Coil gap setting clarification.

[OldEcho500]

I'll shorten this but I have an old Echo 500VL,I had to move my coil due to a problem with the recoil starter.
I found specs on line for the old girl, which calls for 0.012.
Doesn't this seem awfully small?
I'm wondering if it was a misprint and possibly 0.12?
It's a saw from the early 70s,and while I've bought a new saw I can't seem to give this one up,even though it's payed for itself many times over.
Hoping someone here has some knowledge of these older saws,and can advise.
Thank you

 

[pioneerguy600]

Most saws run 0.010 - 0.012, that is 10 to 12 thousand clearance between the coil and flywheel magnets, a business card is very close in thickness and that is what many use for setting gap.

 

[OldEcho500]

Thank you,decimal points were never my strong suit in school,and that was a long time ago.
I just wondered if it being an older saw that is was a smaller gap then todays

 

[pioneerguy600]

The ten to twelve thou gap has been used for many electronic module chainsaws ever since they replaced the points condenser saws. . I don`t have specific specs for the Echo saws lineup but I wouldn`t be surprised at all if they used the normal gap clearance for their saws as well.

 

[OldEcho500]

Thx. It says 0.012 to 0.016
Looks like the business card does fall into that.just that might feeler gauge set only has one that small,0.015,that's why I wondered
If it was a misprint and should be 0.12 to 0.16,which if I'm right is a larger gap?

 

[pioneerguy600]

Thx. It says 0.012 to 0.016
Looks like the business card does fall into that.just that might feeler gauge set only has one that small,0.015,that's why I wondered
If it was a misprint and should be 0.12 to 0.16,which if I'm right is a larger gap?

Does info you are referring to have a designation after the measurement such as mm or " or ins.? Yes 0.12 to 0.16 would be much larger than. 0.012 to 0.016

 

[Mad Professor]

Old cars and dirt bikes we used the match book for points too.

To set timing, a rolling paper in the points, when it slipped the points opened, timing mark. Usually 1-2 degrees from correct.

 

[OldEcho500]

Does info you are referring to have a designation after the measurement such as mm or " or ins.? Yes 0.12 to 0.16 would be much larger than. 0.012 to 0.016

Yes,0.3 to 0.4 mm

 

[pioneerguy600]

Yes,0.3 to 0.4 mm

then 0.3 mm equals 0.0118 ,close enough to 0.012 that the saw would have no issues operating if the module is in good working condition.

 

[thenne1713]

Most saws run 0.010 - 0.012, that is 10 to 12 thousand clearance between the coil and flywheel magnets, a business card is very close in thickness and that is what many use for setting gap.

Important to NOTE, if it SPECS a range, e.g. 0.010-0.012, and you are out-of-spec, spark maybe weak or None

 

[OldEcho500]

Thanks,I'll go with the business card.appreciate the quick responses and advice

 

[Tony Mayhew]

Thanks,I'll go with the business card.appreciate the quick responses and advice

I will jump in here and get you right where you need to be partner! First off, not all business cards are the same thicknes! The more shiny print on them the thicker they get! I know this because I am such a cheap ass that I grap four or five cards at every place that puts them by their register on my way out the door after my lunch. I decided to check this out once when I arrived home after we went out for Chinese food and the cards I grabbed just felt thicker then 10-12 thousands, so I put my calipers on the card and I was right! The shiny fancy cards are 15 thou and I have never seen one under ten thou, so if it feels real thin that's the cards that work perfect! And as a way of thinking about it, I have never seen a coil get stronger as time goes by, so you are better off going towards the lower end of what they are asking for in a manual for your piece of equipment. And you will actually get a better setting using a card then a feeler guage set by placing the card between the coil and the flywheel and spinning it in the direction that the cooling fins are pointing until the magnet comes around and it will snap the coil to the magnet!just give it a little push from the back side of the coil towards the flywheel and tighten your two hold down screws at an even pace until it starts to make contact with the coil and then tighten the other side until it starts to become tight and then don't get shy about making sure that both of the screws are good and snug! And that don't mean putting a half inch breaker bar on them either or you will break them off in the thread pedestals! And I know this sounds dumb but I have done it before, Don't forget to remove the business card from between the coil and the flywheel! Just grab the edge of the card and turn the flywheel in direction fins are pointing and your golden pony boy! And this is something that I see alot on small engine equipment, and that is people not checking Google and asking what sparkplug is recommended for your piece of equipment! Not any old sparkplug will work!There are gasket type and there are tapered fit type sparkplugs! And if you have a gasket type in a cylinder head that is designed for a tapered fit sparkplug you're going to be losing about half of your compression if you get lucky enough for it to fire up! Tapered fit plugs are all 5/8 socket wrench to tighten as far as I know and a gasket type is a 3/4 inch plug socket. And different heat range plugs go down in the cylinder farther than a cold heat range plug and i have seen it where the piston will come up and close the gap shut and you will never get it to fire up with no gap between the electrode and the ground strap on the sparkplug! So don't just throw any old plug in your engine! It's critical that you use the sparkplug that the manufacturer of your piece of equipment has recommended that you use in it.