Follow up: I’ve got it running great now!
– Changed the white insulator and used GB Electronics Liquid Tape to insulate the wire connection.
– Changed the ignition coil which had an open secondary – swapped in a different color coil from a couple year newer 9.8 parts motor. Had to scrape paint off the motor’s coil mounting surface below the coil because the ground wire came out the opposite side.
– The choke plastic link from the choke knob to the choke detail was worn bad so if you turned the knob slightly beyond the choke on or off positions, the knob came loose. The worn link the knob attaches too is discontinued, and different length in my parts motor. I drilled and tapped two holes near the choke knob and put short 1/4 x 20 machine screws with big heads in so the knob hits these in both directions, limiting its travel so it can’t come apart from the link inside. This worked very well! Photo below. Choke knob label missing, so I made one.
– As with most old motors that haven’t been run for a while, I had to replace the impeller.
Thank you all for the help diagnosing the ignition system.
Dave
