Old B&S 8hp won't start

[Reno911]

I have an old MTD Lawn Flite with a Briggs and Stratton 8hp motor on it. It ran fine along time ago until the magneto went out (no spark).
Finally have gotten around to messing with the mower and changed the magneto out with one from another 8hp B&S motor. Gapped it to what I read somewhere(can't remember at the moment) and put the ground wire to metal, but it still won't start.

Did I set the wrong gap? How is the magneto supposed to be hooked up? Old one had a wire that went into the block near the center shaft, "new" one had two wires coming from one point, one went to a ground switch and the other was cut and there was a connector that used to have a wire on it but it hooked to the spot where the other two wires connected.

Sorry if I sound confusing
Thanks!

 

[Reno911]

I just read that the ground wires will "kill" the coil. Guess i'll fix my stupidity in the morning and try again.

 

[Rivets]

These two manuals might help you out. You engine has the old style points and condenser ignition system. When you changed the coil, did you use one from an engine which has points?

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/12502267/B&S Service Manuals/01_270962SingleCylinderLHead.pdf

http://www.mymowerparts.com/pdf/Bri...Parts-List/190700-190799 1 of 4 ms5852[1].pdf

 

[Reno911]

My other motor doesn't have points. Read that you can bypass the points with a non-points coil.
Thanks for the manuals too!

I tried the folded paper trick I read about to gap the coil from the flywheel (folded into 4 sheet thickness), took out the spark plug and scuffed both ends cleaner, and temporarily re-routed the fuel line around the other side of the motor. Still wouldn't start, and I knew I now had spark since I pulled the plug and looked.
Set the throttle at slow instead of choke and bam! Fired right up! I was quite surprised that it did:laughing:

Runs a little rough and it wants to rev real high when I try and raise the speed, probably needs a carb rebuild.

Time to restore the whole mower now