No spark

[PTmowerMech]

Try that again while touching off on ground with your hand , if it is a good spark it should make your muscles react

I was thinking about that ground thing too. Hard to pull the pull chord, while grounding the coil at the same time. One almost has to have two people. Unless you have one of these.

The last time I literally stuck a screwdriver into the plug wire and held on to it didn't get the least amount of shock I've never seen a bad flywheel but that's where I'm at it's still magnetic I have no clue why this thing is not getting spark and yes it very well could be cursed

Just for grins, pour a little gas or some carb cleaner into the plug hole or through the carb and give it a pull and see if it tries to start.

 

[bertsmobile1]

Also note that the magneto "module" is polarity sensitive
If you put it on upside down it will not work ( unless it was a factory reject )
Well it will work but the spark will be very weak & way out of time
Most go on with the kill wire down which looks wrong because the HT lead seems to going the wrong way
Some have "This Side UP ' or "cylinder side " or "Engine Side" cast into them.
There was a batch on Evilpay down here a few years ago where the writing was on the wrong side
There was also a batch that were wired wrong and would only work if installed upside down that did not have the writing on them .
Simple test for the magnet strength is to fit the coil as far away as the slot will allow then bring the magnet around and loosen the screws
A good magnet will cause the magneto to snap onto it quite strongly

 

[Bertrrr]

Pull the spark plug and you can easily pull the cord and watch for reaction

 

[SamD]

A bad spark plug wire sounds like the issue. You might have gotten a new coil that is defective too...

 

[kjonxx]

Corrosion where coil mounts ? It has to have good contact to work.

 

[Franz47]

There are simple testing devices for the ignition available. I myself bought this one. Check in a dark room, during daylight the light is not really visible. Then You will be sure it is an ignition problem. If you have no spark, it is a gasoline supply problem. Another way is to spray start spray into the air filter. If the engine starts for a few seconds and halts again, you are sure, it is a gasoline problem. if it does not run at all, it may be either problem.

 

[Law57]

I just blew thru the posts - all good stuff. But I didn't see anything about a new spark plug. Start with the easy stuff first. Get a new plug that matches the specs of the engine. Gap it properly and try it again. Maybe a good cleaning of the plug boot and a little dielectric grease.

 

[StarTech]

I just blew thru the posts - all good stuff. But I didn't see anything about a new spark plug. Start with the easy stuff first. Get a new plug that matches the specs of the engine. Gap it properly and try it again. Maybe a good cleaning of the plug boot and a little dielectric grease.

Yes plugs do fail weirdly at times. Even new plugs can be faulty which is why I suggest using a known good for testing.

 

[etbrown4]

You really don't know if you have a spark or not. Often plugs are firing but depending on lighting conditions we can't see it.

Buy yourself a $5 adjustable gap spark tester on amazon or ebay. They allow for a very wide gap and high voltage used on cars, but you use it in the close lawn mower range. Really any visible spark there, and it's time to move to something else as the problem!

 

[Oddjob]

I suspect that your mower is permanently grounded by corrosion closing the circuit at the kill switch. Pull the bale as if you were going to start the mower. Tie a string around it and the handle to keep it up. Now trace the cable housing down to the side of the engine and make sure there is an air gap. You may need to clean it or even bend the tab a little to ensure you are not grounding out the coil.