Joe Hunt Magneto for Atlas

I assume your Atlas mag is behind the barrels?

JH also sell Norton mags to mount on the timing cover… which spins in the opposite direction.

I’d be wondering if yours perhaps had the wrong internals, cam etc, designed for the opposite rotation?

There was a guy on here some while ago who had a new JH mag that had inadvertently been fitted with a cam for a Harley… so mistakes do happen…

I ran a JH mag for a while, it was on a track bike so I only ever started it on rollers, but it always started INSTANTLY, so something ain’t right with yours…
 
It is behind the barrel type. It came from Jim Schmit who slots the cam for ease of timing it and tested it before it was shipped. One thing I did do was replace in lind those 5/16-24 black oxide set screws that hold the coil in place with stainless ones but I don’t think that should have any ill effects
 
This may or may not help

 
Fun things

I pinched a wire coming out of the alternator stator between the primary inner and outer covers that I wish would have prevented me from starting my Norton. When I started it the insulation on the pinched wire went up in smoke and stunk my garage up. Also killed my PODtronics reg/rect I was using at the time.

Anywho, you could have a pinched wire or a wire under the magneto cover that has frayed insulation grounding out in a location where you can't easily see it.

From way out in left field... Does the SS have an ignition switch? Don't need one for a magneto, but it could be wired funny in the On position.
 
This may or may not help

Took the cover off the mag this morning and came to the conclusion that it had to be grounded out somewhere. I pulled the coil in order to access and remove the small screw holding the ground wire on the inside and the kill switch wire on the outside. Prior to removing the screw there was continuity between the screw and the mag housing. Once I removed the screw I was able to see that the hole in the housing was sleeved with plastic but the sleeve was just short of the entire length of the hole. Either end of the hole had plastic washers however the one on the outside clearly incorporated a shoulder just deep enough to insulate the hole for the remainder of what the sleeve missed. Why would JH not have sleeved it properly? Kinda important! That said, I put the shoulderd plastic washer on the inside and then buttoned up the whole affair the end result being that the screw no longer has continuity with the housing which I’m thinking is going to solve this problem. Fast forward I now have spark. Good point on making room for the points spring. Jim Schmit had warned me so some time ago I got out my Dremel! I notice today when putting everything back together that at least half the points spring is rubber coated
 
Fun things

I pinched a wire coming out of the alternator stator between the primary inner and outer covers that I wish would have prevented me from starting my Norton. When I started it the insulation on the pinched wire went up in smoke and stunk my garage up. Also killed my PODtronics reg/rect I was using at the time.

Anywho, you could have a pinched wire or a wire under the magneto cover that has frayed insulation grounding out in a location where you can't easily see it.

From way out in left field... Does the SS have an ignition switch? Don't need one for a magneto, but it could be wired funny in the On position.
Yea its pretty tight in there for everything to fit!
 
Took the cover off the mag this morning and came to the conclusion that it had to be grounded out somewhere. I pulled the coil in order to access and remove the small screw holding the ground wire on the inside and the kill switch wire on the outside. Prior to removing the screw there was continuity between the screw and the mag housing. Once I removed the screw I was able to see that the hole in the housing was sleeved with plastic but the sleeve was just short of the entire length of the hole. Either end of the hole had plastic washers however the one on the outside clearly incorporated a shoulder just deep enough to insulate the hole for the remainder of what the sleeve missed. Why would JH not have sleeved it properly? Kinda important! That said, I put the shoulderd plastic washer on the inside and then buttoned up the whole affair the end result being that the screw no longer has continuity with the housing which I’m thinking is going to solve this problem. Fast forward I now have spark. Good point on making room for the points spring. Jim Schmit had warned me so some time ago I got out my Dremel! I notice today when putting everything back together that at least half the points spring is rubber coated
Yeah some shrink wrap rubber on the spring just like what is shown in Jim's image I posted in #64

Sounds like you can join team "always starts on the first kick" as long as there is fuel in the combustion chambers. ;)

I thought about mentioning insulating washers, but I've never used a Joe Hunt magneto and wasn't sure where they are located.

What you have been calling a coil is the condenser I believe. Then again maybe I really don't know what I'm talking about anymore.

You're finishing up just in time to start it up, maybe do a little sitting still throttle response tuning, and then park it for the winter. :)

I'm going to start my parked for the winter Norton and blip the throttle for a while today. Neighbors love it.... Not.
 
Just under the front cover is the point and condenser, the coil is the black thing with 2 contact springs mounted above the points at the top under the cover, the good thing with Joe Hunt magneto's is everything is easy to get too but the wiring inside is tight and can easily get pinched.
 
Now it makes sense. I sort of think of the whole enchilada as a pair of coils. I also wasn't paying attention and now see where the white plastic shouldered insulating washer is on the coil ignition kill wire. Doh :rolleyes:
 
Have you had good enough weather to ride the SS since getting the magneto working?
No Unfortunately. I'm know back in the gearbox looking for the source of a strange noise when kickstarting. Turns out it was the back of the clutch basket hitting the inner primary. Regardless I've been telling myself that it is good to double check that the gears are all installed correctly and am checking the bushing clearances. Can't seem to find what the bushing clearances should be on the main and layshaft though.
 
No Unfortunately. I'm know back in the gearbox looking for the source of a strange noise when kickstarting. Turns out it was the back of the clutch basket hitting the inner primary. Regardless I've been telling myself that it is good to double check that the gears are all installed correctly and am checking the bushing clearances. Can't seem to find what the bushing clearances should be on the main and layshaft though.

Ouch, that is unfortunate, but best to get it right.

I have a story about how I got clutch basket clearance where I had none, but it is 100% irrelevant to your model primary and gearbox.
 
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