[hondarancher4435]

I bought a 5hp little wonder blower recently that doesn't run. first of all i can't get any spark. it has the old briggs 5hp engine like this

http://www.manorcom.com/images/ebay/roto1_lg.jpg

please help me get this thing running if i can get it running i will do a full resoration

 

[freebird]

No spark, check the obvious like the killl switch, then if not there, dig in. Look for a sheared flywheel key. Also check to see if the coil is in good shape and wired. I'm sure someone else will drop in and add.

 

[jeepersmitty]

It is probably the coil. They are relativity inexpensive.

 

[Tractor-Holic]

My money's riding on the points being corroded..I just had to yank the flywheel off a 5 HP Briggs on a rototiller identical to yours I sold yesterday--had it all tuned up and ready to go back in December,but my frien just picked it up (or wanted too!) yesterday,and it refused to fire...

The points had a thin milky white layer of oxidation on them already!..its been a very wet year here,and I've seen Briggs points "mold up" in as little as a few weeks and have no spark...I took the points and condensor out and used the wire wheel on my bench grinder to clean them,and it fired up on the first pull..Some 5 HP Briggs use a coil that only fits the 5HP ,it's a "loner",if its bad you'll have to get the right coil and stick with points----others use the same one as many newer Briggs 3.5 - 5 HP engines that have electronic ignition and can be swapped on ,to eliminate the points,and this pain in the crotch chore every few months, cleaning them!..

I'm willing to bet after you get spark ,the carb will need cleaning too,and maybe a new diaphram in it as well...

 

[hondarancher4435]

could you please enlighten me on where the points are located also i sanded all the rust of the flywheel and the magneto but i didn't realize they had to be gapped right waht do i want to set the gap at?

 

[grey]

the points are under the flywheel 01"

armature 02"

plug 03"


I have a motor like that one except it is black paint. The points are not fun to mess with. Make sure you have a good plug first.

If you find an electronic coil on 3.5 - 5 HP engines that fits, let me know. I have not looked really, but that would be an ideal solution. i think most of those mower flywheels are too small, but I cant say for sure

 

[Kbeitz]

If you dont want to pull the flywheel just remove the sparkplug and hook an electric motor up to turn the engine and let it run for an hour or two... It will clean it's own points... Works for me...

 

[rscurtis]

Check the code # on the engine. If it starts with "85" or higher, it already has electronic ignition. Magnetron ignition will not show a fat blue spark that you are accustomed to seeing with breaker point ignition systems. If it shows any spark at all, it's probably OK. Another thing to keep in mind is that leaf blower operation is not too kind to a standard B&S engine. Exhaust valve life is typically very short, sometimes only one season of use. If you see spark, add some oil to the cylinder to raise compression and see what you got. If the exhaust valve is bad, you will hear a hissing sound in the exhaust as the engine coasts to a stop after you shut it off.

 

[hondarancher4435]

maybe i will just put a new engine on it what engines would be a good cheap replacement

 

[rscurtis]

Before you take that route, determine that you can remove the fan from the existing engine. If it comes off easily, that's the good news. If your engine has a 1" diameter crankshaft, that's the bad news, as that's not a common crankshaft for a 5 HP engine. The other thing you'll discover, assuming you can find a replacement engine, is that it will cost about 80% of what a new blower will cost. My suggestion is to play with what you have, if for no other reason than the learning experience.

 

[Tractor-Holic]

I bought a walk behind blower like that for 10 bucks once at a garage sale..guy said "its seized up"..I took it home and found a large stone jammed in the blower fan,which was made of 1/4" plate steel ,weighed about 20 lbs!..

I smashed the stone with a hammer & chisel,and the motor ended up being "stuck" too,It only turned stiffly about 3/4 of a turn,then locked up--so I had to get that blower off somehow so I could work on the engine,and it refused to budge,using all my normal methods ,my gear puller kept slipping off,couldn't get a good grip on it,and trying to wedge a "pickle fork" between in and the engines side cover wasn't going to work either..

I was about ready to scrap it and give up,when a friend came by,and asked what I was doing--when I explained the problem,he said "Ahhh,thats no big deal,I can get that off in 5 minutes!..since I wasted an hour on it and got nowhere,I said "be my guest,and dont worry about "ruining" it either!"..

He dug through my bolt & nut collection,and found a 3/4" hex nut,and he used my arc welder to weld it to the blower fan,right over the hole the engines crank went in..he let it cool off a few minutes,then took my air impact wrench and a 3/4" bolt and screwed it in,and zipped that fan off like nothing!..my jaw was on the ground!..

I have used the same method dozens of times on stubborn pulleys,and rear rims that rusted to the axles on riding mowers too--better tthan beating them with a hammer until the axles come out WITH the rims!..probably one of the best "tricks" I've learned from anyone yet..another good one is using an arc welder to remove bearing races you cant get a punch or hammer near,like the front pinion bearing in a car or truck diferential..by "zapping" the race in 3 places equally spaced around it with the welding rod,just a "spot" of weld is all that's needed,will shrink the race enough so it can be wiggled out with a pick or screwdriver!..an alternative method is to spray it with water from a spray bottle right after you put the weld on it--it'll crack like glass,and come out easily,but you have to be careful no peices fall in the diff and get munched!..

 

[thudpucker]

On you little engine there's a kill-switch down between the tank and the engine block. There is a small black coated wire running to a wedge that grounds that wire when you force the throttle plumb off.
Look at that first before you tear anything apart.

You'll love that little thing when you get the problem solved. One pull and its running!

 

[grey]

I agree. My engine, that looks just like that one, runs like a ****.[has run well since I bought it - since when is **** a cuss word?]
I dont like pulling that flywheel to get at the points/condenser, but...

Does anyone know the difference between white and black painted engines like these? Do white ones go on pumps? That's what i have noticed.

 

[Volfandt]

I've got the same or very similar series 5hp B&S on my Gilson Bro's Tiller. It''s painted white and is the OEM. It's a strong engine and I'll swag it's art least 20 yrs old... I use it quite regularly duing garden season.

I'll chime in on the points being corroded side.
Besides KBeitz's interesting suggestion, getting to the points isn't hard.
You'll need to purchase one of those cheap wheel pullers. They can be had for around $5 at most small engne supply shops. Course if you already have a steering wheel puller or larger gear/wheel puller you're already ahead of the game.
You'll also want to spend another couple $'s for a pack of flywheel shear keys.....

Theres only 3 bolts that holds the cowling on and you'll need a large pair of channel locks or similar to loosen & unscrew the rope starter clutch. Once off you can pop off the flywheel with the puller. The points and condenser are directly behind the flywheel under a tin protective cover. Clean or replace 'em, I recommend to replace 'em. Put it all back together with a new flywheel key making sure you get the starter clutch snugged up good and tight as this is what holds the flywheel on the crankshaft/output shaft.

Checking the kill switch lead is also a good idea. It operates by shorting the ignition to ground which kills the spark so make sure the lead is not grounding to engine ground.
The more I think about it, KBeitz's idea has more merit
Good luck

 

[hondarancher4435]

thanks for all the suggestions i have been extremely busy i will pull the blower out and try some things will let you know the result