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need advice on onan 2 cylander engine

A

Anonymous-0

Well-known Member
Engine would run three minutes and die. If you let it sit for awhile then it would start and run briefly again. Today when it died, we tried dumping gas into carb and would not fire at all. We checked for spark in plug wires and there was none. Ran briefly on one cylander while checking for spark, then quit again. Now we have no spark at all. Is there a way to test module or coil for failure? Any help would be appreciated.
 
I think the test you just did was good enough to say the module or coil is bad!! It takes four things to make an engine run and that is; Fuel, air, compression, ignition.
 
i DON'T KNOW WHERE YOU ARE AT BUT i JUST TOOK ONE OUT OF MY Of my JD Mustang skid loader and replaced it with a new Brigs. It ran when I pulled it out but had no power and smoked real bad. I think the rings are bad and maybe cylinder scored. But the parts you need are good. I'm in so. Mn. You can have it for scrap price.
 
It should run on one cylinder not to work but to test try an automotive coil on one side -- then the other. or if you have a known good coil off a 2 cylinder Motorcycle try that.
 
Since you have no spark and MAY need parts, the FIRST thing you need to do is figure out specifically WHAT engine you have and if it is a breaker point system or which one of several versions of the electronic ignition system system.

If you need more help than you find here, the guys over at the tech forum at perr.com are Onan GURUS.
 
That engine uses what is called wasted spark or something like that ign system. You need to have both spark plug wires hooked to plugs or at least a reasonable gap you would expect them to jump or you have an open circuit thus no spark. Of course an open circuit may well put the finishing touches on a soon to fail coil. Off subject a little but one of the main reasons for coil failure on magneto engines like lawn mowers etc is to crank away on them with the spark plug wire unhooked. The built up voltage has to go some where so it jumps across internal windings in the coil. I have seen several coil failures over the years on that onan engine. If another coil is available you can compare ohm readings between the known good one and yours but I can't give you a known reading off the top of my head.
 
I believe you are referring to "Ghost Spark" when both cylinders fire at the same time on intake and exhaust.

That is why I said t5ruy one side with a reg coil to see if it fires for just a few seconds --- wont hurt engine for a short time , but will miss
 
Traditional Farmer, thanks for the advice, but I am approaching 50 years old and not sure if this would be the proper method of diagnosis. I can't believe you don't even know me and you recommend this.
 
I posted an Onan question on tool talk awhile ago, got no replies! These guys are on the ball here! Yeah, the $120 coil is my guess. there isn't much else to go wrong. My question is if a plain round 12v coil with the plug wires- metal core- would do the job, even to test if this was the problem? I don't have the time lately to put into mine, but we're all in the same boat. good luck!
 
guys, If the Onan is a 12V model, it works to wire two conventional 6V single output auto coils in series. Hook one coil to each plug and your good to go. They work great for temporary or permanent repair, and are cheap compared to the factory dual output coil.
 
Thanks for the response Walt. Your response seems reasonable. You are living proof that there is a smart a$$ in every crowd! Giggle!
 
Watch out for gas fouled spark plugs.The spark will run up the insulator in thin streams instead of jumping the gap.My Onan has H10 plugs.With unleaded gas the heat range has to go up 2 steps.I would use Autolite 437 plugs.My Ford tractor will not run on H10 plugs.My Onan would start skipping on one cylinder after running several hours.One cylinder gets a spark on the exhaust stroke just like Harley Davidson motorcycles.
 
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