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'41H won't start

C

c1802362

Member
I just put my '41H back together. I had the head off (3 cracks in the
head between the dome and coolant holes), but left the block,
magneto, distributor, governor, etc alone while I was working on
the engine.

With the new head/valve job installed, I set the valve lash, put
everything else back on and went to start the engine. I also couldn't
locate Champion D18Y spark plugs, so substituted NGK AB-6 plugs
(supposedly they are interchangeable)

The battery had been drained, so the charger was hooked up. The
engine cranked normally, but refused to fire. The distributor cap
looks pristine (as does the rotor) and the wires are in good shape.

I pulled two plugs and held them up against the block while I
cranked the starter. No spark.

I pulled the coil wire from the distributor and held it up against the
block. Weak spark.

So, is my problem a suddenly bad coil?

Art
 
Try cleaning the points until they're shiny. Make sure your battery is fully charged so you have enough voltage during cranking for your distributor. If it still won't fire I would try
pull starting the H if you have another tractor.
Hal
 
Not a flame, but you cannot have a distributor and a Magneto at the same time (unless you have modified the mag to be just the points and cap/rotor) I also believe in the need to clean the points (in a Mag, the points are behind the rotor and gears. (keep it in time on those gears)) Jim
 
Here is a little trick that works for me. If you have a battery ignition system hook up a test light to the primary terminal of the distributor and connect the other end to ground. Turn on the ignition switch and crank the engine with the starter, if the test light flashes, that tells me that the points are opening and closing making ground connection.
a171892.jpg
 
Another voter for corroded points here. Especially if it has sat a long spell while you have been working on it.
 
Thanks everyone - your comments on the points reminded me of a time about 20 years ago when I had just tuned up my '69 F100 pickup.

The truck was running superbly. A friend asked me to pickup a load of manure and move it to her house (about 25 miles from mine). After loading the manure, i drove to her place, unloaded the manure (she wasn't going to get her hands dirty), then went to start the truck. It wouldn't fire.

I spent the next three days commuting between her place and mine, replacing the distributor cap (thinking I had a crack in the cap), coil, wires, etc with no luck. Finally, the only thing left to change were the points and condenser (which I refused to consider originally as I had just replaced them 30 miles before the engine stopped working).

Yup, the condenser had failed after only thirty miles. It was so long ago, I forgot the entire episode.

So, tomorrow, I will check the points and if it's not that I'll replace the condenser.

Art
 
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