picked one up from wal mart for $10

it has ac/dc voltage on it, which do i use? and it says it only goes up to 500volts

use ac and try the black wire next to the spark plug wire, connect it to the red on the voltmeter, connect the black on voltmeter to ground... have someone watch it while you crank it over... if it doesnt register switch to dc and try again, at the very least you should get 9 volts out of it on one of the settings.

new idea as well, if that fails, connect to the (i believe) black and yellow wires on the generator in ac mode, and repeat..

Ok, i hooked it up the the spark plug boot and the Engine as a ground
i pulled the rope and the little needle moves alot but its hard to see what the number is
it did the same thing when i hooked itup to the end of the spark plug and the Engine as a ground
im still not that sure how to work this thing...but im learning
what should i be checking?

pictures of what i got (yeah i know they are big.... :()

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v284/ ... itled4.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v284/ ... itled3.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v284/ ... itled2.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v284/ ... titled.jpg

Focus is the key young grasshopper. Those pics gave me a headache.

yeah yeah yeah i know....they arent that important though, just the multimeter i got

and what wires should i be testing? when i connected it to the spark plug boot and Engine ground, and pull the rope, the needle moves a bunch on the meter....

have you tried using a new sparkplug? if yes, did you check to make sure the spark gap was correct?

maybe the plug is bad....? i will go pick up another
and no i don't check the gap, im assuming it should be right if its a brand new plug....

if it has some voltage between the plug boot and ground, should it have spark?

ok, yesterday i went out to see if maybe it would work again, and i pulled it a few times, and on one pull it had spark, and then it just went away and wouldn't do it again :(

My guess is its a bad connection problem..

checked all connections today....still no spark
brand new plug


picture of point setup---anything wrong?
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v284/ ... 11_IMG.jpg

manual i have--it says to use br7es plug, but ive been using br8es...which do you use?
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v284/ ... 21_IMG.jpg

flywheel
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v284/ ... 12_IMG.jpg



ok, so i checked all the connections...what next?

I haven't read the whole thread and i never had a FL250 but

put your multimeter on the stator and test as directed in manual, there should be some resistance thru the windings, basically you are checking for a dead short, if it checks out good then wiggle the wires while testing might be something intermitten.

B8ES BR8ES are both fine plugs to use, so are 7s and 9s.

Your pictures are out of focus, I can't tell anything, if your points open very slightly when the motor (( Internal Combustion Engine ? )) turns over it should be close enough to run a little.

have you removed the stator plate for inspection of pinched wires ?They run underneath and thru a small slot in the plate,sometimes they may rub or get pinched thier.also check the wires at the case exit hole,if the grommet has been missing or bad they may rub thier too.
By far the easiest way to time these points is by making your own timing light with a pair of d cells and a 6 volt bulb.trying to get a feeler gauge in there is a pain and not allways accurate.I cut down some feeler gauges and used them but still ended up going back to the timing light setup -it's quick and easy.
look into the manual for the timing light setup,later i will look and see what i can find.I know i have a pic of it somewhere but havent worked on a fl250 for awhile.

watch those screws on the stator plate,they are very soft and will round out easily.use an impact driver to get them out if you can get one.br8es or 7es is the best but allways check the gap on any plug.

i was afraid to remove the plate because the screws are really in there, and if i try to get them out its gonna strip them for sure

its there

i will try the timing light thing before i try to remover the stator

Impact Driver is a must, they have decent ones at Sears, they have a REALLY cool one from snap on.

you might carefully use some heat to help loosen the bond before you go too far and break or round off something. Sometimes there will be loctite on the screws which uses heat as a release agent.

how much are impact drivers? i have an air compressor with no hoses lol

Impact drivers are under $20.....Check Sears or any other tool supply store. If you have a Harbor Freight Tools near you (or want to internet order one) they're $6.99-8.99....

the impact driver we speak of is a hand tool (steel) and a sharp snap with a hammer on it's end should loosen the screws easily(with the right bit).most come with a assortment of bits.If you have to go oversize because of a partial rounding out,it should still be able to get it out.
Just set the driver in the screw and put pressure on it,at the same time turn the driver in a counterclockwise direction and walla,usually.
like hare says a little heat would be helfull but be carefull,not much is needed and you don't really want to heat up the plate for fear of melting the wires.
Napa or and decent hardware or parts house should have one.
for stubborn or soft screws they are a must have.
just take a look at the directions and all should go well.

alright, and these do run off of an air compressor correct? before i go taking this thing off, im going to do the timing light test, and then we will see....

i tried to do the timing light test, but its extremely hard to see the T and F marks on the rotor when its in place...

