Kohler engine. Was running when I stored it for winter. Charged battery. Engine started, ran for 10 minutes. Would not restart. Let it sit and charge overnight. Started, stopped after 8 ot 10 minutes. Could not restart. Fuel flow is good. Checked filter. OK. Changed spark plug. After it runs, appears to lose spark. Thinking it might be the coil. Any ideas??
When you say “would not restart” what do you mean? Engine spins, but will not start? Starter will not spin engine over? How old is the battery? Did you store the unit with fuel in it? How old is the fuel you put in when getting the unit out of storage? When you answer these questions we will have a better picture of your problem and can give you better answer as how to proceed.
Its a Snapper Kohler engine, ModelCV14. Fresh fuel. It will turn over after it stops but will not fire. Battery is 3 years old. Stored dry. It will restart after sitting overnight. Runs fine for 8 to 10 minutes then just dies. Doesn't seem to have spark when restarting.
Being that it has just come out of storeage pull the blower housing off and check for mouse damage.
A kill wire with chewed through insulation will do this
Bert, has a good start. If you find no damage, the next time you try to start it the second time and it doesn’t start, remove the plug. If it is wet you may be correct that you have no spark.
When doing the initial diagnosis I use a red in-line spark tester fitted to the engine .
When the engine won't start you look at the tester while you are cranking
No red flashes = no spark
At the same time I spray a little carb cleaner down the carb
Fires right up = fuel problem
No mice damage. Checked spark after failed restart. No spark. Used ether in carb but no start. I let it sit overnight an it will start and run once, then quit.
If I had it I would first try starting It hot with the kill wire disconnected from the coil. No problem trying this with the shroud off. If no spark I would be replacing the coil. If it starts you will have to trace for a hot open or short in the kill wire.
Just started it and ran for about 10 min. It died but the battery was dead. Not charging? Coil not good? Battery won't charge when running?
Apparently it'll run till there is no battery left.
First you must check to see if the charging system is working. Next time start the unit and while it is running check battery voltage. You should have a voltage of 13-14.5 VDC while running or you charging system is not working. If you have the right voltage, you have a bad battery for sure and it needs to be replaced. Until I know I have a good battery and the charging system is working properly I wouldn’t be replacing the coil. That being said you may easily have to replace both. One question, how old is the battery? Over 4 years I would be replacing it anyway. Forgot to say that if you system is charging at over 14.6 VDC your charging system and battery are both probably bad.
The spark igniter, a small modular, connected to the coil wire to grounded side is bad. this is what they use to control the stark. Usually mounted on the right side of the block with 2 black wires attached to it, one to coil the other to engine block. coil may also be bad, but most of time it's M118 modular.
Something is being affected by motor heat for sure, but that would be a long list. Try removing wiring from any clamps and wrap them with tin foil. See if it runs longer.
I have seen spark plugs fail without any apparent reason, and only Champion spark plugs. But you get a crack in the insulator so small that you can't see it. Start the engine and everything is just hunky-dory until the plug heats up enough to expand the insulator which opens that crack a smidge and sends the spark to ground, bypassing the spark plug. Try a new good name spark plug. Ii suppose something like this could happen with the spark plug wire.
Fired after sitting all night. Got 10 minutes work ou of it then it quit. Checked plug and carb. Had fuel plug wet. Grounded plug against motor and turned key to start it. no Spark. Tried to start after disconnecting the kill wire (I think). No spark. Bought and installed another new spark plug, not cham[pion, negative results. Took the cover off of the cylinder head. Just a shield cover not the valve cover. Full of dirt and gunk. Will power wash it tomorrow and see if it helps.
To all the garage mechanics and the DIY guys on this thread, the OP is complaining about a unit the dies after a10 minutes of operation with a dead battery. Why are you looking at spark plugs, this is not a battery ignition system, it’s a magneto ignition system. I guess you guys know more about how to diagnose these problems than I ever will so I’m going to get out of your way and learn from you.
Power washed about 5 lbs of dirt and gunk off engine and cylinder head. Battery is ok, held a charge. Poured some Sea Foam in the carb and let it sit overnight. Seems to be working, but the muffler fell off while cleaning and have to replace it for a long term run.
