points and condenser question

Had my H just quit while raking hay this weekend - turns out it had no spark. I put in a new condenser and filed the points and it started right up and ran fine. I have always replaced both at the same time but this time all I had was a spare condenser. In this kind of situation is there a way to know the condenser is bad or did filing the points fix my problem.

No the condensers we get now days just arent something to bet on. Guy called other day and sain his fresh restored Cub a yr ago with everything new wouldnt start. Had weak spark but there was spark put new condenser in a wow first pull on the starter rod now that makes four in the last 5yrs i have found same problem. One of my tractor on a tractro ride with new points plugs wires ect died first half day. New condenser and away we go. Same tractor has ran now 5yrs since. People tell me just never know about the new ones but dont read much about the problem here on this site.

Sorry about your luck, Charlie. I think Gene hit the nail on the head. Quality condensers seem to be in short supply lately. I would say that the points aren't what they once were either, but the condensers are very "hit and miss".

Last week I tuned up one of my M's (IH battery ignition) and less than 2 hours later the tractor started spitting and missing. I barely got it home. The points looked like they had 500 hours of use on them. I had more new parts, but wanted to see what the issue was. I put the old condenser back in and with considerable filing on the new points got them usable. According to the hour meter I've put 31 hours on it since then and the tractor runs fine, and the points look nothing like they did with the "new" condenser. The new tune up kit I installed was another fine product from the company that begins with a "T" and rhymes with "Nabisco".

I have run into issues with C-IH, Tisco, A&I, Calco, TSC, and Farmex tune up parts in the last couple of years. Some issues are worse than others. Some parts don't even fit. Some make you want to puke.

The only reliable condensers I've found locally lately come from NAPA/Echlin, and until their parts let me down or I find something better, that's where I'm buying my ignition parts.

If anyone has any leads on where to get decent condensers with consistent quality or any quality ignition parts for that matter, please let us all know.

AG

If you had tried starting it AFTER filing the points, but BEFORE changing the condenser you'd know for sure!

At this point, anything said is pure speculation.

If the points are very badly pitted or burnt, it is usually a sign of a bad or weak condenser........not always, but consider that a condenser is like a "shock" absorber for the points. If it isn't working correctly, your points will burn quickly.

(quoted from post at 18:38:21 07/06/11) If the points are very badly pitted or burnt, it is usually a sign of a bad or weak condenser........not always, but consider that a condenser is like a "shock" absorber for the points. If it isn't working correctly, your points will burn quickly.

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Tom is right. I've seen people who tried to do cheap tune ups just replace the pionts. Saw one car like that run all of 15 minutes. New points with a new condenser and it was good to go.

Rick

Not to sure about new points and condensers, but if you know the correct rating of the condenser you can test it. I have never changed the points or condenser on my Farmall M. They were fitted in the 1940s and for reasons no one can explain the gap never changes and the points never burn despite the tractor being used regularly. That being the case I follow the maxin, "If it ain't broke don't fix it".

Had recurrent spark problem with our JD 70 gas after long hours of plowing it would die...we figured it was the coil and replaced that a couple times, it would start then do the same thing. We even put on a redundant coil so we could swith over, but it happened again. Finally changed the condenser and waalaa no more issues. points looked fine so left 'em in.

Ok, to help solve differing opinions and also to explain an ignitiona system, here is an excellent link to how things work, not only for points systems, but also the electronic ignitions:

http://www.abbysenior.com/mechanics/ignition.htm

Just fyi I needed to tune up my C a couple weeks ago, and went to Napa's online catalog to try to gather part numbers before my trip to the store (a few of their employees tell me they do not sell parts for tractors so I always go in armed with part numbers). Ironically I could not find any tune up parts listed for a C, Super C, or many of the IH tractors, even though I know they sell them, and most of the older IH tractors had the exact points, condenser, cap, rotor, etc. Ended up finding them listed under a 54 Super H. That works and they had them in stock.