I just bought a 2 HP Jaeger. I’m not getting any fire to the plug. What do I need to start looking at first? Can it be as minor as setting the points? Please forward this question to anyone willing to give me good advice and coaching. It has the WICO system.
Ronnie Spivey, Rocky Mount, North Carolina, spiveyronnie@gmail.com
You didn’t say what year your Jaeger is, but as a 2 HP with a WICO magneto it’s probably from 1923-1925. Hercules Mfg. Co. built your engine for Jaeger, a 2 HP Model FW equipped with a WICO EK high-tension magneto. The EK is well-documented, and Gas Engine Magazine has published many articles on the EK. Four of the best articles include one by Hercules expert Glenn Karch in The Hercules Engine News in the August/September 1999 issue describing the basic adjustment process; The Remarkable WICO EK Magneto, a very comprehensive examination of the EK by Bud Motry in the May/June 1977 issue; The Incomparable WICO EK Magneto, by Gordon Tengen in the November/December 1998 issue; and Building a WICO EK Magneto Tester, by Rob Skinner in the January/February 2002 issue. Between these you should be able to learn everything you need to know about your WICO. More information can be found online at Gas Engine Magazine.