Kohler engine no spark till coasting.

[mcostello]

I just came up from starting the mower. I hooked up a live 12V wire and it turned over 2-3 times and started right up, which it has never done. So I bypassed the switch. Now I need to know which switch to buy. The Wife is very happy as this is Her mower.
Model 341S
Specs 71109A
serial 8318085

 

[TobyU]

My point was that the coil may not be getting battery voltage with the key in the start position, but is in the run position. Need to get the volt meter out and check for power to the coil in both the start and run key positions.

We have to be very careful how we say this. If a coil gets battery voltage, it is blown in shot in under a second!
What happens is the kill switch tab on the coil is grounded to the machine when the key is in the opposition but of course not when it's in the start or run position or at least that's the way it's supposed to be.
We don't want anyone to ever shoot 12 volts to a coil because it will likely damage it and quickly.
Flaky switches do this all the time. This problem is likely a messed up switch if no one has messed with the wiring.
EDIT: I just found what kind of engine we're talking about and it has a automotive style coil with a plus and minus apparently so that's why I was confused.
I was thinking traditional lawn mowers and not old school tractors. lol
Maybe that's why the old guys always called them magneto's.

 

[ILENGINE]

We have to be very careful how we say this. If a coil gets battery voltage, it is blown in shot in under a second!
What happens is the kill switch tab on the coil is grounded to the machine when the key is in the opposition but of course not when it's in the start or run position or at least that's the way it's supposed to be.
We don't want anyone to ever shoot 12 volts to a coil because it will likely damage it and quickly.
Flaky switches do this all the time. This problem is likely a messed up switch if no one has messed with the wiring.
EDIT: I just found what kind of engine we're talking about and it has a automotive style coil with a plus and minus apparently so that's why I was confused.
I was thinking traditional lawn mowers and not old school tractors. lol
Maybe that's why the old guys always called them magneto's.

Magneto ignition is a breed of it's own. Had a 7hp Wisconsin on a wheel horse years ago. You could take the plug out and turn it by hand at the spark firing point the mag would click. that click was 50K discharge. It has a pulley that you wrapped the starter rope around and my brother being smart planned on doing like they did the old briggs engines by holding the spark plug wire and turning it over slowly and the briggs ignition would bite you softly. Well my brother grabbed the spark wire and told me to turn it over slowly pulling the rope. so I did click, click, click,click. It got him 4 or 5 times before he could let go of the plug wire.

Have worked on the single, twin and four cylinder versions on Wisconsin engines over the years. Can be finicky sometimes. Same brother that got bit by the single 7 hp engine had a JD B that I hated. The compression discharge petcocks that had to be closed after starting were about an inch from the spark plugs on that thing. Got bit more times than I want to count.

 

[Rivets]

That is the engine numbers, I would like to see the Ariens model and serial numbers l

 

[VegetiveSteam]

We have to be very careful how we say this. If a coil gets battery voltage, it is blown in shot in under a second!
What happens is the kill switch tab on the coil is grounded to the machine when the key is in the opposition but of course not when it's in the start or run position or at least that's the way it's supposed to be.
We don't want anyone to ever shoot 12 volts to a coil because it will likely damage it and quickly.
Flaky switches do this all the time. This problem is likely a messed up switch if no one has messed with the wiring.
EDIT: I just found what kind of engine we're talking about and it has a automotive style coil with a plus and minus apparently so that's why I was confused.
I was thinking traditional lawn mowers and not old school tractors. lol
Maybe that's why the old guys always called them magneto's.

And just to throw in what might be considered useless info, most of the old guys I know call a magneto a magneto, a coil a coil and the newfangled thing you’re speaking of an ignition module. It is an item made up of different components all combined into a modular unit. And when mounted on an engine and coupled with the magnets of a flywheel those two components become a magneto. Same as an old push mower with points, condenser, flywheel with magnets and a coil. Those components combined also become a magneto.

 

[VegetiveSteam]

I just came up from starting the mower. I hooked up a live 12V wire and it turned over 2-3 times and started right up, which it has never done. So I bypassed the switch. Now I need to know which switch to buy. The Wife is very happy as this is Her mower.
Model 341S
Specs 71109A
serial 8318085

Any chance you could post a picture of the terminal side of your current key switch. There are several switches you could make work but it could be nice to know what type of terminals your switch has and how each terminal is labeled. An Oregon switch part # 33-389 could be made to work but not match your plug exactly.

 

[Rivets]

That is why I requested the units model and serial numbers. I want to know which switch originally came with the unit. Seems like the switch has been changed out a certain of times.

 

[mcostello]

Ariens model 931018, serial 002307. Pictures of switch coming this evening.

 

[Rivets]

The switch Veg. posted is the same one I found on the Ariens site. You need to look at the back of the switch and see if the terminals are labeled the same as those pictured. I’m posting another picture which may be easier to see.

 

[VegetiveSteam]

The switch Veg. posted is the same one I found on the Ariens site. You need to look at the back of the switch and see if the terminals are labeled the same as those pictured. I’m posting another picture which may be easier to see.

Yeah I should have attached it differently. It cut off a bit of the picture in the thumbnail but if you click on it to open it, it should become a much better picture.