I just baked 2 of them for 2 hours at 250 degrees, I think to dry them up it doesn't need be 16 hours in the oven, as soon as the temps inside the coil exceed 100 degrees, all of the moisture vaporizes and exits the casing. One of the coils came back to life and the other one is still dead. I also ordered 2 coils for a Huskvarna 266, which may just do the deed. This is the place where I ordered them. https://www.aliexpress.com/item/327...chweb0_0,searchweb201602_5,searchweb201603_53
I'll keep you posted, coil will arrive in about 2 weeks if not delayed by the holiday rush
Did you use the original homelite coil bracket or you installed the coil as it arrived?
The metal bracket has a critical role in the timing, perhaps your issues stem from there. I looked at a coil from a Poulan wild thing yesterday and if I only could remove its bracket and insert the Homelite bracket without damaging the coil it would be a good thing. However, the Poulan bracket seems to be firmly attached to the coil and looks like the coil will be damaged if I try to remove the bracket. Essentially I believe that any pointless coil module inserted in the Homelite bracket should work. It is just a matter of finding the coil that correctly mounts in the homelite bracket. The timing is fixed in the homelite and the advance is effected by the presence of a second magnet on the flywheel, so there are 2 sparks for every revolution of the flywheel. One of them is too advanced when the saw id at idle and becomes timely at high revs
I stand corrected on the spark genesis and I gather that the variations on the timing are effected electronically inside the ignition module. However, with most saws being similar regarding their 2 stroke engines idle speed, working speed and top speed it stands to reason that the coil modules should operate in a fairly similar fashion, hence can be interchangeable as long as the physical dimensions and points of attachment are compatible. On the Homelites I have seen, the coils are detachable from the bracket and there is a "shim" that snugs the coil and ensures connection between the coil and the bracket. On the Poulan coil I have on hand, I see no shim and I must wander if the connection between the coil and bracket is a fixed one from factory, or if it is simply a pressure fitted bracket that just connects by pressure with a metal plate inside the square hole at the center of the coil and transmits the signal generated by the two magnets on the flywheel. I just don't want to destroy a working coil which belongs to my Poulan saw. By the way, the coils I bought are available on Ebay, here is a link: https://www.ebay.com/i/274109626025?ul_noapp=true
Not sure about the "shim" thing, can't remember seeing one like that. You're right about thinking that any electronic ignition module that mounts and fits to the flywheel like the original should work as long as the advance/retard characteristics are similar. I think I just got a bad coil or one that was meant for a saw with fixed timing (unlikely). The one I have on order looks the same as the one on your ebay link, still somewhere between here and China.
The "shim" is only meant to secure the ignition module in place, on my XL76 the ground is attained by a wire from the coil to one of its two fasteners. I'm glad to report that the coil from a Poulan wild thing 40 cc chainsaw does the trick. I decided to take the risk and separated the coil from its original Poulan bracket. I then inserted the Homelite bracket and re-used the "shim" to keep the Poulan ignition module snug. Poulan uses a metal "flap" that grounds the module against the original bracket, but it is in a position where the Homelite bracket makes a double contact with it, so the module is nicely grounded. Taking the original bracket out was an exercise of delicacy so as to keep the ignition module undamaged. I clamped the original bracket/coil combo on a vise, then while protecting the module with the flat end of a wrecking bar I proceeded to tap the module with a mallet until I was able to insert a flat screwdriver between the module and its original bracket. I then kept tapping while twisting the screwdriver to pull the bracket out of the square hole. Slowly but surely, it came out. In retrospective, I would recommend oiling the bracket before trying to pull it out and finding some strips of sheet metal to protect the module from the screwdriver blade. After cutting the spark plug wire to the proper length and re-installing the spark plug boot, I tested the saw for spark and got a bright blue spark consistently. I then put fuel on the tank, squirted a bit on the carb and cranked her up. It fired in 3 pulls and started after putting the choke on. Playing with the carb got it to idle rather nicely. It sounds like it means business at high RPM's, but I did noticed that after revving it up, it would take 30-40 seconds before returning to idle. This could be due to carburetor settings or it could be due to the internal ignition coil characteristics, I will post more as I find out. I think it is safe to say that the coil from a Poulan wild thing will work on the Homelite XL76 and all of its family members such as the XL100, XL101, XL123 and possibly many others.
I believe it can be adapted to similar sized saws that use the electronic (solid state) ignition module, as long as it is installed on the original coil bracket, so that the timing is not compromised. This "transplant" will not work on points ignition type saws. If your XL has a Prestolite logo on the flywheel you can do it. If it has the Phelon points type ignition it will not work, but you should be able to find a coil for it a little easier. The tricks are: a) to choose an ignition module with the right shape and dimensions and b) to remove the bracket from the poulan module in order to transfer it to the bracket of the recipient saw. The Homelite brackets are easy to remove, as their coils are snugged by a "shim" that prevents the coil from moving within the bracket. That "shim" must be transferred to the new module, as the Poulan bracket is slightly thicker than the Homelite bracket.
Good to know and thanks for doing the legwork on the poulan transplant. Got lots of poulans so that will be the next thing to try. A slow return to idle usually means the saw is running lean in the cut.
The XL-12 is a points ignition saw with fixed timing and even if you found an electronic module to replace the original, it probably wouldn't work due to bad timing. The good thing is the coils on these saws rarely go bad, it's usually the capacitor drying out. The best approach if the coil is healthy is to replace the points and capacitor with one of the electronic modules that is meant for this. They are cheap and easy to install, the Nova seems to be the most popular, just do a search on this forum for more info.
If you have a Poulan coil you're golden, won't have to wait for the Chinaman to arrive. It definitely works. The trickiest part is to remove the coil from the Poulan bracket. To protect the coil, you could use a couple of sheet metal strips in the vulnerable spots. It also occurs to me that using a 2 or 3 legged puller could work. I can also think of a valve stem tool, the kind used to compress the valve springs to remove the valve keepers while doing cylinder head work. It doesn't take a lot of force to remove the poulan bracket, it is just difficult to grasp the coil due to its shape. I banged mine out, but wouln't do this again. When you say lean on the cut, it means that the low setting is lean?
