MS280 Weak Spark

[bark]

Ms 280 that has been flawless for years,now has weak spark.

I have tried a new coil which made it run for a few months then same problem again.

I tried 2 other coils and a different flywheel with no luck. Is there something simple that I am missing with this particular saw?

Is there a way to test the coil with a multimeter?

 

[Stump Shot]

Make certain your coil is grounded good to the chassis and check your on/off switch and stop wire with an ohm meter for a short.

 

[tree monkey]

I use a 361 coil, change the legs and trim a cylinder fin to make it fit

 

[Wood Doctor]

Make certain your coil is grounded good to the chassis and check your on/off switch and stop wire with an ohm meter for a short.

Agreed. This saw has been around for awhile. Clean the whole area around the coil but good. I have even run into insect nests that messed up the connections and shorted out the spark. Grime is even worse. As need be, use a pipe stem cleaner and mixed fuel along with a toothbrush. Double check all connections to the ignition module.

 

[bark]

Thanks guys. I will try these hopefully tomorrow and report back.

 

[bark]

I Finally got a chance to look at this saw again. After cleaning it up as recommended it seems to have intermittent spark. Does the original flywheel have 2 sets of magnets on it? The flywheel that I have with this saw only has 1 set of magnets on it. It is probably very hard to tell in this picture but there are only magnets on the left side of the picture.

 

[Dub11]

Just one set like you are seeing

 

[DrewUth]

I think the replacement of the coil that made it run fine for a few months is worth noting. If you have a bad ground somewhere, it could be prematurely wearing out components.