Air gap on Tech 6 HP

[SteveinMo]

Any good/eaiser way to set the air gap on a Tech 6HP engine. The mag. is mounted under the flywheel and I am having a heck of a time getting the gap correct.

 

[Mark-Ia]

Stick a dollar bill between the mag and flywheel. tighten the mag then.

 

[LenND]

The thickness of a match book cover will put it right on the money.

 

[El Toro]

I have one of those armatures that was never used. Hal

 

[rustyj14]

I use a regular business card. Works well! Ohh, i know, the purists like to scoff at us more practical guys who use a card, but, trying to set the coil gap, using a metal feeler guage, seems to me to be a lesson in futility. The feeler guage is not as flexible as a card. The method, so i've been told, of using a business card, has been taught at various training venues, in the past.

 

[t1]

Best and most accurate way is with the tecumseh manual for your model engine, and a dial indicator mounted over the piston. I don"t have the complete procedure in front of me, but you might be able to substitute the dial indicator with a good metal ruler if it has fine enough markings on it.

Others here might have some tricks or ideas on toher ways to can do it. But the dial indicator method is the only one I know and have used.

Basically, you need to be able to measure a specific distance before TDC, and set the coil so it operates the points at that point, and the flywheel magnet passes by the coil, and the correct gap, triggering the spark at the precise moment.

These are a royal pain do to any other way because the coil and magneto, and its mounting bolts are UNDER the flywheel and in-accessible with the flywheel on. The ideas posted by others using the match book or business card will work fine on engines with the coil on the outside of the flywheel, such as used on later engines and Briggs and Stratton engines. I"m not sure how you would use them on the under the flywheel type.

 

[El Toro]

Set the armature over the magnets and use a post card over the magnets. Hal

 

[Anonymous-0]

We used some of the blue painter's masking tape. Put two layers inside the flywheel over the magnets. Put the flywheel on and turn over by hand. Remove flywheel and observe. Adjust coil and repeat until the armature just starts to scrape the tape. Lock it down, remove the tape, and re-assemble. Good luck! joe-

 

[JT]

This is what Tecumseh service manual says to do to time the ignition coil.
You can also take the head off and measure piston BTDC with a straight edge and a feeler gauge
Your engine should be set at .080 BTDC, that is where the points should just start to open

Install a dial indicator (Part # 670241), equipped with the
correct tip on the extender leg. Use the small tip for engines
with timing dimensions of between top dead center (T.D.C.)
and .050" (1.27 mm) before top dead center (B.T.D.C.).
Use the large tip for engines with timing dimensions of
between .051" (1.295 mm) B.T.D.C. to .150" (3.81 mm)
B.T.D.C. Make sure to secure the extender leg in position
to locate the tip directly over the piston head. Loosen the
screw on the side of the adaptor sleeve to allow the sleeve
to be turned into the threads of the spark plug hole, not the
entire dial indicator. This will ensure the proper location of
the tip. Once the adapter sleeve is secured in the hole,
tighten screw on sleeve adaptor to prevent the dial from
moving up or down, which would give a false reading (diag.
22).
Find T.D.C. with both valves closed by rotating the
crankshaft clockwise when looking at the magneto end of
the crank, until the needle on the dial stops and reverses
direction. Where the needle stops is T.D.C. Loosen the
screw on the dial, and rotate the dial so that zero is lined
up with the needle at T.D.C. Tighten the screw on the dial
to secure it in place (diag. 23).
While watching the needle on the dial indicator, rotate the
crankshaft counterclockwise when looking at the magneto
end of the crank, .010" (.254 mm) past the B.T.D.C.
dimension. Then rotate the crankshaft clockwise to the
proper B.T.D.C. dimension, this will take out any slack
between the connecting rod and crankshaft assembly.
Example: If the specification of .080" (2.032 mm) is the
B.T.D.C. dimension, rotate the crankshaft counterclockwise
so that the needle on the dial indicator travels to
.090" (2.286 mm) B.T.D.C. (diag. 24), then rotate the
crankshaft clockwise so that the needle travels to the
specified dimension of .080" (2.032 mm) B.T.D.C. (diag.
25).
Next, if the original breaker points are being used,
disconnect the leads from the point terminal. Reinstall the
nut & tighten. Connect one lead of a continuity light, or
ohmmeter to the point terminal and the other lead to a
good ground. Loosen the two bolts holding down the stator
and rotate the stator until the continuity light or ohmmeter
indicates a break in the circuit. Torque down the stator
bolts while maintaining the stator plate position and the
timing procedure is completed. Reconnect the leads on
the point terminal and tighten the nut making sure that the
leads do not touch the flywheel (diag. 26).
onBefore putting the dust cover back on the points box, clean
the points by sliding lint free paper back and forth between
the contacts. Manually, open the points when removing
the paper to eliminate paper fibers from remaining between
the contact points