(800) 853-2651
SHOP NOW

Ford 860 is eating points.

G

Greg1959

Well-known Member
Rebuilt 172 ci motor. 174 hours on motor. Third set of points just burnt up. 12 volt negative ground. DELCO 10SI alternator w/ NAPA coil. Inline RadioShak resistor. Points gapped at 0.025. Autolite 437 plugs.Ignition switch good.

She starts on the touch of the starter button and runs great. Does anyone know why I'm eating points up?

P.S.- I'm always sure to cut off fuel and turn off the ignition switch. Also, I have checked the voltage going to the points with the ignition in the off position and meter reads zero voltage.
 
Burning them up as in pitted faces?
I would say bad condensor, or condensor not grounded properly.
 
Where are you buying your points?
I think most of the fellows here are running Echlin or Blue Streak as the cheap ones from TS, etc are no good.
 
Royse- Thanks for your reply. I think it might be the "China" made points I bought at TSC. Believe I might try the HEI system by Petronix offered here. What is your opinion?
 
I haven't put the EI on any of my Fords, so I can't offer much of an opinion.
Others here have said they have good luck with them though.
Definitely could be cheap points, the cheap ones I've had fail seem to melt
the rubbing block off or bend the contact tip. That's why I asked about pitting.
You can get BlueStreaks here on YT or at a good parts store. Not cheap!
 
It could be a faulty condenser but this is unlikely.

Does it have a 12V coil?

Do the points burn out or simply fail to make proper connection? If the later, does the failure occur after a period of non use?

Dean
 
It's not your parts, my Minnie-mo UTU did the same thing. Replace the small sqaure black or brown bakelight insulated wire connection on your distributor. Has a microscopic crack shorting out. They cost less then five bucks.
Mike
 
Cheap point is the problem. Go to NAPA or O'Reilly's and buy a good set of points and be dome with it. My 841 has had the same set of points in it for at least 10 years now and it starts up just fine knock on wood.
 
Check the resistance of the primary circuit. Points operate best at 4-5 amperes. For a running tractor with alternator/generator that's 14v/5 amps max or 2.8 ohms. If the coil and ballast resistor aren't giving you that much resistance, increase the resistance of the ballast till you get it.

Otherwise a bad condenser will do it. The condenser is there to absorb the high voltage of the arc when the points open.....voltage generated by the coil when the points open and the current is interrupted. The nature of the coil is that it attempts to keep the current flowing by generating whatever voltage is necessary....within it's limits, hence a high voltage arc across the points.

There is a voltage where, if high enough, will cause excessive pitting. The idea is to condense, or absorb that initial spike of voltage in the condenser and then give the energy back to the circuit at a lower voltage after the initial spike.

Mark
 
That is a myth. Voltage does not care if it flows forwards or back wards and the point see the same actions no matter which way the coil is hooked up just the spark jumps back wards or in other words if when hooked up + side to the ignition and the spark jumps from left to right if hooked up - to ignition the spark would jump right to left but either way the points see the same voltage so they wear the same either way
 
saying napa coil and radio shack resistor is like me telling you I ate food today and expecting you to know exactly what food it was.

how aout some numbers. :)

IMHO.. I'd run NO ressitor and a napa ic14sb coil...
 
Soundguy- It is the IC14SB coil from NAPA that you recommended and the resistor from Radio Shack that OLD recommended (I don't remember the part #).

It must be the cheap points from Tractor Supply, because the contacts were sticking together but the armature was pulled away.

Thanks
 
well.. this ain't a diner.

you can't mix n match advice.

if you are running a napa ic14sb coil on 12v.. you don't need a resistor.

if you are running a resistor and that coil.. you are asking for problems.

if you are running tisco points.. you must liket to gamble. probably safer to run around with scissors than use tisco points...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

M
1976 Ford 335 questions/problems
Replies
10
Views
270
mhth0727
M
S
Ford 860 wont start/run suddenly
2
Replies
23
Views
2K
docmirror
D
G
1956 Ford 860 Starts then Dies
2
Replies
20
Views
3K
Goalie35
G
L
Ford 860 questions and choke plate
2
Replies
22
Views
2K
JMOR
J
D
1962 Farmall 504 Row Crop wiring issue
Replies
10
Views
722
davidroller
D
Tractor Parts Tractor Manuals

We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.

Copyright © 1997-2024 Yesterday's Tractor Co.

All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.

Yesterday's Tractors - Antique Tractor Headquarters
Website Accessibility Policy

Back
Top