On Board with Mark Corke: Magneto ignition tip

Now have to admit that i have something of a soft spot for the old British Seagull outboards. I've own one for getting close on to forty years and although it's smelly and noisy I love it. Simple in the extreme, they take a hell of beating and still run, or they should.

Seagulls like many early outboards and other utility motors of that era had magneto ignition which works great most of the time but a problem can occur where you fail to get a spark at the plug. Assuming that the lead and plug is good you may wonder if the magneto itself is at fault and need replacement. The answer is - perhaps, but a good tip before you throw out the old motor or replace the expensive magneto is to crank the engine in reverse which often restores the properties of the magneto and brings back the HT spark.

Read the complete blog entry.