly
expensive, but you could make something I suppose. I have a generic
puller that I use, but in the past I've used a piece of steel square
stock with a couple of holes drilled into it, rest that on the
crankshaft and put the bolts through it into the holes in the flywheel.

Just found out the engine does not have condenser or points according
the the illustrated parts catalog. so i guess that it is either low
voltage from the armature or bad timing. i'm going to check both of
these.

Then it has an ignition module that replaces points condensor and can
cost 40-100$, And it has a coil, start with the plug wire- coil, it
can be Ohm checked, If you just do the replace everything deal, you
may replace everything.

On Dec 11, 11:06*am, 93JONK wrote:
On Dec 11, 10:51*am, ransley wrote:



On Dec 11, 10:26*am, 93JONK wrote:

On Dec 11, 10:11*am, 93JONK wrote:

On Dec 11, 10:00*am, ransley wrote:

On Dec 11, 9:38*am, 93JONK wrote:

All right, here goes..... i bought a 1986 Toro Lawn tractor on ebay
for quite a steal. Briggs 11HPi brought it home and stuck my jump-
starter on it and got to work. at first it obviously would not fire
up. i tinkered a little and could get it to fire up off of starting
fluid. at that point i started checking the gas lines, which were
clogged. i cleared the lines and tinkered with the carb for a while
and i eventually got it to fire up off of gas, but could only get the
engine running with the throttle up high. but it ran!!!! i rode it
around my property for about 10 MIN but it would still only run with
the throttle up high. the engine sounded great with no knocking or
sputtering. i went inside and ate dinner and when i returned (about an
hour later) it wouldnt even fire off of starting fluid. NOTHING.. i
figured that the motor was flooded and i knew the carb needed
cleaning, so i removed the carb, drained the oil, and took the plug
out to hopefully clear some gas out of the chamber. that night i
cleaned the carb. the next day i re-filled the engine with oil,
reinstalled the plug, and cranked the motor a few times w/o carb to
hopefully clear any remaining gas out of the chamber. i reinstalled
the carb, but did not hook the gas line up to it. i gave it a squirt
of starting fluid and NOTHING. i can hear that the motor has
compression. and the plug is not wet, so at this point i dont think it
is flooded. i checked and i get a strong spark (ouch) from the wire to
the engine, but i cant seem to get a spark between the contacts on the
end of the plug when the wire is attached to it when i ground the plug
to the motor. i know the plug is good, because i tried it in my
snowthrower and it worked great. i am pretty sure that it is something
simple, seeing as though i had it running, but i am out of ideas.
please help!!

You get spark but not strong enough to fire the plug, it ran before,
maybe a weak ignition system, mine would not fire when the motor was
hot. 22 yrs old, free is a good price.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

so maybe a bag coild armature? could the magneto wheel be bad? i would
think- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

sorry, i meant a "bad coil armature". and i would think that the
magneto wheel wouldnt go bad as that seems like a pretty simple part.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Mine was bad ignition module and shorting coil, the ignition module
only didnt work at first when hot then failed, but now that its cold
it should work ? Or maybe the old plug wire is bad also, or could it
be simpler like a saftey switch under the *seat or on the transmission
that is half bad allowing some juice to the coil but not enough to
fire the motor, im just guessing here so keep looking.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I dont think it is any of the safety switches. i completely bypassed
the seat switch and disconnected the circuit for the kill switch that
attaches to the coil armature. i dont think this one has an ignition
module, but i could be wrong. i am going to try and replace the coil
armature. what should i use to gap the armature from the magneto wheel?

Rule of thumb for Briggs 10.20.30 (mag.points.plug) in thousandths.

Looks like it was the armature the whole time. replaced it for $40.
runs like a champ!!!! thanks for all the advice folks!!

93JONK wrote:
Looks like it was the armature the whole time. replaced it for $40.
runs like a champ!!!! thanks for all the advice folks!!


Wow, that's a first for me, glad you got it going.

Just what is the armature?
"James Sweet" wrote in message
...
93JONK wrote:
Looks like it was the armature the whole time. replaced it for $40.
runs like a champ!!!! thanks for all the advice folks!!


Wow, that's a first for me, glad you got it going.

Johnl wrote:
Just what is the armature?


The equivalent of an ignition coil in a magneto system.

Thanks
"James Sweet" wrote in message
...
Johnl wrote:
Just what is the armature?


The equivalent of an ignition coil in a magneto system.

http://www.seventh-gear.com/sale/10169.JPG

check it out