Coil Issue


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Old 04-09-08, 04:57 PM
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Coil Issue

I just put a new solid state coil on a very old Briggs and Stratton 5 HP, 13200 series horizontal engine on a tiller. It worked great for about an hour and then just quit. There is no spark now at all. The coil resistance measures 4K ohms, which is in spec. I have the ground completely disconnected. The flywheel key is not sheared. The old points that were on it are still there, but the wires are cut from it and bound, out of the way of flywheel. My next step is to take it back and try to get a new one, given that I just bought the coil last weekend. Anyone have experience with these coils?
 
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Old 04-09-08, 05:23 PM
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The model number you gave was incomplete but I know that it is a 13 CID horizontal Briggs engine and with such you should have gotten a 397358, ignition coil. If you got anything else post back with the number and your complete model, type and code numbers off your engine. Anyhow, when you eliminated the kill circuit did you do so by removing the kill wire AT the coil? If not, you need to in order to ensure that you don't have a kill system/low oil shut down issue. Did you set the coil to magnet airgap at .010"?
 
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Old 04-09-08, 05:35 PM
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Briggs Coil

Thanks for your response.

The Briggs engine model number is 130292, type 0141-02, Code 73021407. The basic engine is just the 130200 series. Yes, I completely disconnected the kill ground wire from the coil. And I set the gap on both sides of the coil to .010" using two feeler gauges. I have replaced the rings so far, and the one way clutch for the starter, both of those repairs were successful, no more smoke. It ran so great and was very easy to start for the first hour. I have tried several different plugs, no spark. I also looked for spark from the end of the spark wire to ground with a small gap, nothing.
The previous spark, with the old coil using the points was there, but weaker, and it was harder to start.
 
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Old 04-09-08, 05:41 PM
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...the part number of the coil you got?
 
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Old 04-09-08, 05:54 PM
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Briggs Coil

Puey61

The coil number that I have is 317288. It's a DZE brand, made in Argentina. There are no wires coming out of it, just a male spade connector on the right side of it. The small engine shop that sold it to me told me to not use the wires from the points anymore, just hook that spade up to the grounding kill switch where the throttle cable comes in.

As I said, it worked great for an hour, then nothing.
 
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Old 04-09-08, 05:59 PM
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Take the coil back to where you bought it, demand a refund (good luck, most shops (mine included) will not take back electrical parts, period), and purchase a genuine Briggs coil...part number 397358.
 
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Old 04-09-08, 07:40 PM
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I'm taking it back first thing in the morning. Thanks.
 
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Old 04-10-08, 12:11 AM
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I agree, get a briggs part. Aftermarket parts are ok in some situations, but not coils.
 
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Old 04-10-08, 08:35 AM
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I took in the whole tiller, and the mechanic there couldn't get it started either, even with another coil he had laying around. He said he needed to get a third coil, because both of them are dead. He confirmed that the flywheel key was there and functional. The flywheel magnet seems fine.

Turns out below the big incorrect part number on the coil box, above the "made in Argentine", is the correct Briggs part number for the coil, it is so small I missed it. But the coil is not in a typical Briggs box, just a white box with the label.

So as of now, I don't know the status, we left the tiller there and made the point that we just came there to buy parts, not get stuck with a big repair bill.

It worked beautifully for one hour, huge spark, then just stopped, no spark. Thanks for all responses, I'll provide feedback when we hear back from the mechanic.
 
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Old 04-15-08, 08:21 PM
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Well since my small engine place handled this so professionally, I will mention their name: Tylers in Madisonville, Tn. They kept the tiller for 2 days, confirmed that the coil they had sold us was defective, got us a new one, returned the tiller, with a new coil, no charge. It is working fine now. They said they had a batch of bad coils, and would send this one and another one back to Briggs. So it's now working and we are happy. Thanks for the advice and comments.
 
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Old 04-16-08, 04:47 AM
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Our pleasure. Be the DIY'er.
 
 

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