# 10 hp tecumseh no spark



## mrthev5 (Jul 2, 2009)

this generator was used 2 years ago. It was brought to me with the guy saying it wouldn't start. I check the spark and it there was not when grounding the spark plug to the engine and pulling the cord. I used a new plug and checked again. Still no spark. I pulled the cover off and apparently this engine was not stored in very dry environment. The flywheel was rusty and the magnets on it were also. I took some sand paper to the mangets, and brought them back to a smooth clean surface. The magnets have good pull still so I don't think they are bad. I regapped the coil with the business card trick. Still no spark. I have swapped a known good coil in to hopefully get a quick fix. I have disconnected the kill wire from the coil to make sure ti was not shorting somewhere. The only thing I can think of is that it may not be grounding well on the posts. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

thanks


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## Al Bunzel (Apr 20, 2009)

Hi,

as you mentioned, check the grounding of your posts.
Also, a motor that has been in a non-dry environment for a while should have all electrical connections checked for corrosion.

Also, check that the ignition lead wire is making contact with the spark plug.
I once had the wire inside the ignition lead dislodge itself, so even though I had the spark lead on, the wire was not making contact with the spark plug.
To fix that, I just had to pull the wire into position within the insulation.

Kind Regards
Al


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## mrthev5 (Jul 2, 2009)

sanded down all leads and appear to have good spark now. Time to rebuild the carb. got it running but is surging now so carb has to come off and get cleaned up


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## Al Bunzel (Apr 20, 2009)

If you have surging, other things to check are:
* is the fuel cap venting properly?
* is the air cleaner dirty?
* is the governor sticky or binding?
* are there breaks in the spark plug cable? Also, check the wire connection to the spark plug to ensure it is not corroded and that it makes a good, tight contact.
* is there water in the gasoline or is the gasoline stale?

Then, check the carby.

Let us know how it goes.

Kind Regards
AlBunzel


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