It's not that critical, the gap. What about your coil gap?
I have beat myself up in the past, trying to get spark. Very frustrating and it never turned out to be the coil or condenser. I did have points one time that just would not work, due to finger oils and aging. Maybe try to clean the complete points assembly. What turns the engine off? Is there a grounding switch that may be making to ground?
You can buy any foam filter material and cut it down to size. You will then need to stuff it through the mounting hole and I use a toothpick to even it out inside the housing.
Disassemble, clean and re-lube. Do it over a tray to avoid losing small parts. The gaskets usually come off whole, pretty easily. If not, buy some gasket material and make your own. Don't be afraid, you need to dig in to these in order to get them running.
I'm pretty sure that they call for Lubriplate and that's what I've always used. Might not be a bad idea to put a little oil in it to liquefy the mixture a bit. These cases are pretty leaky and would probably lose anything that is much lighter than Lubriplate.
I have just about everything other than the reed valve, including seals, complete NOS carb with gaskets and points and condensers. For such a rare and cool item, your best bet may be to advertise for a complete running 20A, or wait until one shows up on eBay.
I'll check the oil in the morning. I know it's not synthetic, but I don't know the details. I've been running a little on the rich side of 32:1 right now since it's what I had laying around. I filled the tank and left the gas dripping while I ate dinner and when I came back it was flowing maybe 2-3 drops per second. I think that's pretty good. These little buggers are tough to get working right.
You are absolutely right, these things are about as finicky as it gets and it seems that every one has it's own personality. I have had used and abused units run like a top and NOS units run like dogs. Go figure...
Maybe Joe uses his sweater vest to secure his tie while doing yard work.
Thanks for posting and sharing those pics. Interesting stuff
No, but I do tie my sweater around my neck when I am cutting firewood, along with smoking a pipe. (Sorry David, I have not heard from John in a while). Cool literature,
If it's shutting down quickly after priming then it's not getting fuel or enough fuel. Leaking crank case seals can cause this because there isn't enough vacuum and positive pressure to make the diaphragm push enough fuel. The stiffer the diaphragm is the more pressure it takes to pulse it. This condition can also cause a poor lean running condition. There is a procedure for doing a leak down test near the end of the engine rebuild thread posted by webhead.
Leaking carb gaskets could also be an issue. Spray a little carb cleaner on them while it is running, if they are sealed you should hear no change in the rpm. If rpm does change, they're leaking.
If you are twisting that carb adjusting needle open quite a few turns and it isn't changing or flooding the engine, it's not getting enough fuel so it could be clogged somewhere or the previous stated conditions.
The old seals on these engines are definitely subject to causing lean running conditions. I've found that about 50% of them need new seals, and it does not matter if they are NOS or well used.
Ohlsson & Rice: Electrical Test for Coil & Condenser
in Ohlsson and Rice
Posted
It looks like it is touching the case. I could be wrong. I cannot see the 2nd wire, either. Just observations from the photo.