Bantam stopped again

[vhgmcbuddy]

Hi all
The non starting Bantam started after resetting the timing and tried it on the garden this pm. All good too start with but after a couple of passes the belt wouldnt turn the pto shaft and the engine died, checked plug and now has no spark. The drive belt seemed quite slack with the engine tilted to the drive position so not sure if its the right one, as for the spark no idea at the mo, however it did a very good job of the little bit it managed so keen to get it sorted, any one have any ideas?

[trusty220]

The only way to diagnose the fault is to approach it methodically. Start with the plug (try another that you know is good), check the HT lead for damage and that it’s connected to the coil (it screws into a bakelite adapter which has a carbon brush on the other side which makes contact with the coil).
Once you’ve done that you can check that the points haven’t closed up or got some debris between them. Condensers can be difficult to diagnose and will give a spark when cold which fades out as it gets warm- try another condenser that you know is good. The same can be said of the coil- some coils will spark when cold but fade out as they warm up- and the only way to check this is to replace with a known good coil.
Does your spark come back when the engine cools?
The only other thing that it could be is the start/stop switch; disconnect this to rule it out, it should connect to a spade connector on the rear of the stator plate (the thing that the points/condenser/coil are screwed to).
I hope that helps. Above all, don’t try to take any short cuts; a methodical approach will always find the problem but a short cut can lead you down many a false alley!

[andyfrost]

To avoid pulling your hair out , remove the stator plate , and take the complete ignition to your local garden machinery dealer , they “SHOULD” have a purpose built ignition tester , have it tested and go from there.

Andy.

[jim-beacon]

The usual one is the timing has slipped again…..

If so, remove the flywheel completely, and clean the internal taper of the flywheel and the external taper of the crankshaft, ideally with brake or carburretor cleaner, but clean petrol will do. Also ensure that the tapers are undamaged. Slight burrs can be dressed out with a fine file or emery stone.

Replace the flywheel and time the engine correctly do not apply any lubricant of any sort to the taper. Then, put the spanner back on the flywheel nut, and hit it with a hammer to tighten it up fully.

Villiers originally supplied a “Hammer Tight” spanner especially for this purpose.

[Author]

Posts