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

[Soundguy]

Soundguy. Very good test tip. You should feel good about that -- I asked at my local New Holland dealer and another repair shop and both places just responded with "you just have to test it on the tractor".

.

I've seen many MANY good mechanics that while they were *awesome* with a wrench.. knew nothing about basic electronics....

 

[Soundguy]

That's- not how most point style ignitions are made to function, usually a carbon button that is spring loaded presses the button against the center of the rotor which is generally brass molded into the plastic rotor...or the button is stationary and the rotor has a springy brass center that rides against the caps center contact either way the cap and rotor are in contact continually...

here's what a front mount rotor looks like.

has a spring loaded tab on it. cap has the fixed contact.

http://www.ytmag.com/store/parts/pics/wm_B2NN12200A.jpg

cap

http://www.ytmag.com/store/parts/pics/wm_1247XTCAP.jpg

 

[MasseyWV]

or the coil is not setting correctly on the dizzy..

I am wondering about this -- not the coil itself but the tab on the front of the coil that gets close to the rotor when it spins. I have heard the tab needs to be bent a certain way but I can't find pictures that verify how it should be situated. It definitely isn't touching the rotor -- there is a gap there.

I've been staying out of things because like Soundguy said previously, there were too many hands in it. However, I thought I'd chime in for a moment and say that I think the quotes above may have something to do with the problem.

Just to be certain I read correctly... there is 12v at the top of the coil when the ignition switch is on, correct?

Remember the video (linked below) I posted back on page 21 of this thread? Are you absolutely certain that the coil is properly situated on the distributor? Also, as the video (and Soundguy) pointed out, if the high voltage tab is not bent correctly, voltage will not reach the distributor cap. There should be NO GAP between the tab and the distributor cap.

Ford 8N having trouble starting -- many troubleshooting steps take -- suggestions? - Page 21

 

[Soundguy]

yep.. that one pic we saw showed the flat tab pointed straight down.

I called that out as incorrect then as well.

that tab should be parallel to the bottom of the coil.

 

[PorkChopsMmm]

Soundguy, while idle the battery is at 13V because it is being charged. When trying to start the voltage drops to 11V flat -- in line with 12V and drop to 10V if it wasn't being charged (or so I think). The 11V stays flat -- doesn't jump up and down. The ammeter also isn't bouncing back and forth like it used to. I know... I will be picking up a test lamp tomorrow.

This may sound dumb but I really don't think the tab from the coil is resting on the metal nub on top of the distributor cap. I've looked at it a couple different times in the past and I just don't see it lining up. I can tell the rotor is riding on the small metallic ball inside of the distributor cap because I can see slight wear marks. I think I might pull the distributor again and see if I can figure out of the cap is touching. With the coil on top and the distributor cap on you can't see if it is touching or not and the cap has a wide margin of error when just holding it to the bottom of the coil and eyeballing. The coil on top looks lined up perfectly with the coil and the cork gasket is on tight and aligned properly.

This is clearly NOT my picture and NOT my coil but I think I may try to slightly bend the tab in the top of this picture and see if I can get it to touch the distributor cap.

 

[Soundguy]

http://www.ytmag.com/store/parts/pics/wm_12V-9N12024.jpg

this link is to a coil.. notice how the tab comes down out of the coil, then curves forward to start a parallel run to the base of the coil.

see the lil cupped section around it.

now take the dizzy cap and mate it up under the lip pf the coil like it would be on the dizzy.. that lil cup rides in a recess in t he top of the cap.

here's the cap and dizzy mated.

http://www.ytmag.com/store/parts/pics/wm_9N12100.jpg

and another

http://www.oldfordtractors.com/partsfs/dist9n12100.jpg

should be easy to visually verify where that tab is setting as the coil goes on..

 

[Soundguy]

ps.. your pic didn't come thru..

 

[PorkChopsMmm]

I took the distributor assembly off again and bent the tab forward. It is definitely touching now but still has no spark. I called the local tractor guy and he seems very familiar with ford 8n front mounted distributors. He will be here Saturday morning -- I will let you know how it goes.

 

[94BULLITT]

I took the distributor assembly off again and bent the tab forward. It is definitely touching now but still has no spark. I called the local tractor guy and he seems very familiar with ford 8n front mounted distributors. He will be here Saturday morning -- I will let you know how it goes.

You may want to email him the link to this thread so he can see what all has been done to it.

 

[Soundguy]

unless the coil is bad.. or there is a short.. somehtings just not right.

a test lamp and the coil test would definitively show the issues..