farmall super C no start

[lochbs0094]

Hello all,
I have a farmall super C that has been in the family and on the farm since it was bought new all those years ago, theres many family members and neighbors that claim they drove it around the world twice which makes me want to keep her running just to keep a part of the heritage alive and remind me how far the farm has come from those days and to remind me of my grandfather and his father before him. It started t run funny and then just died, so I changed the points and condenser and the plugs and wires. That didnt help any so I rebuilt the carb, still nothing, spray ether into it, not a good idea I know but it was just a test. Then i changed the coil pack, still not much of a good running situation, after that I noticed that glow comming from the positive side of the coil so im wondering if the new coil didnt go bad, it has spark thru the tester but its weak, not a bright blue. Any input would be nice, I want to get it running for next spring, just to take it out and rake hay like the past generations did.
thanks

 

[Ed of all trades]

I am not an expert on super c's but I was thinking that it had a magneto not a coil. Has someone bypassed the magneto and put a coil on it? or am I wrong about the magneto? Hope it works out well.

 

[Soundguy]

i know you can have a battery ignition on a C.. so I asusme a super C as well.


to the OP.. are you 6v or 12v.

what coil do you have?

if 12v.. do you have a resistor int he wire to the coil.

what's this 'glow' yo speak of?

what did you gap points and plugs at?

ether in conservative amounts won't hurt a gasser engine..

 

[lochbs0094]

We it was set up for 12v so therefore we have the coil and resister o it. There is a glow from the post of the coil, points are set to .018 I think. Like I said earlier it gets spark its just weak

 

[Soundguy]

define 'glow from the post of the coil'

and define WHAT type of coil and resistor you have.

resistors have an ohm value. so do the primary of ignition coils....

plug gap?

you have to provide us some basic info before we can help you

 

[lochbs0094]

Soundguy I will have to get back to you on the type of resistor and coil I have, Im 3 hours away from the farm at college. What I mean by glow is that the post away from the motor where the power comes from the resistor actually has a glow from the center of it and smoke will come from it as soon as you pull the switch to send power to it. I wonder if the coil wasnt bought defective, and the resistor is identical to the one that I removed after it cracked. The coil should also be for a 12 volt system, another suggestion I have received was to pull a coil off a 80's ford since thats defiantly designed for 12 volt power. cant remember what the plugs were gapped to but what I think everyone is over looking is that there is a weak spark thru the spark plug checker that plugs into the ignition wires and then onto the spark plug so if there's not enough power going into the plug gap isnt the biggest issue right now. I will admit that the plugs likely arent gapped to the correct gap however. I will also admit that I have little knowledge on electrical systems, im more of a diesel guy. So if you can give some idea how to find this information this weekend I can check the coil and see what I can give to everyone. I do appreciate the help, might learn a thing or two as well

 

[Clint S]

If you have a 12 volt coil you do not need a resistor before it , IF it is not labeled for one. Just one before the lights if they have not been converted. Any smoke or sparking is not right, check all the wiring for grounding issues. If you need a resistor NAPA ICR13 resistor will work fine for a 12 volt system and 6 volt coil. 12 volt Coil should be labeled 12 volt without need for external resistor NAPA IC14 works well.

Big question is are you still positive ground???

Do a search here Yesterday's Tractors :: View Forum - Farmall & International Harvester (IHC) for info. I have a 200 which is just the next year super C and have a manual
Here is a 12 volt wiring for a SC
http://cdn.mikewills.me/charliesrepair/diagrams/A-B-Cw-Delco12vcoil.pdf

 

[DJ54]

Unless you happened to not mention it, I see you did not replace the dist. cap. Do have a look inside at the lugs. They will get a buildup on them from ionization. The aluminum lugs seems to be worse at it than the brass, but the brass one's will too. You can scrape this off with your knife blade, many times, and be good to go. I've had the same cap on my one Super C for over 20 years. Seems every couple of years I have to do this. She'll start blubbering, and that's the first thing I check. It's either that, or the plugs need cleaning.

When you get the other issues worked out. Points setting is .020, and plug gap .025.

 

[lochbs0094]

Alright well since we always had a resistor on it I was unclear since its a 12 volt system. I wonder if I didnt make that mistake and have a 12 volt coil on it now when before it was a 6. Maybe the lower voltage screwed up the new coil plus it would make sense that there would only be a weak spark, right? After everything else failed I did bypass the coil now that I think back on it (this was the beginnig of the spring that I was worrying about this tractor, after that it was onto fieldwork and repairs on more crucial equipment) but that didnt help any, could have been low voltage damaged it maybe. And it is a negative ground system not positive

 

[Clint S]

Yes 6 volts to a 12 volt coil would be an issue. I would just get a 12 volt coil and get rid of the resister . As DJ pointed out check under the cap I clean mine x 2 a year sometimes due to crud. How can/did you "bypass" the coil? You need it to supply current to the cap to start and run

 

[lochbs0094]

Yes the cap as been changed as well, the old one was just that, old, I cleaned it up at first but after nothing was helping I ordered a new one incase the old one was cracked and i just didnt see it. Once I figure out getting a strong spark I will be sure to gap the plugs, once we get finished with the corn back home Ill do a revisit and check the points again and reset them, nothing can hurt at this point. Maybe by next spring shell be running right and able to spray corn like she has all her life

 

[lochbs0094]

That was supposed to be bypassed the resistor, not the coil. Im not good with ignition systems but I do have the basics down lol

 

[Soundguy]

don't get the ic14 coil. it's 50$ get the ic14sb coil.. it's 16 bucks..

many many people mess up and swap coils and resistors.

some of the confusion is to blame on the makers. they will make a 6v coil and put on it in BIG print FOR 12V then in small print thay will say that it needs external resistance. menaing it's a 6v coil for use on 12v with a series resistor.

65+ era fords use a 12v system, 6v coil and a resistor wire.

personally.. i'd loose the resistor and get a real 12v coil.

as for the glow and smoke?

some things hav eoil from manufacturing on them and will flash some smoke off. otherwise a real bad connection may arc and make heat and smoke. but glow? glowing metal requirs lots of heat.. and a primary ignition circuit just don't hav ethe amps available... even a 6v 1.5 ohm coil in a 12v system is likey only to see 8a .. and yours has a series resistor in place.. and may be a 3.25 ohm coil anyway.

double check all your numbers and connections.

if it is a true 12v coil.. loose the resistor

 

[lochbs0094]

I think what I will do when I get time is pretty much a hail mary and replace the coil for one that i know is true 12 volt and leave the resistor out and see if that doesn't solve my issues. Its not like its a important tractor to have running but it is a peace of the farms heritage so itll be ice to hear fire up again.

 

[Soundguy]

got a for sure 6v or 12v on another machine to test with?

 

[lochbs0094]

the only other gas job we have is a ferguson 40 and thats still a 6 volt system so nope

 

[Soundguy]

that 6v coil and your resistor will make a good test platform..

 

[nspec]

Just went through this with one of my A's. After changing coil and condenser, it turned out to be the point GAP. Make sure to set the gap correctly. I believe it's .013.