Briggs and Straton

[fyredude57]

I have a 1992 Briggs Motor model 326437
The starter burnt up I replaced it along with the starter selenoid and now I have no spark. I have power from the key and it cranks. The safety switches have been check and are good. Any ideas would help. It powers a Toro Groundmaster with a 48 inch deck.

 

[TedLaRue]

Is there a chance that you burned up the starter by cranking it too long trying to start the motor when you had no spark? In other words, is it possible that you had no spark before you burned up the starter?

If you may have lost the spark before you worked on the starter, then you could have a bad ignition module or a bad coil. Your 1992 engine probably has an electronic ignition module, but some early models of that engine had points and condenser which could also cause lack of spark, especially a bad condenser. Mis-adjusted breaker points could cause a weak spark.

If you are sure you had spark before you worked on the starter, then here are two possibilities:

(1) You accidentally pinched the primary wire from the coil to the kill switch causing it to be grounded to the frame of the machine.

(2) The spark for that engine is created when a magnet built into the flywheel passes by a U-shaped armature/coil. You can find those if you remove the engine shroud (the tin covering over the engine, usually held on with three machine screws on a Briggs engine).

If the machine was sitting for a little while when you were fixing the starter, there may have been some rust build up on the flywheel magnet and/or coil (armature).

The gap between the flywheel and the coil is typically about 0.010 inches (about two thicknesses of typing paper). A little rust on either the coil or the flywheel magnet can kill your spark.

Use sandpaper or emery cloth to remove the rust. You can adjust the gap by (1) loosening the two screws that hold the armature, (2) pulling it back from the flywheel, (3) turning the flywheel so the magnets are next to the armature, (4) placing an index card or two thicknesses of typing paper between the armature and the flywheel, (5) letting the armature stick to the flywheel magnets with the index card in between, (6) tightening the two screws, and (7) removing the index card.

You can download a parts list (exploded view) of your engine here:
Manuals | Customer Support | Briggs & Stratton

 

[fyredude57]

The tractor had a short at the ignition switch causing the starter to engage which has since been resolved however there was spark before and the tractor only sat for 2 days after. It is not powered by the points and coil version. I was hoping to avoid taking the shroud off as the flywheel cover and pulleys that drive the unit have to be removed. do you know of a way to check the coil through an impedence reading through the plug wire? I am pretty sure i will have to take it apart I am just trying to avoid it...

 

[Jim Thompson]

Locate the (usually black) kill wire, that should come from underneath the shroud/ blower housing, and disconnect it. Also, be sure that you got the correct ignition switch. If you don't have fire after disconnecting the kill wire, then you have an issue with the coil, plug wire, coil to fly wheel air gap, flywheel or spark plug.

Jim

 

[TedLaRue]

You can do a basic check of the secondary side of the ignition coil by measuring the resistance from the spark plug wire (high tension wire) to the engine body. You should see a resistance of between 2500 and 5000 ohms.

However, if you see infinite resistance, there is a chance that there is a small break in the spark plug wire causing the infinite resistance, but small enough that the high voltage could simply jump that gap, so that doesn't necessarily mean the coil is bad.

That coil also contains an electronic ignition that controls the primary side of the coil, and there is no easy way to check that other than just checking for spark.

You're probably going to have to bite the bullet and take the pulleys and engine shroud off. At that point I would check the air gap between the coil/armature and the flywheel and make sure there is no rust on either one. It doesn't take much rust to cross a 0.010" gap.

Also, as another poster suggested, remove the kill wire from the coil when you check for spark to make sure it isn't shorted to ground somewhere. You can do that while you have the shroud off.

One final note, if you have removed or ever do remove the coil, make sure you don't reinstall it upside down. There should be writing on it to indicate which side is "up" and which side should face the cylinder.

 

[crazyal]

You may also have a switch on the bottom of the carb. It's there to shut the engine off in case you roll over. I would check that wire as well.

 

[fyredude57]

Plug wire had infinite resistance shroud and pulleys off found a nest from the winter and had plug wire animal damage. Finally bit the bullet and replaced the coil. Steam cleaned everything then decided i may as well do all the maintenance and replace hydraulic fluid and filter and re adjust trans to sec and it runs like a new machine. Thanks for the help i now have another groundmaster that has been sitting waiting for the preventative things to happen to it as well...