Managed to find an older model McLane Reel mower with a 3.5 B&S engine on it. Doing research, the things about 31 yrs old, but in good shape. The engine needs a little TLC, but at the moment I'm just trying to get this thing to spark. Never worked on these engines, and don't know where to start. Took cover off, to check the magneto/armature, seems to be ok, but there is this small black wire which comes from inside the engine, right beside the wire for the magneto, also coming from inside engine. The wire for the magneto is intact within a black housing, but this other single black wire leads to nowhere. It has some plastic on the end of it, but there is no wire exposed at the end, no obvious place to connect it to. Ideas what this is?? Also are there points and condensor with this engine, and how do u access it??

Thanks,
Ric

There is a set of points and condenser on this engine. They are located under the flywheel. You must remove the starter clutch (unscrew counter clockwise) and then remove the flywheel. There is a small cover held on with a couple of screws that must be removed to gain access to the points.

The other wire should hook up to a kill switch located on the throttle plate of your engine.

You can install a solid state conversion (magnetron) kit on the coil and eliminate the points/condenser as well as the need to remove the flywheel.

Thanks 30yeartech. Where can i find one of these solid state conversion kits? And is the kill switch located on the engine itself, or ...? If this helps any, here is the model, type, code # : 80292 0761-01 76010903

Thanks again
Ric

Check the "sticky Helpful links" at the top.
Many parts houses etc. ;)

Thanks 30yeartech. Where can i find one of these solid state conversion kits? And is the kill switch located on the engine itself, or ...? If this helps any, here is the model, type, code # : 80292 0761-01 76010903

Thanks again
Ric

Magnetron conversion kit Briggs Part No. 394970 is about $17.00

or you can replace the entire coil assembly with the new solid state one that should bolt right up, part no. 793281 around $33.00.

You can purchase parts on line at a bunch of different places, just do a search on Briggs and Stratton parts, or you should be able to pick up this part at most small engine repair shops. Briggsandstratton.com has a dealer locater you can use to find a local dealer.

The kill tab on your engine shows to be up near the carburetor where the throttle wire hooks up at. There should be a metal tab on an insulator screwed to the side of the carburetor and the end of the wire is just stuck through a little hoop that extends through the tab attached to the carburetor.

Thanks, but i guess i must be missing parts on this engine, cause i see nothing. try to send pics, u tell me what u see. There's the wire which goes to nowhere!


thanks.

Yes, the part that the wire should hook to is missing. The part number for the kill switch tab is 297472S but you don't really have to have it. You can kill the engine just by grounding out the spark plug with a kill tab, or by installing any kind of spst switch that grounds the kill lead wire to the engine block.

looks like in the third picture the post on the module is touching the flywheel , the way
the throttle cable is hooked to the butterfly in picture one that is a good indication that the little bugger has seen better days , no governor attached ouch , i bet that thing would sling dirt like a sled puller at the tractor pulls . engine is probably not going to be in very good shape

there was a governor on it, took it off to see where the "mystery" wire was going to, and the module was also taken off to see the condition of it, and is loosely attached, hence the reason it's touching the flywheel. Does Anyone have an actual picture of what this part of the engine should look like, (killswitch & throttle cable) so i have something to reference.

Thanks for your help guys,
Ric