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DR. Bolens
Posted May 26, 2013 - 05:35 PM
Not looking good....
Put in the new coil and still wont start!
Getting spark but it wont even fire
After 3 hours of messing with it I gave up for the day.
Only thing that may be a potential problem is the 2 wires from the coil
Is it possible I have the red and black wires in the wrong place? Should the red go to the condensor and the black to ground? Since the red wire on the coil was short I assumed it should go to the ground....
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Old, but not dead -- yet!
Posted May 27, 2013 - 05:55 AM
Only thing that may be a potential problem is the 2 wires from the coil
Is it possible I have the red and black wires in the wrong place? Should the red go to the condensor and the black to ground? Since the red wire on the coil was short I assumed it should go to the ground....
It is possible that your new coil is defective, but not likely.
Use your ohmmeter to check for continuity on the small wires. .....(Disconnect all wires from the coil.)
There should be continuity between the red & black wires.
Now check for continuity between the secondary terminal of the coil and the red wire.
Now check for continuity between the secondary terminal of the coil and the black wire.
Whichever wire has continuity between the secondary terminal and the other wire, that is the wire which gets grounded. ....The other wire goes to the condenser & points.
I'm guessing the black wire should be grounded, but I have a 50% chance of being right. 
While you have your meter connected, measure the resistance of the coil windings, and record them for future use. .....It would also be interesting to compare your two new coils with the Tecumseh coil.
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DR. Bolens
Posted June 04, 2013 - 08:41 AM
Long at last the Versa-Matic Runs!!! 
Swapped out the wires (Extended the red wire and moved it to the condensor and put the black on ground) And she fired right up!!
Had it running for well over 30 minutes last week just to make sure everything had a chance to heat up and had no problems.
Here's a short video as proof its running
I need to attend to the governor linkage though as the holes are a bit worn and the shaft is wobbling causing the engine to run a little unevenly in the video. If you hold your hand to steady the linkage she purrs like a kitten.
Also need to re-attach the stop switch to the handle bar, but thankfully I got it running in time to use to cultivate the garden!
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Dog Approved
Posted June 04, 2013 - 03:36 PM
Glad to hear it finally runs!!
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DR. Bolens
Posted June 21, 2013 - 05:27 PM
The old girl is back up to her tricks 
Went to start it up yesterday and was running fine then out of the blue just decided to stall out. Gave it a couple pull's and nothing. Appeared to be getting spark when I removed the plug but she just wouldnt start. Pushed it back to the garage and just left it be since I didnt have time to mess with it.
Tried starting it again today and fired right up on the first pull. Used it for about 5 minutes then it just stalled once again I wanted to make sure I wasnt loosing spark again so decided to touch the plug wire as it was stalling out and felt a jolt so it dosent appear to be a spark issue?
I'm getting spark but it dosent want to start or even fire!
Looks like I'm in for some more fun times with the K161
Never had so many bizarre problems with a small engine before 
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Old, but not dead -- yet!
Posted June 21, 2013 - 10:23 PM
The old girl is back up to her tricks
Never had so many bizarre problems with a small engine before
Do you think it would like to go on a road trip with you?
Sorry for the double post ! -- I don't know why it happened.
I posted a response, but it never showed up, so I re-posted and BINGO! - it came up twice.
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Edited by Bruce Dorsi, June 21, 2013 - 10:30 PM.
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DR. Bolens
Posted June 22, 2013 - 06:59 AM
I Think I may be on to something here....
Fired it up last night and pulled up a chair and let her run with the spark tester on.
About 15 minutes in it started to sound different so this time since I was close to the engine I pulled off the fuel cap and it appeared to solve the rough idle.
Put the cap back on and a short while later it acted the same way.
Took it for some laps around without the cap on the tank and no problems at all!
Even shut it off to see if it would start again after the engine got hot and 3 pulls and it started right up.
