No Joke. It happened Tuesday. I was rebuilding the engine on a vintage Stihl 084, installing a new piston and ring assembly. After getting it all back together again, it would not start and there was no spark--not even a trace. I thought, "Dad burn it, another $150 part to order."
Then I took some action. I removed the pull cord cover and checked all the connections for continuity. OK. Then I ran the two typical resistance tests. A little low but seemed OK. Hmmm..., it should have all worked.
Things were a little dirty inside, so I removed the ignition module and gave it a good cleaning all over. Then I cleaned up the entire outside perimeter of the flywheel, polishing it with a soft cloth. I reassembled all, and checked again for a spark. Gadzooks! the plug suddenly responded.
I put the plug back in, and tried starting the engine once more. It popped and fired as if it were brand new. So far, the owner has cut a truckload of wood without incident and loves his rebuilt saw. I'm reporting this because I've never had it occur before. Usually when those ignition coils are dead, they stay dead. This one arose from the dead. Anybody else run into this or have any idea what I did to save it?
Then I took some action. I removed the pull cord cover and checked all the connections for continuity. OK. Then I ran the two typical resistance tests. A little low but seemed OK. Hmmm..., it should have all worked.
Things were a little dirty inside, so I removed the ignition module and gave it a good cleaning all over. Then I cleaned up the entire outside perimeter of the flywheel, polishing it with a soft cloth. I reassembled all, and checked again for a spark. Gadzooks! the plug suddenly responded.
I put the plug back in, and tried starting the engine once more. It popped and fired as if it were brand new. So far, the owner has cut a truckload of wood without incident and loves his rebuilt saw. I'm reporting this because I've never had it occur before. Usually when those ignition coils are dead, they stay dead. This one arose from the dead. Anybody else run into this or have any idea what I did to save it?