Killing the engine.

[sparky]

Old mowers with BS or Tecumseh engines used to have a metal strap attached to head, that you pushed against plug to ground.

That's exactly what I'm talking about. Same principal.

Does that fry a magneto ? If so, never mind

I'd also like to know if this grounding out procedure is harmful to magneto. Seems like "everybody's doing it".

 

[Alan]

I'd also like to know if this grounding out procedure is harmful to magneto. Seems like "everybody's doing it".

Kill switch or metal strip, isn't it doing the same exact thing ? Grounding it out ?

 

[graucho]

Toggled kill switch is cutting (breaking) the Electical flow. Not grounding, "freaking" the magneto out man. These magneto's, made in China cheap pieces of carp. Also the stock throttle kill switch is carp. Get a toggle switch. Blue wire from magneto to toggle switch. Then 2nd post of toggle switch back to blue wire from CDI.

 

[Large Filipino]

That's a mass produced 4 stroke lawnmower brand(s) were talking about with probably gobs of research poured into the flywheel magneto. In lawnmowers,yes. The ground way has been proven NOT to hurt their electricals. And it makes sense to rig a massed produced lawnmower that way for there's no kill switch wire to break or even a kill switch to look for when the lawnmower blades are chewing up your toes.
But a Happy Time Magneto was assembled in China cutting every known corner imaginable. It's been shown that grounding this magneto does eventually make it fail.
So far those that have switched to the blue wire toggle has NOT shown magneto failure.
Or at least I've yet to hear of it.

 

[azbill]

I personally killed 2 mags using the kit kill switch (within 2-3 months)
since going to a toggle switch on the blue wire, I have been using the same mag for over a year (it's even the 3rd engine it's been in)

 

[loquin]

That's exactly what I'm talking about. Same principal.

Does that fry a magneto ? If so, never mind

No.

Look - the blue wire and the white wire are tied together inside the engine.

If you pull more than 3 watts on the white wire, it will kill the engine.

Now, let's talk power. If you short out the mag, what is the issue? frying it? No way.

It only takes a few seconds for the engine to die. That few seconds, at 15-20 watts, which is the most that a mag could provide, cannot damage the mag. Place your hand around a 13W CFL florescent 'bulb' and turn it on. The mass of the florescent 'bulb' is about the same as a mag coil, and you can hold your hand around a 13 watt florescent bulb all day long!

IF you could continue to run the engine while shorting the mag, you could conceivably damage it. About the only way I could think of to do this would be to kill the engine at the top of a long hill, and coast down the hill using the engine as a brake... Under this circumstance, the continued current flow might damage the mag.

 

[ifranc]

Hi
Killing te motor by squeezing the transition clutch then turning the throttle it is not a good thing to do.It will destroy your crackshaft.You must cut the electrical power so you must instal a kill switch.

 

[rebelspirit]

The new kill switch on the "Happy Time" kit's is a thumb button on your throttle. Very easy to use.

 

[sparky]

I don't think that's new.

 

[BoltsMissing]

loquin

It only takes a few seconds for the engine to die.

I think you just landed on a clue that there is a right way and wrong way to kill the engine.
Up to now I have not utlized the kill switch, I use the choke. But would prefer the convenience of the kill switch, and due to what I have read so far about the mags. frying, chose to not connect any wires to any switches.
The clue then is, those of you who have fryed the mags after pressing the kill switch, what revs was the engine doing ? was it at idle and the switch was pressed, or was after a hi rev and pressed the switch as the revs were descending ?

Because if one was to press the kill switch while the engine was reving by flicking the throttle, then that explains why the mags. fry.

But if one is to allow the engine to idle, then press the kill switch, loquin is right, it has no time to fry.