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NotTaR of small Gasoline Engines and Rotary Lawn Mowers : Maintenance of point-type ignition syste..  
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Maintenance of point-type ignition systems

In most cases, missing or total lack of spark will be due to dirt, pitting, or corrosion of the points or a failure of the condenser. Timing may affected as well by excessive wear. The following procedures should restore the ignition system to good health:

First, test for spark. If there is a spark, try replacing the spark plug since this is the most likely cause of ignition problems. With a spark present, there could still be ignition system problems but this is much less likely.

You may be able to test the points to some extent if you can get to the wire that connects to the magneto or the STOP switch. A multimeter on the low ohms scale will the permit you to watch the opening and closing of the points.

If this confirms that the points are operating the condenser could still be defective, the breaker arm could be sluggish, or the point gap could be grossly out of adjustment.

To proceed further:


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