2006 Carryall 272 ... pull motor to replace coil?

[RenoHuskerDu]

Took a look at our 272 just now, planning to install a new coil in the FE400, to resolve a hard start / no start issue. The coil is on the side of the jug, under the sheet metal cooling shroud. Towards the rear of the shroud, its bolts are covered by the large metal cradle that holds the motor and transaxle.

So unless somebody has a trick, we'll have to pull the dang motor out just to get that shroud off, to get to the $25 coil.

DANG. Anybody BTDT and found a better way?

[RenoHuskerDu]

See the coil on the side of the jug. Next image shows the darned shroud.
https://imageshack.com/i/7eengine2bw6j

https://imageshack.com/i/e4engine1vr9j

[Fairtax4me]

I would be willing to bet It’s not the coil, but it Will be if you put a $25 one in there. You do that and you’ll be pulling the motor all over again.

Hard starting is almost always fuel related. Unless you’ve checked the spark and verified it has weak or no spark when cranking.

[RenoHuskerDu]

Originally Posted by Fairtax4me

I would be willing to bet It’s not the coil, but it Will be if you put a $25 one in there. You do that and you’ll be pulling the motor all over again.

Hard starting is almost always fuel related. Unless you’ve checked the spark and verified it has weak or no spark when cranking.

We've tried starter fluid. Won't start. Spark is all that's left. When it does start it will run OK, but starting has been dodgy for a year now.

[Mooncarter]

Originally Posted by RenoHuskerDu

We've tried starter fluid. Won't start. Spark is all that's left. When it does start it will run OK, but starting has been dodgy for a year now.

Have you checked it for spark?

I'm with FT on the cheap coil. All that work for a coil that is going to fail shortly? No way.

[RenoHuskerDu]

Originally Posted by Mooncarter

Have you checked it for spark?

I'm with FT on the cheap coil. All that work for a coil that is going to fail shortly? No way.

Yes, spark is intermittent. I guess David is shut down for Christmas, he usually replies quickly. I don't know how much a Kaw coil costs or how long it would take for him to source it. In the past he would get parts from a dealer then ship them out himself. That takes time. Stuff is so late arriving this year. Several of my Christmas gifts due to us by Dec 10 are still not here....

[meimk]

Yes you have a lot of disassembly to do before you can reach the coil. Before you do all that, does it still have a RPM limiter connected? They fail more often than the OE coils do. Also, the "kill" circuit of the ignition key switch and the wiring for it can cause a loss of spark. If it's pedal start the kill switch there could cause problems too. I'm just suggesting checking the other possibilities before you go to the trouble of replacing the coil. As others have already suggested don't even consider the cheap aftermarket coils. I've seen way to many fail - either right out of the box or within a week or 2. How many times do you want to do a job like that?

[RenoHuskerDu]

We defeated all the pedal start and nostart in gear junk. We rewired the ignition switch to divorce start from run, installing a start button.

We sure don't see a rev limiter on it. Just a magneto/coil and spark plug. I guess we should take another look.

As for removing the shroud, I think we'll just cut an opening to reach the coil. Then fab a cover by TIGing on tabs on that piece.

[Fairtax4me]

Originally Posted by RenoHuskerDu

We defeated all the pedal start and nostart in gear junk. We rewired the ignition switch to divorce start from run, installing a start button.

We sure don't see a rev limiter on it. Just a magneto/coil and spark plug. I guess we should take another look.

As for removing the shroud, I think we'll just cut an opening to reach the coil. Then fab a cover by TIGing on tabs on that piece.

I don’t normally recommend it here on the forum, but as a mechanic sometimes time is just more important, and I’d be lying if I said I’ve never cut a shroud off to change a coil. just remember to cut it so a few of the bolts can be put back to hold it in place.

But seriously, buy an OEM Kawasaki coil. It’s expensive, but you’ll never change it again. The cheapie china ones might last a month or they might last a day.

The 400 never had a rev limiter as far as I’m aware, so problem does sound coil-ish from the way you describe it now.

[RenoHuskerDu]

Originally Posted by Fairtax4me

SNIP
The 400 never had a rev limiter as far as I’m aware, so problem does sound coil-ish from the way you describe it now.

Sometime a man's got to do what a man's got to do. -Inspector Callahan

It has a mechanical governor, which we modified for a little bit more speed, not much, thinking of engine longevity. Larger tires on back added about 3mph. So top speed is up from 15 to 19. It's +2 dirt miles to the mailbox so that extra 4mph actually helps a lot.