Seems I may have gotten too big for my britches. I am working on a Sears Gamefisher 7.5hp and I cannot even get a bark out of it.
I worked a deal with a new acquaintance to get some sailing lessons. His kicker engine is a Sears Gamefisher 7.5hp, but he said it had not been used for 5 years. (He has been using an electric trolling motor.) After learning that the engine was an air-cooled Tecumseh 2 stroke, I undertook to get it running.
He already had a new carb kit for it. I gave the carb a thorough cleaning (including clearing all the tiny passages on these wonderful Tecumseh carburetors), cleaned the tank, replaced the fuel lines and inline filter, and installed the new kit. Gas on the spark plug indicates the engine is drawing in fuel.
The problem I now have is weak spark. In my preliminary test, my inline spark tester would not light up when connected inline between the coil lead wire and spark plug. However, if I connected the coil lead wire to the inline tester and the inline tester to ground, I got a strong flash when I turned the engine over. I had previously tested the spark plug in another working engine.
The points look brand new. Gap is set at .020". The condenser looks like it has some age on it.
I reasoned that since I had spark when connected to ground, the problem was a weak coil and not the condenser. I replaced the coil with a new one, but still have no light or barely visible light on the inline tester when connected to the spark plug. The new coil produces a strong flash on the tester when connected to ground.
To compound my error, at the outset I began working on it without first testing compression, because it "felt like" it had good compression when pulling the rope. I have since tested it with my gauge and it is 80 psi. I do not know if this engine is equipped with compression release.
The only two things I can think of that could possibly be the cause of weak spark is 1. the condenser, or 2. weak flywheel magnets. I realize it may not run even if I can get a good spark out of it, but I feel like gambling another $5 on a condenser.
I would appreciate any comments from anyone familiar with these Tecumseh 2 strokes or anyone who has successfully repaired 2 stroke engines with the same issue.
I worked a deal with a new acquaintance to get some sailing lessons. His kicker engine is a Sears Gamefisher 7.5hp, but he said it had not been used for 5 years. (He has been using an electric trolling motor.) After learning that the engine was an air-cooled Tecumseh 2 stroke, I undertook to get it running.
He already had a new carb kit for it. I gave the carb a thorough cleaning (including clearing all the tiny passages on these wonderful Tecumseh carburetors), cleaned the tank, replaced the fuel lines and inline filter, and installed the new kit. Gas on the spark plug indicates the engine is drawing in fuel.
The problem I now have is weak spark. In my preliminary test, my inline spark tester would not light up when connected inline between the coil lead wire and spark plug. However, if I connected the coil lead wire to the inline tester and the inline tester to ground, I got a strong flash when I turned the engine over. I had previously tested the spark plug in another working engine.
The points look brand new. Gap is set at .020". The condenser looks like it has some age on it.
I reasoned that since I had spark when connected to ground, the problem was a weak coil and not the condenser. I replaced the coil with a new one, but still have no light or barely visible light on the inline tester when connected to the spark plug. The new coil produces a strong flash on the tester when connected to ground.
To compound my error, at the outset I began working on it without first testing compression, because it "felt like" it had good compression when pulling the rope. I have since tested it with my gauge and it is 80 psi. I do not know if this engine is equipped with compression release.
The only two things I can think of that could possibly be the cause of weak spark is 1. the condenser, or 2. weak flywheel magnets. I realize it may not run even if I can get a good spark out of it, but I feel like gambling another $5 on a condenser.
I would appreciate any comments from anyone familiar with these Tecumseh 2 strokes or anyone who has successfully repaired 2 stroke engines with the same issue.
