Ignition question

Every so often I see questions about points on here. How often do you all mess with the points/condenser on your old machines? I don't use any of my old machines for hard field work anymore, but they all get frequent extended use (loader tractor, grading, mowing, etc). Some of those tractors I have never cracked the distributor since I brought them home. With my 8N it's because that front distributor is a booger, but all of the Farmalls run just fine. I kind of figure that if those parts are 15 years old they are probably of better quality than any new piece I would put in. Am I the only one that does this?

I don't want you all to think I don't maintain things. I tend to over grease and change oil plenty frequently. I just don't touch the ignition until I have to.

It's odd because I have old VW cars around here I have restored and do those points/condensers all the time. Maybe it's the way I learned. I never remember seeing dad doing ignition work on the tractors.

i pull the cap and put some lube on the swab that rubs against distributor shaft and look at points when i change oil.
youre rite when you say the older points are better quality...i got a buddy that buys old parts house inventory...he's got a list of my wants and calls me when he finds something.

If it works, don't fix it is my way of thinking. I bought an H Farmall back in the spring that had set in a barn for a lot of years. It still has the H4 magneto that is hot enough that it starts on the first or second turn. The only thing done so far to the ignition is replace the wire from the top cap as it was a carbon string, and oil the impulse coupling. The old tractor runs and pulls like new, why tinker with it?
Joe

i change mine about every 2 years, but i put a lot of hours on the tractors too, that front mount N is easy, undo the cap, 1 wire and remove the 2 bolts, [ do not swap the bolts side to side!!] then you can work on the points on the table where you can get at it, the drive tang is wedge shaped, it will only go in 1 way,

While the old saying "if it aint broke dont fix it" has merit, its just NOT how Im wired and how I operate, IM A NUT ON PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE. That beind said, before I start an engine after its sat a long time and it only takes a few minutes, is to at least open the points and as non abrasivley as possible (maybe use a dollar bill) lightly clean/buff/polish the point surfaces to remove any gray oxide coating or oil etc. I think doing so can greatly extend their life. Of course, if badly burned or pitted or carboned up,,,, replace

I agree the quality of points and condensor dont seem what it used to be, Ive seen new out of the box BAD condensors and I question if the silvery coating on the points is the quality it used to be.

One of the worst enemies of points (in addition to excess current) life is a weak or open or incorrect value of condensor and perhaps even if the point quality was the same its the poor condensors that shortens the life of the points.

Sooooooooo if its running fine I guess you can or should???? leave things alone, but Im still a believer in occassional light clean/buff of points surfaces to remve oil or oxidation and thats also a goot time to check the gap anyway

Thats my story n Ima stickin to it based on yearssssssssssss and experience being a used tractor dealer and user......

Ol John T and all in Indiana

Now that you say something, I've heard about that whole distributor bolt thing on the 8Ns. Admittedly, the only time I look in the FO4 manual is to verify point or plug gap (that is the one tractor I have gapped points on). I have had mine off about three times and I am 99% sure both of the bolts are the same on mine.

I have had a new set of points for the Farmall M riding around in the tool box for about two years. Maybe this year...

Last winter I decided to install a new set of points and condenser in my 8N. Took the old ones out and tossed them in the trash can. While installing the new points, I noticed that the contacts were about half the thickness and diameter of the old ones. Dug the old ones out of the trash and put them back in. Ran great all year. New ones are on the shelf.

I have more then one machine that I have not touched the points in well over 5 plus years on and will not till the engine does not start for me. One example if my 1955 Olive S88 and it always starts easy and has for the 5 plus years I have owned it and I have never even looked at the points

If that's working for you, then so be it.
Several related issues come to mind. Yes I've had trouble with new parts, and that's maddening.
Installing new points without doing a good job of aligning them is counter productive.
The biggest enemy I've seen to distributors is moisture/corrosion. The advance will set-up. The little springs will rot right away. Someone who lives in a book will howl, but in the real world, water is the enemy, not lubrication.

The one that gets the tune up each spring is the one that gets used almost everyday. And when we start getting ready for the planting i put new plugs and points in , check the cap and rotor and if needed it gets changed out . Then the valve cover comes off and i run the valves and reset the timing as each time ya change the points the timing does move a little . once done the tractor is ready for the planting and haying season and SHOULD run till the next spring . Like i said SHOULD . BUT with the imported junk ya get today sometimes i will have to replace the points before harvest.

will point setting have a timming effect on older case mags?

yes, anytime the point setting or dwell is changed the timing will slightly change also. dont matter what engine, dist,or mag.

yes, anytime the point setting or dwell is changed the timing will slightly change also. dont matter what engine, dist,or mag.

Low rpm, low compression 2&4 cylinder engines have much lower demands than what is being built today.

I just start my C with a 8 voly battery. A couple of weeks ago after working it as hard as it had been worked in years I parked it in the barn. next day it wouldn"t start. The spring steel had rusted in half! Last changed the points in 1996 so I guess it is a good idea to check once in a while. Glad they didn"t break out in the field.

Mine are all Wico magnetos except for a JD A with a Pertronix conversion, Allis B with a Delco distributor, and a Farmall H with an IHC distributor. I look at the mags and distributors every year or two, change points and condenser if they look worn or burnt. This is on show tractors as well as ones I use all the time. Pertronix unit solves the problem, no issues with it in 5-6 years of use. Points out of the box are rarely aligned right and neeed a bit of tweaking. Find this especially true on my M38a1 Military Jeep with an Autolite distributor.

Blue Streak makes good ignition parts. In the USA.

You already know that neighbor, Timing is basically when the spark fires and that happens just when the points break open and the gap thickness determines (in part) when they finally open so YES point gap affects timing

John T

i won't go into brands,but i saw this first hand,we were using a hydra digger powered by a uc 301 IH engine week before it ran fine, went to the shop back on the job it would start fine rev up and run good until you started loading it a little heavy ,it would start acting as if it were starving for gas until the load lighten up you could slightly pull the choke and it would flood, field mechanic came to it looked it over, first words out of his mouth was the type of points,went to the truck got a set of standard brand points and condenser installed them it ran fine ,the shop had just replaced the ones he replaced, he said he was working for a Pontiac dealer and one of the mechanics was having trouble with a car getting it to run right, after several hours an old mechanic told them to replace the points and condenser with another brand, they though he was trying to be funny about the situation but decided to give his suggestion a try, backed into the parking lot and it was smoking the tires as it left he said i still won't use that brand of points after that