"The only problem I see is you need to mow more frequently" Yep, I agree. I had let the grass grow for over three weeks until I had the chance to address the mower issue. A section in the backyard had grown to about 10 inches high. I probably missed mowing this the last time out. "How is the Oil consumption ? Any noticeable exhaust smoke during your cutting especially when you encountered the taller sections of grass ?" First restart after adding new oil the exhaust blew white smoke for about 2 minutes. I cut grass for over an hour and did not notice anymore smoke even after a few more restarts. After coool down I checked oil level and it was down from "full" to "add oil". I added a few more ounces to bring level to full. I am curious to see if this will happen again next week. As far as testing compression, I will try again next week. Is it absolutely necessary to test compression when engine is at normal operating temperature? The last test I did I cranked the engine for about 5 seconds, the guage read 60 psi. I left the guage on for 5 minutes to see if the psi would drop, but it held consistant. I was thinking that if I did not have the tool connected securely, that the psi would have dropped over the 5 minute span. Thanks for the help!!!

Don't take this as "harsh criticism" but more like a "friendly reminder". AND it is not aimed directly at chris_va,. It is for any and all who might read this. It is all too easy to forge ahead without "blazing the trail" when taking things apart. If you have prior experience with getting into this predicament (either in your own projects or observing someone else), please make yourself a reminder note to the effect that "The first step in diassembly of unfamiar components is to get ready to make notes". Post this reminder on your toolbox, peg board, cabinet door, etc. where you will see it BEFORE you get out your tools. If you do not place a priority on creating a "map" (as you tear down) before you remove the first item, you may not remember the second item, or the third. Before you realize it, the need to make notes has been completely forgotten and you are just merrily (or angrily, as the case may be) removing parts and pitching them in a pile.......The guilty need not raise their hand (even though nobody could see my hand raised too) because we have all probably been there once or many times. Everybody who works on machinery (very broad category here) will likely develop (or at least, "should develop") their own method of recording the disassembly process. There is not any single method of "marking the trail" that works best for all people, but if I had to pick my own favorite, it would be to use a digital camera and shoot a lot of photos during the teardown. Shoot from different angles to ensure you get all visible parts into the photo (you don't know yet what might become a question during reassembly). In conjunction with the digital camera, make a lot of notes on paper as to wire color, any wire numbers that may be present, or wire size, etc. Tag the parts as they come off using tags cut from 3X5 cards and small diameter solid wire to attach them (or buy tags ready made). If the parts are already clean, you can mark them directly using a permanent marking pen, or an electric engraver. If using an engraver, do not mark on gasketed surfaces, nor should you engrave a surface that moves or slides against a mating surface. As you remove parts, lay them out on a flat surface in the order they are removed (first item removed will be the last to be attached later). Make sure you are accurate in how you line out the parts. Take a few photos of the parts as you have them laid out. If you will do that, you can put the parts into bags and/or boxes for storage if the project reassembly is delayed, or deferred. Be sure to tag or mark each bag or box as to where it goes (include the overall machine name and sub-component name, any orientation of parts such as "top", "bottom", "left", "right", and so forth). For people doing this stuff as a "profession", you probably should also include information such as model number, customer name, date, etc. If you record the tear down with a digital camera, you can then load the pics into your computer for viewing (and/or printing). If you print, you can carry the photos to your work "shop" and view them during the reassembly procedure. Heck, one of my friends recently bought a "used" laptop computer and his plan is to use the laptop itself for direct viewing of any photos he takes during tear down. He says it will be "neat" to put the laptop right in front of him during reassembly if he needs to see a reference photo. I guess it doesn't matter what method you use to record the disassembly (hand drawn sketch or photos), the main point is to make sure you place a high priority on actually recording it. And another thing, even if you have a "factory shop manual", you still need to take pictures and/or make notes. I have encountered a few manuals in my time that did not have a picture (or a line drawing) of a certain aspect of the component (or the picture was too faint/blurry/dark/vague to make sense of). Of course it takes a few moments of time to do any of the things I mention in this post, but consider how long it might take to get back on track if you don't invest those moments. I know this has been long and I thank you for indulging me.

***"1. How can the engine run with a coil that tests open in the secondary circuit?"*** To understand how that can be, you must remember that the secondary circuit of an ignition coil produces voltage ranging from over 20,000 volts to maybe 30,000 volts or more. Voltage like this is called "High Tension" or "High Potential" voltage. Lightning (extremely true) falls into this category). Voltage this high can very easily jump the gap between the broken ends of wiring in the secondary windings of an ignition coil and will produce a somewhat weaker and less defined spark across the plug gap. But the ohmeter you use to check the resistance of the coil might only have a few volts worth of potential (from the meter batttery) and that is not sufficient to jump across the gap between the broken ends of the wire in the secondary coil circuit. You do not have to use an Onan branded coil. The main criteria that must be met is the resistance value of the primary winding of the coil, and whether the ignition circuit of the engine utilizes an external ballast resistor, or a resistor inside the coil itself. You do not want to use a coil having an internal resistor on an engine that already has an external ballast resistor because the engine will be hard to get started, and if old schoool contact points control the ignition timing, the life of the points will be decreased. If electronic ignition controls the spark timing, the electronic ignition will be overloaded and fail. Likewise, if you use a coil intended for use with a ballast resistor (non resistor coil), but there is no external ballast resistor in the engine circuit, the life of the coil will be shortened (coil will burn out). If there are any automobile electric specialty shops/stores in your area, they should be able to cross ref a replacement coil for around $50 or less. Take the old coil with you.

Stator voltage needs to be @ 24v AC or greater. 316's are notorious for corroded connections. It's very possible that your stator and regulator are good, but the voltage isn't making it back to the battery. Check the fuse holders as well. I'd bet you've got bad connections and voltage drops / resistance causing your problems. Some folks can't handle things like that, thus the "nagging" problem comment. Those can be over the head of the average parts replacer. A voltage drop to the Time Delay Control (TDC) can cause the battery light to come on. You'll need a schematic to make sense of what's going into and out of it. Good luck! A 316 is a great tractor, just needs some TLC.