New, 78 years old, retired Electrical Engineer. I have a 1987 1810 Cub Cadet with no spark.

[Jerl Pringle]

The engine has run flawlessly for about 8 years. Recently, it has lost its spark. What should the resistance between the plug wires for this Kohler engine be? I hesitate to pull the engine to change the coil is that's not the problem. Is it possible to change the coil without pulling the engine out of the trac tor?

 

[mgonitzke]

Service manual is a free download from Kohler's website. 98% sure the primary and secondary resistance is in there.

It is nearly impossible to replace it without pulling the engine. Do the crank seals while you are in there.

 

[1811Cub]

Make sure the ignition switch is not the cause. Unplug the 3 wire engine harness and see if the engine starts.

 

[MarcHeld]

I have an 1811 where both issues of the two previous posts occurred. I did manage to replace the ignition coil without removing the engine. But if i ever need to do it again, I will remove it next time. Not hard, see videos by Jimmy Mack at Mackland Cadets. He got the time down to about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile you should measure about 15000-30000 ohms between the two spark plug wires.

 

[rbedell]

What should the resistance between the plug wires for this Kohler engine be?

Per the Service Manual, the secondary windings should be " 22K to 42K"