No spark after yesterday

porsskar

Member
Drove my front mount distributor 1949 into the garage today. For some reason no spark today anymore. Starter turns engine swiftly and I can put head lamps on. Where should I be looking for the problem of no spark?
 
6v or 12v?

The first thing you need to check is for battery voltage at the coil. Yes, you need a meter for that, not a light. With the key on, you should see battery voltage battery with the points open and about half that with the points closed. If you do not see either, the problem is between the battery and the coil, e.g., the resistor, ignition switch or a bad connection.

If you have the correct voltage at the coil and no spark, the problem is in the distributor. Post back for more info on how to troubleshoot that.

Rarely do coils fail "cold". Unless you left the key on.
75 Tips
 

6v and battery tested giving some 6,3 Volts.
Took off tank & hood etc to be sure what's inside the front mouted distributor. Funny enough I found a broken steel blade spring, the one in the breaker point assy.
This was first time.
Now spins like a cat.

Thank you for the help?

It is now my 26th year with this tractor on the boat yard in daily use. Nothing can normally go wrong. Every 7 years a new battery and that is about the investments I make. Imortant never to put modern fuel in this one, valves would be stuck in a week.
 
Glad you found the true root cause of the problem, but you don't need to remove the hood and gas tank to get to the front mount distributor. You've had the tractor for 26 years and you didn't know this??? Modern ethanol gas use in these N's has its debate all over the place continually. I've used it in both my early 9N and early 8N with no problems at all, except for a gas boiling issue in the 8N once, but that was due to a plugged tank vent.

Tim Daley(MI)
 
" Took off tank & hood etc to be sure what's inside the front mouted distributor. "

Seriously?

You've been pulling the hood off of that tractor for 26 years to get to the distributor?


That's like removing the tires to add air.


You might want to invest in the manuals; see tip # 39.
75 Tips
 
I think you missed the point.

You do NOT need to remove the hood. The distributor was designed to be removed from the tractor to be serviced. Just like it was on V8 Ford cars from 1932 to 1948.

Do you own the manuals for the tractor?
75 Tips
 
Bruce, have no problem with the hood. Before I got into the distributor I wanted to check every single wire to determine where the problem was with an ohm meter/ a volt meter. Had no idea at that time where the problem was. The hood removal also helps to clean the gas tank after some 20 years of service.
The dustributor area gets oily and dirty so for me it was easier to clean it up with the hood off and good friends around lifting it off/on.
The really astonishing issue was to find the broken spring in the breaker point assy. Has anyone else experienced this?
 
(quoted from post at 01:13:44 07/17/18) Bruce, have no problem with the hood. Before I got into the distributor I wanted to check every single wire to determine where the problem was with an ohm meter/ a volt meter. Had no idea at that time where the problem was. The hood removal also helps to clean the gas tank after some 20 years of service.
The dustributor area gets oily and dirty so for me it was easier to clean it up with the hood off and good friends around lifting it off/on.
The really astonishing issue was to find the broken spring in the breaker point assy. Has anyone else experienced this?


" Has anyone else experienced this?"

I've never seen that. Mine just usually wear out after 5 or 6 years.
 

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