Lets start over with this...what do i check with the multimeter?

if i need to spend alot more money on this, i think im gonna sell it and buy one of these from kragen ---it says "Not For Use In California" but my local store sells them, and they are $50 cheaper lol
http://www.partsamerica.com/ProductDeta ... mber=09455

Take a automotive crayon or paint and extend the lines (thin lines) out to the edges so you can see them easier.If the flywheel is rusty take a scratch all of some sort and scratch the timing line back into the flywheel and then mark it in color,yellow or something bright.If the flywheel and piston assembly turn to easily ,put it near firing and reinstall the sparkplug so it doesnt move as easy.
Another thing you can do is to get the oddy up ,put it up high on stands or a table or simply put it up on two wheels(front and rear).
looking at the manual and thinking ,you could also clean and remark the lines like i said above then use a small wood wedge and install it (carefully not to tight)between the flywheel and the case so the flywheel cant move around,then adjust the points either way till the light goes dim.
when the flywheel is in motion (say it's running)as the flywheel is coming on to the firing marks the light will be bright,when it hits the firing mark the light will be dim and as it passes the firing mark it will go bright again.
With the frame rail in the way it can be a pain to see it but you need to find a spot where you will be able to see.
If you use the wedge and keep it on the firing mark,just adjust the points till it is dim and tighten them.
Then if you want to double check it take a 0.014 feeler gauge and cut out both sides making it narrower (makes it easier as most feeler gauges are wide and a pain to get in thier),then check to see exactly what they are set at.

alright, but how do you adjust the points while the flywheel is on!? do you have to do it in between those little holes in it? the manual doesnt really explain it clearly

thanks

yes ,you do have to adjust the points thru the open slots in the flywheel.That for one is the reason for the cut down(narrower) feeler gauge(if used).
With the light method all you need is a phillips and small flat standard screwdriver.The phillips to loosen and tighten the points and the standard for adjusting the points.
how old is this point set in thier ? do you even know they are good ?(voltmeter will tell you that) .You might be well off to remove the flywheel and do an inspection unless you know they were changed lately and at the same time inspect the stator plate assembly.
If i remember correctly you did get bright light with the tester ? then they should be ok just adjust them.
when the timing marks are aligned you should just be able to get the screw drivers in there,with the frame rail in the way it's a pain but it's not that bad.when timing the points you don't really even need to see much with the light because the light will come on when the marks are aligned.when the light comes on use the standard flat screwdriver to adjust the points either way (direction) until the light goes from bright to dim,you will be able to tell - bright will be, well bright and when it goes dim it wont barely be on.
do this,take the phillips and completely loosen the points so they close all the way (watch the screw because they are soft and will round out)if you have to take a small hammer and tap the end of the screwdriver so that it help loosen the screw then do that.
align your timing marks f and the arrow ,lock down the points again enough so they wont move easily but can still be adjusted and then open them with the flat screwdriver untill the light is dim,if it goes bright then you went a hair too far or wide and just move them back or in the opposite direction till the light goes dim.make sure the timing marks are aligned again and double check the light.sometimes the point set may move a little bit when tightening them so that's why you double check them so you know they have not moved .once you are sure they havent moved and the light seems right tighten them all the way. leave the tester on and rotate the flywheel 360 degrees and watch as the timing marks line up .should be good to go.

ok, im going to print out what you said and go check it

and i have no idea if the points are good or not...the owner i got it from seems to know nothing about them, and it was sitting outside with only the Engine covered
he was also using 20:1 and told me it went about 25mph, but the times it has worked, its went WAY faster than that


thanks

where are you located ?
If the points are pitted or burnt or bad you wont get spark or it will be very weak.If it doesnt work this time around i suggest pulling the flywheel and taking the points out for inspection.point sets are cheap enough,besides you can inspect the cam and advance system in thier and grease it all (lightly) before putting it all back together.also look at the keyway and replace it if needed.The pickups (magnet) on the flywheel may also have rust causing it to get a weak signal.
use a volt meter to check the points for breakage (not broken) but breakage means the points are opening and you have a circuit .if the voltmeter doesnt react then your point set is bad and they will have to be replaced.
sn1p3r not to get personal or anything but what is your age ? just wondering.
You can run the oil mix at 32:1 w/quality oil in that motor (( Internal Combustion Engine ? )). meaning 20 oz of oil to 5 gal.gas
Without reading all the last four pages again ,you had it running recently ?