Posted by Goose on March 02, 2016 at 18:37:45 from (70.198.3.78):
Several years ago, in a weak moment, I bought a Poulan 20" chain saw because it was on sale for a price I couldn't resist. I started it up once, made a test cut in a log to make sure it was functioning OK, and put it back in the plastic carrying case.
With my two Stihl saws, I simply never needed a 20" saw. Last week I noticed the case sitting there under a bench in my shop and figured I'd start it up once. Put fresh gas in it, but no go. I finally took the side cover off and put a drill on the flywheel nut and spun it that way. Still no go. I finally checked the spark plug and it was wet so I knew it was getting gas. Checked the ignition with a test light and it was dead. On/Off switch was "On". This is about as simple of an ignition system as there is possible. The magnets on the flywheel pass the primary winding of the coil, the primary induces high voltage in the secondary, and the plug wire is embedded in the secondary of the coil. The "Off" switch grounds the secondary of the coil.
Since I know from first hand experience that Poulan had a rash of defective coils about the time this saw was manufactured, I finally decided the coil must be the culprit and ordered a new one. Even though the saw is new and has run only about ten minutes, it's too old for warranty, if Poulan even honors their warranties. I installed the new coil this noon and still nothing.
I've disconnected the "Off" ground wire at the coil to eliminate that. I pulled the flywheel to check the key and that was good, although if the key were sheared, there would still be spark when the flywheel rotated, just at the wrong time. Both the original coil and the new one check the same with an ohmmeter, and they both checked the same as the coil I pulled out of a defunct weedeater that I abandoned because of fuel problems. (The weedeater coil won't interchange, but it's made the same).
I'm stumped. The entire ignition system consists of the rotating flywheel, the coil with the plug wire embedded, and the "off" wire to ground the coil to stop the engine. It's such a simple ignition system, the only thing I can think of is that the new coil might be defective. I think I'll take one of the coils to a small engine shop tomorrow and see if they have a better way of checking coils, or at least double checking my conclusions with an ohmmeter.
Upload one or more videos to your post. Photo filesizes should be less than 300K and Videos, less than 2MB. Formats allowed are gif, jpg, png, ogg, mp4, mov, and avi. Be sure to use filenames without spaces or special characters, and filetypes of 3 digits lower case.
We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today. [ About Us ]
Today's Featured Article - Restoration Story: Fordson Major - by Anthony West. George bought his Fordson Major from a an implement sale about 18 years ago for £200.00 (UK). There is no known history regarding its origins or what service it had done, but the following work was undertaken alone to bring it up to show standard. From the engine number, it was found that this Major was produced late 1946. It was almost complete but had various parts that would definitely need replacing.
... [Read Article]
Latest Ad:
1964 I-H 140 tractor with cultivators and sidedresser. Starts and runs good. Asking 2650. CALL RON AT 502-319-1952
[More Ads]
All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy
TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.
