Ford 8N having trouble starting -- many troubleshooting steps take -- suggestions?

   / Ford 8N having trouble starting -- many troubleshooting steps take -- suggestions? #231  
We are waiting with bated breath.

The broken breaker plate adds doubt, but follow soundguys process and advice. I think he has the most knowledge and experience on your tractor and problem.
 
   / Ford 8N having trouble starting -- many troubleshooting steps take -- suggestions? #232  
if it was me.. I'd repalc ethe breaker plate.

then again.. I've fixed side mount ones with license plate insulator pieces too.. :) or bent cardboard ;)
 
   / Ford 8N having trouble starting -- many troubleshooting steps take -- suggestions? #233  
if it was me.. I'd repalc ethe breaker plate.

then again.. I've fixed side mount ones with license plate insulator pieces too.. :) or bent cardboard ;)

Yah, I think we all would, including the OP. But this would be another few days for the part to come in.

I think I would give it a go to try to get it running with the cobbled up fix.
 
   / Ford 8N having trouble starting -- many troubleshooting steps take -- suggestions? #234  
I'm thinking Road Trip time, never been Grand Rapids
 
   / Ford 8N having trouble starting -- many troubleshooting steps take -- suggestions?
  • Thread Starter
#235  
Bummer. Went out there and popped the distributor on, seating it correctly, making sure to hook the wires up correctly, etc. and still no spark.

I guess tomorrow I will dig back in and replace the condenser.

Soundguy -- I don't have a test lamp. I hooked the spotlight back up to the negative of the battery and the post on top of the coil. With the key off the light was not on. With the key on the light came on and, to correct what I said earlier, would definitely not flicker. It was just dimming slightly due to the load of running the starter and shining the light at the same time.

Off to sleep. Thanks for the help guys.

EDIT: If any one wants to come and visit (1 hour north of GR) I will buy the beer, parts, ammo, etc. We are out on 20 acres (with a 4 acre open meadow) out in the middle of a national forest. Come one come all!
 
   / Ford 8N having trouble starting -- many troubleshooting steps take -- suggestions? #236  
Sigh...

why keep attacking the poor condensor when you can't even demonstrate that it is bad.

buy a NEW tire while you are at it.

you are going to complicate this problem by continually throwing new / different parts at it while not diagnosing what is actually wrong.

when you introduce a new unknown part you can be adding in more problems.

throwing a bucket of liquid on a fire is not helpfull if the liquid is flamable.. and looks like water....

lets look at the test.

1, the spotlight is a POOR test device. a test lamp is a low current device. something like a trailer marker lamp.. turn signal bulb.. something low wattage like that would be much better.

2, why hook the spotlamp to negative of the battery and then to the top of the coil?

where's power coming from? this is a 12v system with a negative ground correct?

points are 'ground' in a system. negative of a battery in your negative ground system is a ground. thus the lamp was across ground and ground... by not lighting.. it did exactly what physical law dictates.

you need to connect 1 side of a lamp to bat HOT ( power ) ( + ) and the other side to the top of the coil.. then spin the engine over.. KEY off. when the points are closed, the lamp will come on... when the points are open.. the lamp will go off. if the condensor is shorted.. the lamp will stay on.. if the points never open, the lamp will stay on... a test lamp is a 100% needed diagnostic tool if you own a machine with breaker points. you need to buy or make one. for years i had a wire with a 10dnail soldered on one end and a aligator clamp crimped on the other and a trailer lamp soldered in the middle with a gob of electrical tape on it as a test lamp. worked great....

i doubt the points like running the current needed for the 12v spotlamp.

this lamp test tells you if the coil primary has continuity as well.

once you get to where you have a blinking lamp.. you know the poor much hated and in danger of being replaced condensor is not the issue.. and you will know the primary is not open.

from there you need to make sure the coil secondary tab is touching the contact on the dizzy cap. you also need to make sure the coil is getting GOOD power from the ignition switch. many times a bad connection will let a low current voltage signal thru that a high impeadance VOM will say is good 12v.. but in practice, there won't be enough current capacity to run the breaker ignition. thus you make a voltage measurement on top of the coil with points closed and open.

points open, coil top to ground should read EXACTLY the same as reading across the battery. if not.. you have bad connections somewhere.. perhaps the bat ground to the chassis.. switch contacts.. resistor.. etc... once you have good contacts and points open top of coil reads batvoltage, then you go with a closed points measurement. it should read something a lil lower.. probably in the neighborhood of 8-10 volts.. depending on the ballast resistor and coil resistances.. and temp of the ballast resistor. if so.. it should make spark.. if it does not.. i'd look at the secondary tab and the dizzy cap. if they look good, pull the coil and measure on ohms rx1000 from the top post to the flat tab.. look for 4k to 8k ohms. if much lower.. secondary may have shorted turns. if no (infinite) reading on a scale that could read 8kohms.. then the secondary is open.

if secondary looks good. but voltage on top of coil is lower than expected.. run a hot wire from bat + to top of coil and then recheck for spark.

occasionally the resistor module can short or open.. or be out of spec.. or have bad crimp connections at the wire around the high head substrate.

post back


Bummer. Went out there and popped the distributor on, seating it correctly, making sure to hook the wires up correctly, etc. and still no spark.

I guess tomorrow I will dig back in and replace the condenser.

Soundguy -- I don't have a test lamp. I hooked the spotlight back up to the negative of the battery and the post on top of the coil. With the key off the light was not on. With the key on the light came on and, to correct what I said earlier, would definitely not flicker. It was just dimming slightly due to the load of running the starter and shining the light at the same time.

Off to sleep. Thanks for the help guys.

EDIT: If any one wants to come and visit (1 hour north of GR) I will buy the beer, parts, ammo, etc. We are out on 20 acres (with a 4 acre open meadow) out in the middle of a national forest. Come one come all!
 
   / Ford 8N having trouble starting -- many troubleshooting steps take -- suggestions? #237  
Maybe the battery is hooked up like the six volt battery. Positive ground negative hot.
 
   / Ford 8N having trouble starting -- many troubleshooting steps take -- suggestions?
  • Thread Starter
#238  
Sound advice soundguy. I am going to try and pick up a test lamp in town today.
 
   / Ford 8N having trouble starting -- many troubleshooting steps take -- suggestions? #239  
Maybe the battery is hooked up like the six volt battery. Positive ground negative hot.

he didn't mention he had the rare positive ground alternator,.. thus I'm assuming negative ground.
 
   / Ford 8N having trouble starting -- many troubleshooting steps take -- suggestions? #240  
Any luck?
 
 
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