OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Repairs and Maintenance Questions on Engines Questions On Briggs & Stratton Engines Briggs won't start, turns over great, no spark

I have a 12.5 HP Briggs and Stratton, model 281707-0412-01. Took it off a running mower and put on a log splitter. Can't get it to start. There is no spark. I eliminated some kill switches by cutting them out and crimping the wires together. I'm pretty sure I messed something up doing this. Anyone know how to troubleshoot this? I have downloaded the briggs repair manual, but none of the wiring diags/switches match my exact setup, so I'm lost as to what to do next. The motor spins great and is getting gas, just no spark. Thought it could be the armature, but really think I messed up the wiring. Any help would be very much appreciated. Thanks! Dale

Dale,

I would be checking that you have not shorted out any of the wiring on the frame. It would only take a engine cover being put on incorrectly(wire not in the right spot) for it to cause a short. I have had this happen to me a couple of times so look carefully.

If you are hand-starting that engine, on a log-splitter, you seem to only need a simple manual kill-switch. The kill circuit just uses the black wire from the ignition module. When the black wire is grounded, there is no ignition. When the black wire is not grounded, there is ignition. I suggest you just isolate the black wire and verify that the engine then sparks and runs. Once you've done that, decide where you want the kill switch on the log splitter, mount a switch there, ground one side of it, and run the black wire to the other side of it. No other wiring is needed, for hand-start.

Grumpy - thanks for the reply, but it is an electic start. There are a ground wire coming out of the switch that I have properly grounded (G switch position), theres two black wires coming out of the M position (one goes to ground, the other used to attach to a kill switch that I eliminated and it wired to a orange wire that goes into the engine) then theres a S position wire that is white that goes to a pin on the solenoid (not one of the 2 red positions), theres a B position wire that goes to the hot side of the solenoid, and finally a L position thats a red/orangeish wire that goes into the motor (paired with the M position wire I mentioned above). I hope that all makes sense. Any ideas with that mess?

Grumpy - I went back and read what you wrote and went to the motor and disconnect the M wire I had grounded, and I have spark. Put the plug in and it runs like a champ. You are amazing, thank you so much!!!!

Thanks for updating us, dnyelator. Generally, Briggs kill switch wires are not complicated enough to give trouble, you just have to remember that the black wire coming out of the coil is it. The only harmful mistake people are prone to making with kill wires on electric start engines is connecting the +12 Volt system to the kill wire. If you do that, it kills the ignition module.

I'll close this thread. If anyone needs to post to it, just send a PM to a moderator.