Magnet Update

JRSutton · May 20, 2012

JohnT you said you'd back on Sunday, so I waited to post an update.

This is on the 4H project Super A with the mag issue.

I was nervous making such a drastic change to the mag that was working - but I advanced the lag angle to the full 35 degrees (from 18)

Put it in and everything fit much better. I knew right then that it was the right thing to do.

Was able time the snap a few degrees past tdc.

Yesterday we finished up what needed doing on the engine - and decided to finally fire it up.

Having been kicked by this thing more times than I care to remember - I was reallll nervous cranking it. (yes I know the proper way to do it - from 6 lift to 11 etc)

1 crank 2 cranks --- on the 6th crank she fired up and ran like a top.

So thank you to you and Jim Becker and others who gave all the good info and advice.

Very much appreciated.

JRSutton · May 20, 2012

forgot the o

gene bender · May 20, 2012

So if this is a resto job why didnt you go with the I-H Mag for originallity and there wouldnt have been a problem. Just curious

DeltaRed · May 20, 2012

The "Correct Police" strike again!Sometimes you just have to use what you have,what you can find,what you can afford...

DeltaRed · May 20, 2012

The "Correct Police" strike again!Sometimes you just have to use what you have,what you can find,what you can afford...

armand tatro · May 20, 2012

Since you have had bad experence with using a crank why did you not use the electric starter. Did not this tractor come from the factory with an electric starter? Hang that crank on the wall so it won't kick you again. Armamd

CNKS · May 20, 2012

An IH mag, timed according to the book does not kick back when cranking, and he would not have had to jump thru all the hoops. I grew up cranking mag equipped tractors, and its not unheard of for me to crank a distributer equipped one if need be. I have read some JR's posts on the subject, and didn't realize it wasn't an IH mag. This has nothing to do with the correct police, whom I have no use for, and gene bender is not one either. Gene knows more about the offset than any one on this forum, with the possible exception of Jim Becker.

teddy52food · May 20, 2012

When they are timed right, it won't kick back. At least he did it right. A lot of them are timed by ear & have kick-back problems.

John T · May 20, 2012

Thanks for the feedback, I just returned home and its always good to hear how things worked out be they good or bad. Yep changing that lag angle as you discoverd DONT AFFECT RUN TIMING..

John T

JRSutton · May 20, 2012

Starter is completely dead - just can't justify buying a new one yet. Will probably get a used one when I find a good one, but where we CAN hand crank it, it's been a low priority.

I knew how to fix the kickback problem by timing the mag to fire slightly after tdc - but - long story short the mag was not set up to allow for that.

sflem849 · May 20, 2012

Why wouldn't you just rebuild your starter?

JRSutton · May 20, 2012

Several answers to that question -
The main reaason was - having read about the wico mags in the shop manuals - I just assumed this WAS a stock mag. They treat it as such in the manuals.

It was only when I asked about this problem here that I got any idea it was an after-market part.

We're also under a time crunch to have the trator in the memorial day parade next weekend - so we're sticking with what works for now. May consider swapping it out in the future - we'll see.

Nebraska Cowman · May 20, 2012

I started my WD Allis with the hand crank every day for a week in the dead of winter because I did not have time to stop and fix it. I've started tractors with cranks so often I never worry about kickback. I know where the impulse trips. And yeah, I always pull UP.

sflem849 · May 20, 2012

I am not saying no to cranking the tractor...I meant why buy a new starter when you could rebuild your old one. It seems anything new is never as good as rebuilding the 50 year old starter.

I have no problem with the Wico mag either. Technically it is correct because it is from the time period and it is in the manuals. Is it "correct" to put in M&W parts???

Brownie 450 · May 20, 2012

To time this unit, loosen the 2 mounting bolts--rotate the mag top in toward the block--set engine on TDC #1 cylinder--rotate mag slowly out from the block until the impulse trips, & tighten the 2 mounting bolts.

Jim Becker · May 20, 2012

This is the reporrt I was expecting. With the traps you have been through, I was confident that your magneto and timing problems were behind you.

As a certified member of the Correct Police, I need to comment on that subject too. Gene makes a good point. If the magneto had been an H-4, the one designed for the letter series tractors, it would have gone right on and this problem would have never come up. Of course, if the person who originally installed the Wico had known what he was doing and properly set the lag angle on the Wico, the problem wouldn't have come up either. Such are the things we get into following previous owners and their made-do repair work.

On the plus side, this is a 4-H project. I'm sure that JR, along with anyone else that may have worked on this part of the project, learned a lot more about magnetos and timing than they would have if the right parts had been there.

JRSutton · May 21, 2012

Yes you hit the nail on the head there -

We would never have learned so much about magnetos had this problem not come up.

I don't have a lot of experience with them so assumed anybody who set it up before me must know a lot more about them than I do.

Sometimes the best way to learn is when you have to.

JRSutton · May 21, 2012

The starter is total junk. I just brought it to a local guy to see if there was anything he could do. The answer was yes, but much cheaper/better to buy a new one.

We will get one - but it's not just the starter we'd need - it's the starter, a battery, battery cables, wiring for the generator, and probably a new starter switch.

Unfortunately I can't keep dumping money into this project at the rate I have been.

It is "my" tractor, but this project is all basically a gift to the club. I wouldn't be doing any of this on my own.

Wish I didn't have to be so frugal - but the economy is what it is, business is slow. The kids do fundraisers but - it's a very small club in a small town.

So we need just need to spread the expenses out -top priority is to get it running for the parade on the 28th.

We decided we can do that without a starter/battery/wiring.

In fact it IS up and running and pretty much parade ready. (If we can straighten the carb out - our next hurdle) I'll have to post a few pictures when I can.

JRSutton · May 21, 2012

Brownie - this was an update to an older post.

The wico mag on the tractor was set up incorrectly to allow for proper timing.

Thanks

Magnet Update

JRSutton

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JRSutton

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gene bender

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DeltaRed

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DeltaRed

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armand tatro

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CNKS

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teddy52food

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John T

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JRSutton

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sflem849

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JRSutton

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Nebraska Cowman

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sflem849

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Brownie 450

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Jim Becker

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JRSutton

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JRSutton

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JRSutton

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