Heck, I'll try it. My old LB 10201 won't start, and I'm pretty sure it's the CD pack. Nothing to lose!

Interesting! Are these CD packs soft potted modules or like a solid poured epoxy? I was thinking to use needle nose pliers and exacto blades to pull apart potting and expose internal components. The most likely component to be affected by heat is a capacitor. If that it so, the pack can be serviced.

Well, I have successfully resurected another CD pack that was bad.
This time it was a Lawnboy CD pack. The starting and firing legs are much shorter on the lawnboy module than the Suzuki one I did earlier but the jod was still do-able.

Just put the torch tip on one of the legs and heat the other.

Yes some plastic will burn but if you blow the fire out while you heat it does'nt do too much damage.
I also heated the parts that the bolt runs through.

I don't know if this is some sort of fluke or what but its working for me!

Neal

'Just put the torch tip on one of the legs and heat the other.'

What are you saying here? Heat both or one?

I heat them both to the point where you can see the plastic around the metal start to bubble from the heat.

Some butane torches have a solder tip I suppose one could use so the plastic could not be burned.

I just heat each one up so they get good and hot.

No guarantees here just some crazy idea i've had that is working. I still don't know for sure what the cause and effect is yet but I'm getting there.
I'm bored and just like to tinker on my machines.

I have another lawnboy CD I'm going to try here later today.

I'll let yall know if it works on it.

Neal

well you have got me interested, please post results

I recently had a coil that seemed "dead as a hammer" and I cleaned the rust off with sand paper where it bolts on as well as the other surfaces. Bolted it back on and it works great. I figured the crud under the bolt area had something to do with it. Maybe it was losing ground. Anyway try that on the next one and if it still doesn't spark try the heat trick. That will convince me that it isn't just a ground problem caused by rust or dirt. Maybe you have discovered something here. Anyway whatever in the world made you try a torch? Was it the last thing to try before you smashed it with a hammer? Hey, I have a VCR that doesn't work.....I better take it outside before I heat it up with the torch though.

Sounds like you just dried it out. The most likely cause of failure is water absorption into the system. I'd try to seal it around all the contacts once you got it working, to try to keep it that way longer.

George

My wife's uncle told me that heating one in an oven will bring it back to life. I don't remember if he said how hot or how long. This might be better than a torch since no flames are involved, as long as it doesn't smell up the house.

Maybe they do need drying out? seems like a job for the sun or low long heat in oven would work best?

makes sense,moisture could cause stuff to short that shouldnt. It also could explain why the mower was run out of gas and stored for the winter, and was DOA when pulled out for duty in the spring. I traced the problem to being no spark. I'm going to remove the coil, and stick it over a heat register for a few weeks/months and see what happens.

Makes you wonder how many CD packs went in the trash that really were not totally dead.

I've seen alot of them with the insulation cracked that were dead. I've also seen many that looked good as new that were dead. There must be something in these that go bad. I'd like to know what and why.

I don't recall the older d-600's having CD pack failure like the newer "F-E" series engines. Mabe they are designed to fail. Hate too say that but some things are designed to fail after so long.
Or mabe I'm getting paranoid in my older age?

Neal

"I don't recall the older d-600's having CD pack failure like the newer "F-E" series engines."

Oh yah!

"Are these CD packs soft potted modules or like a solid poured epoxy? I was thinking to use needle nose pliers and exacto blades to pull apart potting and expose internal components."

I tried and tried to get into one of these one time and finally gave up.

Walt Conner

I have baked CD packs in the oven at lowest setting.....170 Deg on this oven. an hour or so is plenty of time.....if you want to be sure of it lasting, cover the magnet lamination faces and area around mounting holes to keep a good ground and spray a coat of clear lacquer over the whole thing. I don't recall this ever failing me in 10 years of using it.....It doesn't work to try and take the durn things apart to repair.....Keep us posted.....

Anybody have any more thoughts on this? I just picked up a LB 10301 that appears to have no spark. I might just try to bake the coil (I prefer ovens to butane torches...) Anybody's coils still working from last year?

I am not clear what to heat up...the metal part that faces the flyweel??

Yes, I'm impatient so I use a torch but I hear this baking thing works also. It removes any moisture from inside the pack I think. If your CD pack has any cracks fill them in with silicone or plyobond after you heat them to seal out any moisture or condensation. This is what I have done and it works for me.

Neal

I have an old Crysler outboard which has a finicky coil, I wonder if this might work?

Well darn if that doesn't work. I just tried it with that LB 10301 coil and the mower fired right up! Used a propane soldering torch. Heated each metal ear for about 30 seconds give or take (blowing out flames as they flared up). Never really thought it would work - but it does! Thanks so much guys. Now I just need to get some spray laquer and seal up the coil so it doesn't go bad again!

Eric

Whew! Thought I was crazy. I'm glad someone else is having success with this.
Williaea, That sounds exactlly like the way I was doing mine.
Yeah, seal up any cracks with some silicone or plyobond and hope for the best as this is not any guarantee.

Neal

I found out my problem was mainly flooding, but I plan to try the heating trick the next time a coil pack fails. I still have one 2-cycle, a 10550.

I just tried out heating the coil. I used the baking method. I put it in the oven at 180 deg. for 4 hours. I felt that 180 is still cooler than the coil is subjected to while installed on the engine. I got distracted is the reason for the four hours. It came out with no damage and I installed on the mower and it started on the first pull. I highly recommend it as you have nothing to lose if it doesn't work. Thanks for the great and easy fix.

Kelly