[SEL] Back to the Briggs coil

[Bill Dickerson]

Apple and oranges. The magnetron system is electronic, not points. What the
maytag folks want is a coil to replace their coil. The newer B&S coil is
actually an ignition system that looks like the old coil but is a complete
electronic ignition system AND coil in one sealed unit.
I strongly doubt the magnetron system will work on the maytag.
Could be wrong, but the reason it crosses on B&S is that they are UPGRADING
your old engine to the new magnetron - or electronic ignition system.
I suspect the little card that comes with that new B&S coil mentions this
and mentions you don't connect the points any more.
It's trigged by the magnetic field, electronically, not by points.
Been a LOT of years since I was a B&S dealer, but some of this just seems
familiar.........
May be wrong.......
Tell ya what, check with Bob.......... he does small engine repair,
including B&S.

Bill

-----Original Message-----
From: sel-bounces at lists.stationary-engine.com
[mailto:sel-bounces at lists.stationary-engine.com] On Behalf Of Ed stoller
Sent: Tuesday, February 24, 2009 7:08 PM
To: stationary-engine at oldengine.org
Cc: sel at lists.stationary-engine.com
Subject: Re: [SEL] Back to the Briggs coil

Jerry,

On some of the older single cylinder engines,  years after being  built, 
Briggs specified a Magnetron replacement.  The Magnetron did not work on 
some engines until the flywheel was sent back to Briggs and they 
re-magnetized it for free, reversing the polarity. Since the older 394988 
coil appears to physically fit your Maytag twin, the Magnetron version, 
394988 should also physically fit. If it does fit, but does not work, it 
might be that it is not compatible with the polarization of the Maytag 
magnets on the flywheel. To map the magnet poles see 
http://home.earthlink.net/~edstoller/id2.html,   Figure 7.7. Maybe some one 
in the Maytag community with access to a magnet charger could do an 
experiment to see if this works.

Ed Stoller
New Fairfield, CT
http://home.earthlink.net/~edstoller/

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jerry Evans" <jerrye at databak.co.za>
To: <stationary-engine at oldengine.org>
Sent: Tuesday, February 24, 2009 8:43 AM
Subject: Back to the Briggs coil


> At 11:05 PM 23/02/2009, Mark Shulaw wrote:
>>Jerry , That part number 394988 coil in the ad comes back as a solid state

>>ignition coil not a points ignition coil which is preferrable for your 
>>use.    Mark
> and:
> Hi Jerry, Coil part number 394988 comes back as a electronic ignition 
> coil. Not a points coil. You can buy that coil 394988  all day long from a

> place called Tulsa Engine Warehouse for $28.00 
> http://tewarehouse.com/7-01644
> But its just not what we need. The twin points coils like we need is not 
> available new anymore unless you happen to find a dealership that has one 
> laying on a shelf.   Mark
>
> Hi Mark, Ed (Stoller) and others,
>         Firstly let me say that I am very stupid when it comes to coils, 
> magneto's, ignition and suchlike so please bear with me when I show my 
> stupidity - I'm trying to learn :-)
>
>         What I want to try doing is to use these coils to replace burnt 
> out coils on 2 Maytag twin engines (Eisemann mags) as I read about this on

> a Smokstak forum here:
> <http://www.smokstak.com/forum/showthread.php?t=40815>
> and also had some offline correspondence with Ed Radtke who seems to have 
> done many of these conversions.
>         The most important part of what he (and the forum) mentioned was 
> that the coil had to be of the older type for "points ignition" not the 
> later replacement for electronic ignition and that this Briggs coil worked

> on the same principle as the Maytag coil. ie the spark travels from the 
> coil to the 1st plug - then through the block to the second plug and then 
> back to the coil and not to earth. (My stupidity shows here - I only quote

> this "parrot" fashion.)
>
>         These older (points ignition) coils are no longer in production 
> and very hard to find. Briggs & Stratton South Africa gave me the part 
> number 394988 for this coil (which I passed on to the lists). I called 
> them again today (after Marks message) and they again insisted that this 
> was the correct number for this (points ign.) coil. They told me that it 
> was replaced with 394891 which was the electronic version  (they mentioned

> "Magnetron"). FWIW the guy I spoke to on both occasions has been with 
> Briggs for many years and seemed to know exactly what he was talking about

> (although that is not always a guarantee) but my point is that he was not 
> just some youngster reading a parts list.
>
>         Mark, the link you gave me for The $28.00 coil from Tulsa 
> warehouse:
> <http://tewarehouse.com/7-01644> is NOT for the coil with part number 
> 394988 but does mention that it is a replacement for this number as does 
> this page on the Briggs and Stratton site:
>
<http://www.briggsandstratton.com/maint_repair/repair_parts/index.aspx?_dp=1
&pno=394988>
> which mentions #394988 being replaced by #394891 (which is the same as the

> SA Briggs guy told me and probably the same coil as being sold by Tulsa 
> Warehouse). As a point of interest the Briggs price is $50.00.
>
>         What I (in my stupidity) understand from all of the above is that 
> Briggs replaced the original #394988 with the newer electronic (Magnetron 
> ??) #394891 which worked fine on their engines - would this have been a 
> straight swop or was there more to it? But to do the modification to a 
> Maytag the electronic coil will not work - I needed to find one of the 
> older (points ign.) type Briggs coils which I think I have managed to 
> find.
>
>         It is for this reason that I got all excited when I found the 2 # 
> 394988 coils on eBay. (Actually the link was forwarded to me by John Smith

> who I believe to be quite clued up on B&S parts).
>
>         So Guys after this long post here is my question to you 
> knowledgeable guys. Have I bought the correct coils (as I believe I have)?
>
> Many thanks to you all for the help so far and also for what will still 
> come.
> Keep well,
> Jerry
> P.S. I have my one Maytag twin running at present using a battery and 2 
> car coils. It runs beautifully but I'd like to get rid of the battery and 
> coils.
>
>
>
>
>
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