I guess the vent is clogged on the cap. I thought I had it cleaned out as I used carb cleaner and blew it out with compressed air but aparantly there is something blocking the hole.
Looks like I need to get a new cap anyway as dummy me left it on the chassis of the tractor while it was running and its somewhere in the lawn now
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Old, but not dead -- yet!
Posted June 22, 2013 - 04:24 PM
Looks like I need to get a new cap anyway as dummy me left it on the chassis of the tractor while it was running and its somewhere in the lawn now
Don't worry - the blades will find it the next time you mow! 
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DR. Bolens
Posted November 17, 2013 - 12:24 PM
The Versa-Matic is acting up once again!!!! 
After using it to cultivate the garden most of July I thought everything was fine. Back in September it started getting difficult to start again. It would take multiple pulls and sometimes would not even fire at all.
I've been so busy I just left it in the shed until now.
The current Conditions:
-Getting spark
-Good Compression
-Getting good Fuel (Spark Plug gets wet after pulling a few times)
-Bought a brand new carb to rule out all carb issues (Made no difference)
-Engine was rebuilt
I've never encountered anything like this before, basically everything has been replaced and it still wont run!??!!
The only thing in the ignition I havent replaced is the push rod on the points....
This has been very difficult to diagnose as sometimes the thing would run fine after I replaced something or made an adjustment but a few days or months later it was acting up again.
Im beginning to think there is something internally wrong with this but I dont know what it could be as I had the thing apart and checked it!
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Member
Posted November 17, 2013 - 12:51 PM
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Old, but not dead -- yet!
Posted November 18, 2013 - 01:24 AM
The Versa-Matic is acting up once again!!!!
After using it to cultivate the garden most of July I thought everything was fine. Back in September it started getting difficult to start again. It would take multiple pulls and sometimes would not even fire at all.
-Getting good Fuel (Spark Plug gets wet after pulling a few times)
This has been very difficult to diagnose as sometimes the thing would run fine after I replaced something or made an adjustment but a few days or months later it was acting up again.
Any chance the methanol in the gas has attracted a lot of condensation/moisture, and you're trying to burn water?
When the plug gets wet, have you tried putting in a new plug to see if it will start?
Will a shot of starting fluid get it started? .....Will it then stay running?
I'll give you $25 for it ...if you'll deliver it to me. 
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DR. Bolens
Posted November 18, 2013 - 07:23 AM
Any chance the methanol in the gas has attracted a lot of condensation/moisture, and you're trying to burn water?
When the plug gets wet, have you tried putting in a new plug to see if it will start?
Will a shot of starting fluid get it started? .....Will it then stay running?
I'll give you $25 for it ...if you'll deliver it to me.
1) Tried New Gas multiple times
2) Replaced Plug Multiple Times
3) Will not start up on starting Fluid (I use Carb cleaner)
4) Its practically a new engine with all the new parts I added, I think I need more than $25
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Dog Approved
Posted November 18, 2013 - 08:16 AM
Make sure the carb cleaner you are testing with is flammable. They are making non-flammable now and it won't fire an engine. Also, is the strength of your spark at least 5 times the plug gap? I haven't heard good things about the modern replacement condensers. Maybe try finding some old stock.
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DR. Bolens
Posted November 18, 2013 - 08:24 AM
Make sure the carb cleaner you are testing with is flammable. They are making non-flammable now and it won't fire an engine. Also, is the strength of your spark at least 5 times the plug gap? I haven't heard good things about the modern replacement condensers. Maybe try finding some old stock.
Yep, The carb cleaner I have is "Heavy Duty" and not available at most stores.
I am using a Genuine Kohler Condenser.
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DR. Bolens
Posted November 23, 2013 - 12:56 PM
Ok, I finally have an update!
I decided to pull the plug and decrease the plug gap from the recommended specs, to see if anything would happen, and it started in one pull when I did that.
Could the mag I bought be defective? I dont see how the spark could be weak since all ignition components have been replaced.
