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Well, I have a 22" Toro Recycler GTS with a 6.5hp Tecumseh Model 20017 that has no spark. Plug is about a month old. The mower has been hard to start for a couple months with surging. In order to start it, i would have to prime it after every stoppage. I cleaned the carb- it wouldn't start, and that's when I checked it for spark. The plug wire does not appear to be cracked or damaged. Is there a way to test the coil and plug wire with a simple voltmeter?. What should the gap be between the coil and magneto and where do I set the gap? at the magnet or at a nonmagnetic spot? Is there a easy way to check for spark when working by yourself? It's a little hard to see when the plug is at one end and your pulling at the other. Thanks for all consideration to my dilemma.

How old is the mower? Does it have points? When i set magnetos on my my stuff - you make sure the mag ends are clean, along with the flywheel ( usually magnet is rivited to the flywheel) - i use a oil filter box end - you want a gap, but not a huge gap - to set it, i loosen the mag bolts, put the cardbord in front of the mag ends, turn the flywheel till the magnet contacts the magneto ( itll snap tight) - tighten the magneto bolts down, remove the cardbord and its done.


I recently had a similar issue with my 90 murray tractor, it had spark ( gave me a decent shock) , but would not run - so i swapped a good spare magneto i had on and it fired right up - must be was a spark, but too weak to fire the motor.

The mower is 5 or 6 yrs old. I do not know whether it has points or not. I did use 150 grit sandpaper to clean up the maget end and coil contacts.

What color is the plug? If it's black, it could be fouled, even though it's new(ish). If this is the case, you must then figure out why it's running rich.

the old plug was pretty black. This newer plug has only 4 hrs of use on it. i will address the carb when I get this mower going.

could need a new plug or even a new magneto/ ignition.

They haven't used points in small engines since 1981. It's an electronic ignition coil. The only way to check the coil is to unplug the ground wire from the coil. This isolates the coil from anything else (Kill switch). Now just test the spark like you normally would. You can check spark with one person by removing the cover and recoil so the flywheel is exposed. Next you can take a drill with a socket that fits the flywheel nut and turn the engine over that way. Make sure you have something holding the bail lever down so you remove the brake from the flywheel. Also make sure the gapping is right. It should be at .010 or a business card works too!

well, I got her started. runs well, no surging noted; ( this was the start of all my troubles). I ran it for a while, shut it down and tried to restart her. well, I still had to prime it a few times before she started. I guess my next post will be about fine turning the carb (idle adjustment?). thanks to all who replied. :biggrin:

Re: No spar

I have had the same problem with my Toro GTS 6.5 hp Tecumseh mower. I replaced the ignition switch and I still have no spark. Before this issue I would use my mower and and turn it off. After it was warm I could not get it started again. I would have to let it cool off for an hour or so before I could get it going again. Now no spark and I can't get it started. The plug was new this spring when I got it ready for this mowing season. It is still in good shape. My gap is set at .11 and still no spark. I know it is getting gas, because when I take the plug out to check it, I find gas on it.

Coil is bad, replace.

Briggs92 said:

They haven't used points in small engines since 1981. It's an electronic ignition coil. The only way to check the coil is to unplug the ground wire from the coil. This isolates the coil from anything else (Kill switch). Now just test the spark like you normally would. You can check spark with one person by removing the cover and recoil so the flywheel is exposed. Next you can take a drill with a socket that fits the flywheel nut and turn the engine over that way. Make sure you have something holding the bail lever down so you remove the brake from the flywheel. Also make sure the gapping is right. It should be at .010 or a business card works too!

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Ok, I checked for spark, had none so I unplugged the ground wire and checked and I had a spark. Put it back together and had no spark. Is my coil bad?

No, it means your kill wire is shorted to ground. Find where it is frayed, pinched, or rubbed bare. This condition is not allowing the coil to work properly. Repair and you. Should be good to go.

Rivets said:

No, it means your kill wire is shorted to ground. Find where it is frayed, pinched, or rubbed bare. This condition is not allowing the coil to work properly. Repair and you. Should be good to go.

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Thanks you ole retired grease monkey instructor that took care of it!!