Villiers Marvil - no spark?

I’ve just restored a Marvil Century. I’ve had the HT coil checked and the capacitor appears OK, but I am getting zilch in the way of a spark. It does not frighten the shrinking pinky either!

I believe that it might be the connection of the LT wire to the points – can anyone tell me please if the wire should be in contact with the fixed point base or above the fragile insulator top hat bush that fits under the securing screw?

I just sold my wx11, but have a set of wired up points, will dig them out.

I'm a fan of the Marvil/century, I like the late ones with the tank mounted above the engine.

Cheers Steve

It's the top tank version I've just restored. I have several of both 77cc and 100cc. One 77cc powers a complete (but with no wiring) Pygmylite, another runs a dynamo on a specially cast bedplate, another Century drives a "Maxtor" estate headge trimmer. I also have an incomplete Jakobsen, the for runner to the Marvil.

I've just researched them for my Exhibit Sheet - shall I post what I found out?

Kim
PS. Is there no spell checker here?

Yea that would be great Kim, Im am a fan of the Marvil/Century, Missed one that was on Ebay a month or two ago dont think I have room with a Scott PA moving in, Nick H, Phillip G and I had a discussion on how to tell the difference of the Marvil, Century and the later Marvil on the "Other Forum".

No, no spell check that I found.

Cheers Steve

In the early 1930’s, the US company Jacobsen’s of Racine, Wisconsin were making a single cylinder two stroke much like the Maytag and small Amanco. The British Villiers company took out a licence to make their engines and they were marketed under the name “Marvil”, probably derived from John Marston (the company’s founder) & Villiers – as good an explanation as any!
They were produced in two sizes, a 77cc and “the Century” of 100cc. They both featured the Villiers flywheel magneto which incorporated a fan at its periphery. There were many variations, but two basic principals were followed, a direct lift carburettor with cast bottom tank and a free standing version mounted on a well considered aluminium pedestal, designed to allow the flywheel ground clearance. Many have an ingenious device in the central points cam. A spring-loaded brass segment, it rises under centrifugal force and cuts the ignition at a speed between 2,500 and 2,750 RPM. It is adjustable within this range.
The carburettor on both bottom and top tanked versions has a disc valve in the inlet tract which is held shut with a light spring, giving crankcase compression as the piston descends. As the crank rotates past bottom dead centre, the depression in the crankcase caused by the rising piston causes the valve to open and the next charge to be moved into the crankcase.
The first use of the Marvil in 1935 was to drive a three brush dynamo which was sold through The Associated Manufacturers Company, a London retailer. It weighed only 56lbs (about 21 kilos) and produced 12 Volts at 10 Amps, ample for charging the accumulators (batteries) that many homes relied upon to power modest lighting and radio. They were very successful and the two units went on to drive pumps, compressors and dynamos of many kinds. It appears that they were not produced after WW2 ended.

I stands to be corrected of course!