Info/help on a magneto type ignition

[pacer 3,174]

OK guys this is about ignition on a Kawasaki 18hp engine on a ...gasp!... John Deere, but I'm putting it here because the later horses had this type ignition and the response should benefit those owners also (if need to will move it to the 'other' makes)

 

Now, I got this JD 185 practically free from out "in the back pasture" type deal, so it was pretty sad, but with nothing else going on in the shop, I thought I'd tackle it to try to learn the pointless engines - which I had never fooled with. Seller said it would run but would not charge battery, and sure enough I got it running and the no charging problem was a badly melted rectifier. Get a new rectifier and cleaned the melted plastic off wiring and re-attached it along with several messes in the wiring. Get that done and go to start it and ---- no spark!! With the wiring in such a mess, I decided to just do a direct conx (hot wire) .... by-passing all the safety switch mess ... no spark!! now from many readings on you tube it seemed to me that there was little connex to the switch except to start/run/stop -The spinning of the flywheel created the lectrics to make a spark  ... Yes??? with the coil basically being the main -only? - piece that made the magic juice. 

 

Since I had originally got it started (and ran quite well) the existing coil shud be good, but now, no spark. Go ahead and get a new coil and also got an 'igniter' which it didnt have but there appeared to be a place in the white wire (kill wire)  for ... maybe one of the igniters? (which I dont get what it does) whatever, it makes no difference with it on or off, plus that white wire is only needed to kill the motor anyway ... right??

 

So here is what my question/s is --- Is the coli/flywheel magnet the single source of making a spark? if the engine is spinning it is making lectrics and shud throw a spark every time the magnet passes the coil?? 

 

I found the figures to use in checking the coil with a multimeter on ohms and the original coil plus the new one are dead on in those readings, as are the plug wires - which I found on you tube could be bad.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

go

 

[953 nut 56,636]

 

7 hours ago, pacer said:

I decided to just do a direct conx (hot wire) ..

NEVER hot wire a magneto, you will fry it!

When something is working and then you do something and now it won't work the first place to look is what you did last. You probably grounded something out. Here is a listing of manuals that may help.

https://www.wheelhorseforum.com/search/?q=Kawasaki&quick=1&type=downloads_file&nodes=15

[pacer 3,174]

 

14 hours ago, 953 nut said:

NEVER hot wire a magneto, you will fry it!

 

@953 nut Thanks.... I think thats exactly what I've done !! This was my first time in delving into this type ignition and I guess that with my age and the MANY yrs of doing points ignition, I just was going about it all wrong.

 

What with you tube, reading, - and some of the articles you posted, I'm gonna back up, get another coil and  - and this time I will NOT wire it up in any manner (will even leave that kill wire off at first) I guess I just couldnt get it in my old brain the this system makes its own spark and doesnt need the battery except to have the starter start spinning the flywheel.

 

In fact, I also got a Troy Built rider with a B&S in this transaction and it was running - using  a spare battery to start it. Last nite as an experiment I started it (with even the kill wire disconnected) and removed the jumper cables and it still ran....with no wires of any kind attached!

 

So, I'm gonna order up another coil this morning ($15 on ebay) and THIS time mount it with NO wiring touching it -- and I really think I will then have a spark!