Toro spark help

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Travelor
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Toro spark help

Post by Travelor »

Since the murray tractor I bought this spring has had nothing but issues with the mower deck, I found a pair of toro tractors on Craigslist and grabbed them for $75. One was for "parts" and the other one had ran two weeks prior and just wouldn't start again. It turns over but there is no spark at the plug.

I ended up pulling and swapping the coil under the flywheel (checked first with voltmeter) and checked the resistance on my ... Other coil? I would swap it with the parts one but the boot for the spark plug was ripped off, but both read 4.70 for resistance. Checking online we found that there is a "safety relay" and I swapped another one in. All that and still no spark.

I'm new to small engines, but are they seriously that different from a car engine when it comes to diagnosing? Unless there is a bad wire or ground somewhere, does anyone know what else I need to look at?

The engine is a briggs and Stratton 16hp 28q777


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Re: Toro spark help

Post by themixer »

is this one of the motors that the coil can be installed upside down? I have fixed a few small engines (by no means an expert) just by googling the hell out of a model number


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Re: Toro spark help

Post by 1988GTU »

New spark plug? Not used new or cleaned up new, a new one. Similar issue I had with a blower and it was at first hard starting. Then after some use, it got to be to the point of no spark from a poor electrode being carbon coated. They dont put off a huge spark like a car does, and any Incumbances will greatly impact the reliability/starting.


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Re: Toro spark help

Post by Travelor »

The flywheel coil only bolts/sits one way so I know that didn't change, and the coil itself has "cylinder side" stamped on it so that's correct as well. I was going to stop and get a brand new spark plug after work, but I had tried a car spark plug just to test for spark and couldn't see anything when I turned it over.


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Re: Toro spark help

Post by Cliff8928 »

It's not a regular coil but a magneto. Do you get any spark? if not, try disconnecting any wires going to it.


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Re: Toro spark help

Post by Travelor »

There is only one wore that connects, and it's a ground wire. There is zero spark, but I'll try unhooking that.

Though , that ground wire was cut and I spliced it back together when I started working on it.


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Re: Toro spark help

Post by Cliff8928 »

That wire should be switched. It should ground when you shut the key off. It disables spark when grounded.


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Re: Toro spark help

Post by Travelor »

Unplugging that wire did give me spark. Does that mean my coil is bad?

Gotta look at next why it's not starting. I've cleaned out the carb, and everything looks good. Just wouldn't catch.


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Re: Toro spark help

Post by 3X00-Modified »

No, as cliff noted the wire that was permanently grounded should be on a switch that grounds when it's shut off... It's the way you kill these engines from running.


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Re: Toro spark help

Post by Travelor »

Interesting... The ground wire connects to the block on one side, the carb and starter on the other.


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Re: Toro spark help

Post by 3X00-Modified »

Photos I think would assist in this confusion on the ground wire


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