The Old Lawnmower Club
Collection, Preservation and Display of Old Lawn Mowers
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Condenser and paint for atco lawnmower

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Chris.R Fri, 08/04/2016

Hi,

I have just got hold of a 1960s 4 stroke atco mower, as well as having very crusty paint it also has no spark. I have tested the coil with good readings on both primary and secondary and have cleaned and gapped the points. The only thing I can think of is the condenser, are these liable to fail if the engine is left in a damp area for a long period of time? On the plus side, it has great compression after I spent ages lapping the valves! Is there a good place to purchase paint for these mowers? I can easily find the balmoral green found on the later atcos but no luck with the earlier paint... 

Many thanks, Chris.

Forums

wristpin Sat, 09/04/2016

Condensers do suffer from age related failure and damp storage conditions wont help. I presume that your coil test consisted of taking the resistance readings of the primary and secondary and comparing them with ?

I have to say that I have seen more than a few people mislead by that sort of comparison and the only test that I rely on is using a proper ignition tester to stress the coil under working conditions - the same goes for the condenser.

If the coil is good and  you are going to replace the condenser you might consider fitting a small electronic module that does away with both the points and the condenser and obviates the need to ever go into the mag again.

 

Gerry Norris Wed, 13/04/2016

Hi Wristpin what ignition tester do you use for test purposes?

                                                                                

wristpin Wed, 13/04/2016

Over the years I've collected a few but my favourite   is a  Prufrex  that came second hand with my BRL cylinder grinder in around 1978. Tests coils and condensers , simple to operate and reliable.