When's the last time you guys seen a coil like this?

dodge trucker

Tractorologist
Member
And would you have one sitting collecting dust?
I don't need a new one just one that hopefully works. It's off of a '59 Briggs 3hp that's on a David Bradley Handiman.
If not too much to ask if like one without that big crack in the coil housing, in line with the plug wire terminal haha
I dug this thing out planning to get it ready for the tractor show I'm going to next weekend.
Last time messed with it (last fall) I knew it had no spark. I put it out to storage for the winter and now have it back here.
I was expecting to just have to clean up the points and see it fire up. But no.
It was my neighbors, he bought it new/ he had me get it going for him probably 15 or so years ago. I did my part, and back in the shed it went.
He guessed it hadn't been used in 20 years before that even.
Neighbor died, and his wife called me and asked if I could "get rid of it for her". So here it is.

The points are now all rusty, they may have 1/2 hour of run time on them since I put them in those 15 or so years ago.
I remember it smoked out the exhaust last time, plans were to seafoam it some night after work this week before next weekend but I guess not now.
 

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Can't provide a coil so I will tell you a story. In 1973 when I was discharged from the navy I didn't have much. A hand full of tools and my and mostly just navy uniforms. So gearing up for civilian life was a priority. Had lots of stuff I needed to buy and not a lot of money. Moved into a house in Northern California that had a wood stove and decided I needed a chain saw. New was out of the question so I went looking for used. Found a small non running McCulloch saw for $20 and went to look at it. Guy brought the saw into his living room for me to see. I ask if he had any tools, He brings a small tool box and I pull the plug. Check and no spark. Pull of the side cover to see about points and see the coil has a crack in it. Ask the guy if he has some oil. He brings in some 30WT and I drip a few drops into the crack, reassemble the saw and it fires right up. I used that saw for 2 years. Every time it quit running I pulled the side cover and re oiled the coil. If I had it to do now I think I would try rubbing silicone into the crack.
Don
 
Briggs 3 leg for a 2 magnet flywheel. A used coil is expensive, NOS is very expensive both are getting harder to find anymore, they do sell just the coil part you can pop off the bottom clip slide the coil off and reuse your armature. I think they run between 75 to 100 bucks.
Anytime those old 3 legs go in any of my engines I convert them over to a single magnet and newer style Briggs coil
 
I was thinking about that. I have an 80s 80000 horizontal here that is essentially junk. New enough to be Magnetron (no points)
can I use that coil and flywheel on this old dog? I know this is a 2 bolt mount and the original is a 4 bolt mount but anyone know if the spacing on the holes in the newer armature will match 2 of the 4 holes I have available?
 
well that answers that, the junk 3hp engine I have was able to donate its flywheel and Magnetron coil. These off an engine destined to scrap anyway (and 30 years newer than the original one on the Handiman)
I wasn't sure but the 2 bolts on the newer coil are the same spacing as on that old coil. I just gotta put a spacer in between the far end (from the flywheel) between that mount and the air vane mount and it'll work. Just gotta wait for the new petcock to arrive as I did the bonehead thing and pickled the gas tank with muriatic acid which ate the aluminum petcock right up. It was seized and I couldn't get it to open anyway. Hopefully that kept the rusty water that built up in the tank from polluting the carb..... I've never seen a 1/4" NPT fuel fitting on a small engine like these... usually 1/8" NPT. Surprised I actually found an original Briggs PN for that valve, found one on Ebay and ordered it right away yesterday.
 
I got it running. I drained the water out of the tank, "bleached" it so to speak with muriatic acid, then ospho, and red kote gas tank sealer.
When it went to storage last fall, the tank was spotless, no rust. That didn't take long.
The muriatic acid destroyed the petcock (didn't think about it being aluminum oops) had to order one via eBay since those with 1/4 npt aren't that common around here...... Luckily it was in the mailbox today.
So an old 50s (aluminum) Briggs will run on magnetron and a newer flywheel. Good to know. Wouldn't have thought about that.
 
And would you have one sitting collecting dust?
I don't need a new one just one that hopefully works. It's off of a '59 Briggs 3hp that's on a David Bradley Handiman.
If not too much to ask if like one without that big crack in the coil housing, in line with the plug wire terminal haha
I dug this thing out planning to get it ready for the tractor show I'm going to next weekend.
Last time messed with it (last fall) I knew it had no spark. I put it out to storage for the winter and now have it back here.
I was expecting to just have to clean up the points and see it fire up. But no.
It was my neighbors, he bought it new/ he had me get it going for him probably 15 or so years ago. I did my part, and back in the shed it went.
He guessed it hadn't been used in 20 years before that even.
Neighbor died, and his wife called me and asked if I could "get rid of it for her". So here it is.

The points are now all rusty, they may have 1/2 hour of run time on them since I put them in those 15 or so years ago.
I remember it smoked out the exhaust last time, plans were to seafoam it some night after work this week before next weekend but I guess not now.
5 days ago off on my B+S push mower. I take them off to inspect and clean. 9 out of 10 times a mower is at the curb is because someone left the mower in the rain and the coil got crusty rusty. A little cleaning and it fires right up.

You have a nice classic. Low hours and needs minor TLC.
 
I've never had to clean the rust off a coil or flywheel. Magnetism doesn't care.
I've gotten a couple of curb finds that actually ran
Well on the latest lawn boy I did have to get the flywheel brake thing freed up. And put gas in it.
 
I've never had to clean the rust off a coil or flywheel. Magnetism doesn't care.
I've gotten a couple of curb finds that actually ran
Well on the latest lawn boy I did have to get the flywheel brake thing freed up. And put gas in it.
I tend to find them like this.
1652482014247.png

When the ends face the spinning head looking like this, nothing fires.

1652482116689.png

Wire brush and fine sandpaper in a horizontal stroke only works, never up/down.
 
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