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You know, I'm surprised that more people don't know about the old "pull the spark plug and hold it against the block while cranking the engine over to see if you have spark" trick. My father taught me that one when I was a wee lad, and I've been using it ever since. Troubleshooting a gasoline engine is pretty simple: Air, Fuel, and Fire at the right time. Air: Usually not a problem unless something really weird happens, especially on these oil bath air cleaners. Fuel: Wet spark plugs indicate fuel is getting to the cylinders. Fuel at the carburetor is only part of the equation; it has to get into the cylinders to do any god. Fire: My aforementioned pull the sparkplug and hold it against the block trick is appropriate here. You can do something similar with the coil wire, just hold it 1/4" away from the block to create a gap for the spark to jump. You want a strong blue spark, not a weak yellow one. For replacement, a 12V coil is a 12V coil the world around. Timing: Pull the distributor cap and have someone crank the engine momentarily. If the rotor doesn't spin, you've got serious internal engine problems. Pull the plug in the #1 cylinder (front), put your thumb over it and have a helper bump (not crank) the engine until the pressure starts blowing out around your thumb. Now go around to the other side and look at the front pulley for a mark. Line that mark up with the pointer on the block. You are now at top dead center on the firing stroke for the #1 cylinder. Pull the distributor cap again. The metal tab on the rotor should be right underneath the terminal for the #1 cylinder.
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