Magneto and core plate group Q:

#1
My Tecumseh H50 65242H is running rough and I found a good read on checking the coils. Also I want to find out more about the core plate group. My plates seem to have spread apart or fanned out a little and I'm wondering if there is a way to repair it or if it has a huge impact on the firing. My points and condenser are new.Also, where is the best place to get my engine specs. So far I have conflicting info on The cylinder firing. ie....

.80 BTDC or .50 BTDC
points set to .020 - I know that for sure
Air gap - ?? no idea
 
#2
plug gap should be about the same.. Plugs are usually gapped out of the box...

The plates being fanned out won't cause the motor to missfire.. If it's really bad they might rub the flywheel.. If you are very worried about it, you can lay JUST the blades on something hard and solid, and just gently beat them back flat with a hammer.. You'll never get it FLAT flat again, as it only goes to exactly flat, then springs back ever so slightly.. BUT it WILL beat loose a lot of the flaky rust, and tighten stuff back up, and make it thinner again for ya...

Coil packs are easy as hell to find though.. Damn near any points coil pack for a tecumseh engine will work, you just gotta have the right plug wire.. An H25 coil will have a shorter plug wire.. But the timing setup and coil diameter are all about the same..

To set the timing, on the coil, where it bolts down, there are slots.. crank it counter clockwise all the way it's super advanced, crank it clockwise, it's super retarded.. :stuart:

From the factory, they are NOT QUITE exactly dead center, but maybe just a degree or two retarded from dead center...

I always bolt them down in the same spot and have NEVER had a timing issue...

If the engine is not firing right, the compression is probably low.. as the valves and seats burn away from use, you gotta get it in there and grind a little lift of from the valve stem, so the valves SEATS at the right time in the firing order of things.. If they get too far out.. it will still be open and leaking when the motor wants to run..

the tighter the vales, the worse they start,and less power they make... I purposely knock the compression release out of my briggs engines... It's rough on flywheel keys, and causes a loss of overall valve lift.. And you would NEVER know it because you pull the engine over slow as hell, cold, first thing in the morning, and it says BOOM!!!!! BARK BARK BARK BARK.. and sits there idling sounding like it wants to rip the pavement out of the road sitting still.. :shrug:

So, i'd do a compression check on it..

OR it COULD be the coil it's self... I have one i am pretty damned sure is the coil overheating on me.. It was a 1/2 missing junkyard engine that I put together and ran like a swiss watch... Then just out of nowhere it started doing it's :shrug:

I changed the condenser nearly positive that was my problem.. But it wasn't.. And although these small engines rarely kill a coil.. Chevrolets and Chryslers and john deeres, have been burning out coils since the dawn of electricity...

So it could be a weak coil too.. :shrug:
 
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#4
Thanks man, well I downloaded the whole" L Head manual " and re set the points to .020 and timing to fire at .080 BTDC and plug to .030. now I will hammer on those stator plates and knock some crap out of them. Then I'll try it again. I hope I don't have to go back into those valve springs again. They are new and I hope I didn't f*#K it up. I used seating compound and a grinder. I ground em to .008 and .012 respectively.
 

MB165

Active Member
#5
your specs are good, if everything is done right you shouldnt need to go back into it. I wouldnt be too concerned with the laminations , as long as rust or crud hasnt caused them to maybe double their normal width. Do you have a compression tester?
 
#6
No I don't have a compression tester. and now my pull cord snapped on the first couple of pulls after I got it back together, so here I go again :eek:ut:
 
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