Still No Spark 1950 8N 12v conversion.

[jinman]

Looking back over the post, he never did say when the tractor last ran, and if it was running right then.

You point is well taken, JJ, but I believe he said in one post that the tractor was running and started to run rough and miss. He wasn't really clear on whether it was a dead miss or if it came and went, but from his description, it sounded like either fuel or air starvation (choking) of the engine. That's also a symptom of burned points and hit-or-miss ignition deteriorating. So, without hearing the engine or being onsite, we are all guessing to a large degree.

I'm one of those folks who believes condensers rarely fail. The condensor (an electrolytic capacitor) is a DC open circuit by design. When they fail, almost all failures are shorts with subsequent discoloration, swelling, and escaping smoke. I believe the OPs problem could have been an intermittent short between his coil wire to the points as he has discovered, degrading points, a cracked distributor cap, or fuel/air supply. Since he has pretty much eliminated the electrical problems, I'm suggesting fuel/air supply checks. However, all your ideas and soundguy's are valid as well. It's just so very hard to troubleshoot these kinds of problems without being hands-on.

My neighbor has a Ford 601 tractor with the 6V ignition. He came by one Sunday to see if I had a spare set of points. He described the problem and it did sound like points to me. Anyhow, I gave him a set and a couple of hours later he came back to ask me to come help him pull-start his tractor. I grabbed my meter and went to help. The first check I did was look for voltage to his coil/points. There was none. I checked his ignition switch (just a toggle switch he had installed several years earlier) and got no voltage. I put an alligator jumper across his switch contacts and hit the starter. The tractor instantly fired and ran. If I had not been there to make that one check, there is no telling how long this fellow would have worked. He could have got another neighbor to pull him around trying to start the tractor and just been totally frustrated. Sometimes just another set of eyes and technique is all that's needed to find the source of a problem.

 

[2LateIWon]

I'll check the timming wouldn't hurt that's for sure!!!
I only needed to choke when it hadn't been started in awhile and cold. In the summer time I could start it with out choke when cold in the summer times.

I'm thinking it might be a stuck valves or something now (still haven't had time yet) but I have a friend of mine that might try to come over tonight and figure something out.

 

[Soundguy]

I'm one of those folks who believes condensers rarely fail. The condensor (an electrolytic capacitor) is a DC open circuit by design. When they fail, almost all failures are shorts with subsequent discoloration, swelling, and escaping smoke. .

same here. as far as ignition points goes. on my entire fleet of gassers. i've maybee only ever encountered 1 condensor failure.

in general electronics.. sue.. i see vented electrolytics all the time.

the condensors for these ignitions are about 21-25uf if my memory serves me.


soundguy

 

[Soundguy]

I'll check the timming wouldn't hurt that's for sure!!!
I only needed to choke when it hadn't been started in awhile and cold. In the summer time I could start it with out choke when cold in the summer times.

I'm thinking it might be a stuck valves or something now (still haven't had time yet) but I have a friend of mine that might try to come over tonight and figure something out.

thumb test over spark plug hole will give you a go/no go on if the valves are stuck or not.

suck/blow


soundguy

 

[V1Rotate]

Here's another thought. Did you do a complete compression check? What if you burned a hole in the head gasket in the spot where two cylinders come come together? The compression gases would pass from one cylinder to another causing power loss and maybe a no start.

 

[2LateIWon]

very interesting I'm going to break out the old Harbor Freight compression tester tonight.

 

[J_J]

Back in post # 20 I asked about the pressure check. There would be little or no pressure with hole in cyl, or burnt valves, maybe some pressure with sticky valves.

 

[2LateIWon]

You know one of those days I checked it with my thumb and I remembering it pushing my thumbs off but I don't remember the suction so hopefully tonight I can dive more into it. (It's still over 100* here in Oklahoma and I have no shade.)

 

[J_J]

Was that on just one cyl or all four cyl?

 

[2LateIWon]

it was just on number 4 cyl (that's the only one I checked at the time) It didn't dawn on me that it wasn't sucking untill yesterday when someone mentioned it on here.