ignition questions for 1958 four-fifty starflite

haulyard

Seaman
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Dec 29, 2007
Messages
71
can someone explain how the four-fifty gets spark? it looks like a distributor magneto system.
does this motor need to be hooked up to a battery for ignition?
is there no coil?
motor appears to have all its parts, timing belt and all. But looks like something is missing on other side of engine(looks like another starter location) could this be where a generator was hooked up?

can anyone give me ideas of what to check for?

thanks
 

Joe Reeves

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Feb 24, 2002
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13,262
Re: ignition questions for 1958 four-fifty starflite

That engine has a self contained magneto (plug wires exit the bottom). The coil, rotor, points, etc (everything) is contained internally.

DO NOT ever apply any voltage to that unit!

The black wire on the side of the magneto that leads to the engine wiring harness is the kill circuit. When it is grounded, it kills the ignition. When it is not grounded, then the magneto assembly is live and ignition is enabled.

The other side of the engine, opposite the electric starter, is where a generator would be located. This item is no longer available.
 

haulyard

Seaman
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Messages
71
Re: ignition questions for 1958 four-fifty starflite

ok the wire from the magneto connects with another wire on distributor housing ,which one do you disconnect?
 

Joe Reeves

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13,262
Re: ignition questions for 1958 four-fifty starflite

The engine harness wire.
 

Evinrude Boater

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Re: ignition questions for 1958 four-fifty starflite

DO NOT ever apply any voltage to that unit!

Joe, what do you mean? A battery can be hooked up to the junction box for electric starting or it can be started by the recoil starter without a battery.

Haulyard, you're having problems getting spark to start the motor? You need to troubleshoot from the plugs back through to the points and timing. It could be a number of possibilities. Take the three screws off the plate on top of the distributor pulley and the points will be visible through the opening under the plate.
 

haulyard

Seaman
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Dec 29, 2007
Messages
71
Re: ignition questions for 1958 four-fifty starflite

ok so we got the top plate off the pulley and can see the points now. So the points are set to .20 . but still no spark!?!

so could it be down in the distributor where the plug wires come out?? or maybe even the timeing. how can we check if the timing is lined up correctly?

when you turn the pulley that the timing belt is on, that should be enough to create a spark right??

anything you may know or any suggestions would be a great help

thanks
 

F_R

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28,195
Re: ignition questions for 1958 four-fifty starflite

Joe, what do you mean? A battery can be hooked up to the junction box for electric starting or it can be started by the recoil starter without a battery.

Haulyard, you're having problems getting spark to start the motor? You need to troubleshoot from the plugs back through to the points and timing. It could be a number of possibilities. Take the three screws off the plate on top of the distributor pulley and the points will be visible through the opening under the plate.

Joe was saying to never connect power to the magneto, not the rest of the system. Connecting power to the magneto will melt the coil.

As for troubleshooting the magneto, look at the points for dirt or corrosion between the contacts. If they are clean and gapped at .020" and you have no spark with the kill wire disconnected, you will have to get into the magneto deeper. We could type out about five pages of instructions, or you can buy a book. I strongly suggest the book. Oh, and if you disconnect the kill wire be sure to reconnect the short wire or it won't fire.
 

Joe Reeves

Supreme Mariner
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Feb 24, 2002
Messages
13,262
Re: ignition questions for 1958 four-fifty starflite

Remove the distributor cap, then check to see if you have spark directly from the main coil terminal. If you do, the rotor is faulty.
 

Chris1956

Supreme Mariner
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Mar 25, 2004
Messages
27,036
Re: ignition questions for 1958 four-fifty starflite

Check the coil for cracks, and check the point wire that connects the points for rubbing and shorting against the pully or housing. Also, sometimes the condenser goes bad.
 

Evinrude Boater

Lieutenant Junior Grade
Joined
Jul 6, 2004
Messages
1,143
Re: ignition questions for 1958 four-fifty starflite

Timing is simple, align all the marks on the flywheel, engine and distributor.
 
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