Flatheadyoungin
Veteran Member
take a plug out and let it lay on the head.....see if it sparks.....
wwalkersd
Silver Member
Head over to the N Tractor Forum on Yesterday's Tractor. The experts there can get anybody's N tractor running!
oregunbota
New member
About 15 years ago I had an 8n with the 6volt system. I used to have trouble getting it started after every winter and got some advice from an older friend that had a 9n. Make sure your battery is charged and always clean the points. The contacts on the points will get oxidation on them when not in use and the battery having only 6 volts won't sometimes conduct through the oxidation. Doesn't take much to clean them. Some very fine sand paper or the striking surface on a matchbook. Always worked for me.
Soundguy
Old Timer
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Be kind to her.. put a lil atf fluid. or mmo oil intot he cyls.. say a couple tablespoons each. and let it set for a day, then pull the plugs and run her over to expell any excess oil, then clean and gap the plugs at .025 and then clean and gap points at .015 and let her rip.
soundguy
soundguy
Soundguy
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Sanding or filing points should be reserved as a last ditch effort.. both methods remove the hard protective coating onthe points and leaves the softer base metal that will corode and pit much faster.
IMHO.. coarse paper.. like grocery sack.. or heavy white typing apper is a good enough ... if it is more coroded then that.. then file them. and just be prepaired to replace them sooner or later.
soundguy
Stimw
Elite Member
You can sand, file or grind ignition points as long as they still have tungsten on them. You can easily see the tungsten and the silver solder that holds it onto the base or arm. I use a die grinder and just dust them off. You need to clean them with contact cleaner if you have some and you can and NEVER touch the tungsten. The oil from your skin will contaminate them.
I had a 8-N and a 9-N and both were converted to 12V. With the 6V starter they always started easy. They sell 12V coils for them, they cost the same as 6V. I had a bad alternator on one and it would run up to two hours on a good 12V battery.
I would love to kick the idiot who put the distributor on the front of the engine! I've had too many cut knuckles from the radiator fins while messing with the ignition.
I had a 8-N and a 9-N and both were converted to 12V. With the 6V starter they always started easy. They sell 12V coils for them, they cost the same as 6V. I had a bad alternator on one and it would run up to two hours on a good 12V battery.
I would love to kick the idiot who put the distributor on the front of the engine! I've had too many cut knuckles from the radiator fins while messing with the ignition.
Stimw
Elite Member
Almost forgot, MAKE SURE you have oil pressure! Do this by cranking and taking an oil line loose. They are notorious for loosing the oil pump prime and it usually happens from sitting too long. I always ran 30W oil and STP and never had a problem plus it boosted the oil pressure about 10lbs when hot.
Soundguy
Old Timer
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Most newer points today have very little contact metal.. I have seen tisco points that almost look electroplated that have so little media on them.. Better points like standard ignition / bluestreak DO have more material.. but cost more as well.. IE.. 18$ vs 4$ tisco jobs.. etc.. Most people grab the cheap ones...
Ya might want to rethink who's the idiot here.
Ford put 2 big bolts holding that front distribuitor to the block.. spin those out then the entire ditrib comes off.. just pop the bail and the cap clamps and leave the coil and cap/wires ont he tractor and the distrib comes out without touching the fan or the radiator!
replace the oints and condensor and static time it on your bench in about 5 minutes, and then reinstall it.. might take 10 minutes total if you are real slow.. or have a long walk from your bench to the tractor...
distribuitor is offset tang driven from the cam, so there is no real way to seat the distribuiror properly, and be out of time... just hand fit it and put the 2 bolts in loosely, and rotate the rotor with yuor finger till the offset drive drops in, and then take the bolts down.
If yer knuckles are geting into the rad fins.. yer doing something wrong!
soundguy
Stimw
Elite Member
I stand by my post! Anyone who thinks that was a good placement for the distributor is also an idiot. If it was so outstanding then why did ford change it in the last years before they discontinued the whole engine?
Removing two bolts that can turn 1/4 to 1/3 of a turn at a time was also real smart. Also putting the distributor down low where it gets all dirt and trash coming through the radiator. And then there is all the water that gets to it when it is running in the rain. Who would not want a fan sucking water in on their ignition system?
I might have seen one set of points out of one hundred that I could not resurface and place back in service. You must be buying the cheap sets that I would not waste my time with.
Removing two bolts that can turn 1/4 to 1/3 of a turn at a time was also real smart. Also putting the distributor down low where it gets all dirt and trash coming through the radiator. And then there is all the water that gets to it when it is running in the rain. Who would not want a fan sucking water in on their ignition system?
I might have seen one set of points out of one hundred that I could not resurface and place back in service. You must be buying the cheap sets that I would not waste my time with.
