Points are operated by a fiber pin which rides on the crankshaft. Crank is machined with a contour to form a camshaft for the points. No need disassemble crankcase.

Briggs points are normally open .020 for most of rotation and then close just prior to TDC. Occurs every rotation, so engine produces spark, even when not needed (wasted spark).

Start by pulling out fiber pin after you remove point arm. Does it move freely? Is it damaged? If not, reinstall and then positioning crank 180 deg from TDC. Adjust points to .020. Then rotate and see if points now open and close. If working properly, you should now have spark.

Another option is to replace points and condenser (you can physically leave in place) with electronic ignition. You can either add module to your existing coil (394970) about $15, or replace entire coil with electronic (398593) About $35.

As tempting an idea as it may be replace it with an electronic module, something about that just "rubs me the wrong way", especially at this point having taken it this far. It feels, to me, more like giving up than "fixing" it. It reminds me of "finishing a crossword puzzle" with the solutions in front of you!

ggoyeneche, Thanks for your (prompt) response. That's good news. Can you clarify, is the part you're referring to as a fiber pin the same as what others call the breaker point plunger?

Thanks again

I've taken another look to find that, no, the fiber pin does NOT move freely, doesn't move at all.

Is it normally "free floating" only held in place by the tension of the point arm against the shaft? Should it slide right out?

Loosened point arm and tried moving the pin a bit with a small screwdriver.. nothing.

Gripped and tried to rotate pin with needle-nose pliers.. no movement (but disfigured the part).

Pretty sure this part is the problem and it'll need to be replaced so I guess I can get a little rough with it. I just want to make sure that what I'm doing is the right thing.
For example, I don't want it to break off stuck inside. Is it just a matter of trying to get a grip on it and tugging straight out or is there a better removal technique?

Breaker point plunger (65704S, about $1.50) is the same thing I called fiber pin. If you can't pull it out with pliers, you may have no choice but to drive it through with a punch.

Try soaking with a penetrating oil such as P.B.Blaster. IF you can grab with pliers, go ahead and twist. If it breaks, go to Plan B, or Plan C.

Plan B is to disassemble engine, remove crankshaft, and drive plunger thru with a pin punch. Make sure new pin slides freely before you reassemble engine.

Plan C would be electronic ignition. I know it rubs you the wrong way, but a full teardown and reassembly would rub me the wrong way.

Your call.

Well, if I can use P.B.Blaster (the best damn product ever made), that's a different story; It fixes anything!!
I had considered it but wanted to keep everything nice and clean and dry under there. If simply tugging the pin out is what's in order that's what I'll do.
I hope it works otherwise it sounds I may be installing an electronic ignition!

Thanks again!!

I had an ancient B+S 3 horse horizontal on a tiller, there was so much play in the shaft and cam the points were erratic. I replaced the pointless coil with a later model B+S vertical from a lawn mower. This gave me a few more seasons from the rock crusher.

To those of you on the edge of your seat, repeatedly hitting "refresh" hoping for the next exciting installment (as well as for those that may, in the future, find this helpful)...

I gave it a few squirts of P.B.Blaster (a product that no one who does any sort of mechanical repair work should be without), grabbed the pin with pliers, a little back and forth twisting action combined with an occasional outward pull and it eventually freed up and came right out!

It was past business hours, too late to get the new part so I wiped the pin, put a few squirts of P.B.Blaster directly into the hole, returned the pin, worked it back and forth, in and out to free up movement in the area. Rotated the shaft and with my finger in the pin, it plunged in & out.
Cleaned & re-installed points, adjusted gap to the (temporary) new pin length, rotated the shaft and points opened & closed.
Minimally put back together (restored cap, flywheel, etc.), laid connected plug on top, pulled the cord and damned if there wasn't a spark! Pretty inspiring!
A little gas in the carb, a few squirts of starting fluid and less than half a dozen pulls and it came coughing back to life! (only seconds ..but it ran!)

(This may not sound like a big deal to some. What I hadn't mentioned is that while the primary lawn mower was down and I waited for a needed part to arrive by mail I thought that, in the meantime, I'd try to get this one going. It had been more-or-less "abandoned" and sitting, (literally) almost entirely covered with dirt, sand & rocks buried under a collapsed shed wall for the last 10 years or so. To see this machine operating and in use again will, to me, be truly impressive.)

So, now optimistic - maybe a little over confident- I re-checked the oil, put gas in the tank and expected it to actually run ..and for more than a few seconds. A couple dozen pulls but nothing. Popped out the plug to find I, again, had no spark. Connected a new plug but still no spark. Took it all apart and found points still opening & closing.

I'm a little disappointed yet still optimistic. My hunch is my deforming the end of the pin while removing it possibly combined with years of wear on the other end shortened the pin length causing it to operate improperly. Or the old points need to be replaced. Thoughts?

I plan to get the new pin today, install it along with the new point set I already purchased and give it a go and hope this'll do it.

So here's what happened.

I eventually got the new pin, installed it and the new point set. Mechanically, all seemed to be moving OK but still no spark.

Took it all apart, rechecked, regapped, rechecked, several times but still nothing.

I suspected the kill circuit/wire after using a ohmmeter to check from condenser tip to ground/casing and getting continuity with switch throw or not. (Looking back I shouldve used a different range and I might've noticed it was a couple ohms, the resistance of the primary.) Anyway, I followed baymee's advice to disconnect both wires (kill & coil) from condensor and tested separately. Testing both: sometimes it made sense, sometimes not. To be honest, I'm not real clear on what happened next. I cleaned everything up, used a little sandpaper where connections were made, taped wires that shouldn't contact ground or other wires, etc. and, whatever the case, when I put it back together, there was spark! I put the plug in and put it together a little more and on the first or second pull it started right up!! A little more tweaking here and there and it usually starts first pull and runs pretty damn well, especially considering the circumstances (It's been sitting, neglected, pretty much buried for the last 10 years or so!).

There's more to be done (there are a few issues, I have a few more questions but that'll have to be a different post) but I'm real happy it's gotten to this point. Thanks to all you guys for your help and especially to ggoyeneche. I don't think I could've done it (at least not as fast) without your help. I'd like to buy you a beer or three. Do you have an online tip jar?

Sincere Thanks

I'll just report that it ran pretty well with the muffler off. Putting the muffler back on, it still ran pretty well but created a great deal of stinky blue smoke. Both while it was sitting as well as since trying to fix it, it has been tilted every possible way. I suspected oil may've gotten into the muffler so I went ahead and cooked it over an open fire as I've read guys do to remove carbon deposits.

With the muffler back on, the smoke was gone and it ran even better than before. Other than it's appearance, it's like a new mower.