G200 Honda ignition woes

[modela]

Do you know what to set the points? I think I will clean it up again, set the points and try it once more. If not I am going to put it aside and go look at the FG110.

Regardless, I think I will try to get it running and donate it to a local non-profit arboretum. A friend and I donate time and materials to fix up their old equipment. See my post on resurrecting an old DR Bachtold.

Resurrecting two old DR Bachtold Mowers -- under general discussion category.

Jim

 

[robert@honda]

Timing spec is 20 degrees B.T.D.C. (fixed)

Here's a page from the shop manual on how to set the points:

 

[modela]

Can you translate that into point gap?

Jim

 

[modela]

Hello again Robert,

I followed up on your suggestion about the FG110. I first stopped at a Home Depot nearest our house. I went down the aisle and saw a fellow trying to make up his mind between a Cub Cadet and the FG110. There was only one left. I put in my two cents about my choice would be a Honda from past experience.

My wife pulled me off to the side to look at some kitchen tile and by the time we got back the Honda was gone and the Cub Cadet sitting there.

Being a former retail store owner I really didn't want to buy the FG110 from Home Depot so I found another mower and garden tractor specialty dealer. The price was the same. This was definitely the place to buy.

I started talking to him about the old G200 and this is what the mechanic told me.

His first guess was that the coil was not making a good contact with the engine block. He said in our climate where it gets humid and wet in the winter and dry in the summer the metal rusts and then loses contact. He said clean it up and put it back together.

Then he revealed some other troubleshooting info:

First look at the points. If there is a build up on the fixed side it is probably the coil. If the little build up point is on the moving point it is probably the condenser.

Set the points .012 and the plug from .028 to .032.

I haven't had time to work on it again but I will let you know what happens. In the meantime we are going to purchase the FG110. I want to get the old G200 running. It still has lots of life in it and I plan to donate it to a local non-profit Arboretum.

Anyway, thanks for your information and pointing me to the FG110.

Jim

 

[modela]

Victory this morning. I got a new set of points and a condenser. I had to drill out a sleeve to free the old condenser but it left enough of a shoulder to center it. I soldered in the new one on the coil, mounted the points and then looked for a plug gauge. I have most of my tools at my shop (always the ones I need, it seems). My luck the gauge was in metric, so off to the converter to convert .012 inches to metric.

I reassembled it. This Honda G200 is really nicely laid out and easy to work on. I pulled the plug, lay it against the engine--nice spark. A few turns later it fired up. Alas, victory.

I never figured out exactly what the problem was. It could have been either the points or the condenser. It could have been as one suggestion a poor ground of the coil to the chassis. It works and I approach the old tiller with new faith.

There are some things that need to be addressed. The shift mechanism (two gears forward, one reverse) is working with great difficulty. The throttle cable is a bit stiff to operate.

Anyway, I thought I would relay my findings.

I don't know how to time these engines but .012 works great for the points gap. The plug gap is .030. I never found out exactly what to put on the cam but I did dig out an old tube of cam grease and it seemed to be up to the task.

Anyway, thank you Robert for all your help plus my local Honda dealer.

Jim