Engine electronics trouble

Worked on my combine this weekend. I pulled the heads last fall because I couldn't get it to run. Found a couple bad valves and some broken springs. Had the heads rebuilt and got them back last week. It was warm this weekend so I thought I would put it together. Everything went well til I tried to start it, then had no spark. Had spark at the points, but nothing at the wires. All the electrical was replaced Last year, but I thought new points, condenser, and rotor might help. Put them in and had spark, even got it to fire, but then nothing again. Found the new points were sticking open. So put the old ones back. Had good spark again, even got it to fire, then nothing again. Found just a weak spark. So figured the new condenser went bad. I just happened to have one in the truck from tuning up the swather last fall. Put that in and had good spark again, even got it to run for a minute. Then nothing again. This time I found the tab on the new rotor had broken off. So put the old one back in. Had spark again and got it to fire in spite of it being flooded, but then the battery was dead and it was dark. So I guess it will be next weekend before it comes home. I got those parts from O'Reilly's and will be taking them back, along with the oil filter I got from them a while ago that has bad threads. I've heard of getting bad parts these days, but that seems crazy. I usually get parts from Napa, but they were closed when I needed them. I'll get new ones from them this week.

I can hear the EI arguments approaching!
At least you have it starting again. It'll run.

I will not buy anything from Orileys. I have had way too much trouble with their junk

I recently replaced points and condenser on Jubilee. I could blame the new points for not closing. Instead I think I got a piece of dirt in them when I was using gauge to measure gap. I used emery cloth to clean new points. I discovered dirt by using ohm meter to set timing. I put flywheel on 8 degrees before TDC. Rotated distributor to close points. Then slowly moved distributor to open points. Something was preventing points from closing.

Once I got tractor running, timing light confirmed timing was spot on 8 D BTDC.

While for most applications you can still find quality ignition parts they are sometimes getting tuff to find.

Last set I bought were of what's considered to be one of the top 3 brand names out there. The points were defective new right out of the box.

And a lot of the problem with getting quality ignition parts can be found right here on this board. Guys all the time bragging about getting 5 or more years out of a set. All that tells me is you ain't using yer tractor much. But you see it all the time. Well the manufacturer is only going to make those parts while it's profitable to do so. Sales drop off cause everyone is getting 5 years out of them and they will either make them cheaper to try to sell them or drop them completely. WE all know what the cheaper are like. ANd we have to remember, there are not many "daily driver" gas engines out there with points still in them. More and more headed to the scrapper every day. They keep the quality up and rise the prices to match costs and now the "electronic ignition is expensive" argument goes out the window.

Rick

Never heard of problems like that.