As your lawn mower gets older and piles on the hours of usage, one issue you may encounter concerns the mower overheating and shutting off entirely. This is incredibly frustrating and troubleshooting it is difficult since there are a number of causes that could be responsible for the issue. Among the possible culprits for this common lawn mower problem is the ignition coil. First of all, you may know that the ignition coil is located in the ignition system and is basically responsible for keeping the voltage at a working level; it transfers voltage from the battery to the spark plug, thereby producing the spark that is necessary for the mower to continue running. Accordingly, if you need a new ignition coil, your mower will not start. Below, we explain how you can determine whether your ignition coil is indeed responsible for your mower failing to start, or whether another cause is to blame.
We Show You How to Inspect the Ignition Coil
Using a spark tester to check the ignition coil
The most common way of checking your ignition coil is to use an in-line spark tester. First you will have to remove the spark plug boot. Plug the spark tester into the boot, and connect the spark tester clip to a good grounding spot on the engine . Try starting the engine, if you notice a spark, this tells you that the ignition coil is working, and the spark plug may be the problem. If you find that there is still no spark, the ignition coil may be responsible. Disconnect the grounding wire (attached to the ignition coil.) Start the mower once again, and if you notice a spark, this signifies that the ignition coil is not responsible and that you instead have a separate electrical malfunction, possibly a safety switch not working correctly. Meanwhile, if there is still no spark, you will need to replace your ignition coil.
The process of checking the ignition coil may seem complex but it really only takes a couple of minutes. This is an important procedure that everyone should become familiar with, as it will help you get to the bottom of why your mower won’t start.
