D8-2U pony problems

You mentioned that you checked the plugs, when you did that did you also see if you had good spark coming from the magneto? A weak spark sometimes cannot jump the plug gap under compression. If you have a strong spark the next thing I would try is pouring a little bit of gasoline down the throat of the carburetor and see if the engine will take off and run. If it runs briefly and dies out you have a fuel delivery problem from the carb. If it keeps running after you've given it a direct dose of fuel you may have some weak valves. If the valves don't seal tightly against the seats you may be losing enough "suction" to draw enough fuel from the carb to make the engine take off.

Thanks for the reply Toby! I checked everything over again today. As we poured some gas into the inlet yesterday, without result, I decided to take of the mag. With the mag clamped in the vice and two plugs attached, one plug sparked well and the other just occasionally. So I took apart the impulse, cleaned and oiled it and there was a good spark on both plugs. To be sure to have it timed right I took off the side covers to mark the TDC's. As this mag has the internal 2:1 reduction, both sparks are 180° from each other, and during the following 1.5 rev there is no spark, so you could set it 360° wrong. Everything installed as it should, two pulls on the crank and away it went! Quite happy that I spent part of the Sunday afternoon on this problem. Here is a picture working with the D8 last year. We will need it in 3 weeks when we have our show to help loading the JD scraper.

Best regards
Marcel

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I find that if you store the pony with the points open, they don't corode which is why mine won't start after long storage. With the 2U, I pull through the first compression and slowly pull through the second until I hear the impulse snap and leave it there with points open. Most times it works and starts up next year without messing with the points. firpitch