8N front Distributor Voltage

I'm working on an 8n that has sat in a garage for about the last 5 years. It has no spark. I removed the front distributor, cleaned the points, checked the condenser and coil. Used an Ohm meter to check it and it worked fine when the points opened and closed. I put it back on and checked for power to the coil with a test light. The bulb is very weak. I hooked up my volt meter to the coil and get a reading of 2.5 to 3 volts. I still don't have spark. Should I have a full 6 volts to the coil, or is it reduced from the resistor in the dash??

6v points open, about half that points closed.
75 Tips

Make sure the pig tail in the coil is making contact with the screw head and that the tab on the coil is making contact with the cap. How does the rotor and cap look? It sat for 5 years, do you have a new or known good battery on it?

Got it Running. Not charging now. Check a newer post.

Listen to Bruce(VA). A tractor setting for over 30 days without charging, either by running and/or keeping a Battery Tender/Float Charger on it, will begin to deteriorate the electrolyte in the battery cells and you'll soon have a dead battery. You cannot resurrect a battery that will not sustain a full charge under load. You should have first checked the battery and replaced if needed, and it probably did need replacing. The other issue is what setup you have. You don't say whether it is 6V/POS GRN or 12V/NEG GRN, only mention 6-Volts at the coil. 99.98% of all electrical problems are due to bad/poor/incorrect wiring jobs whether 6V or 12V. I'd start with a good battery, verify what electrical setup you have; a 6V battery has 3 cells, a 12V battery has 6 cells. Then confirm the wiring is correct. A 6V will use a generator and a square voltage regulator; a 12V setup should be using an alternator and NO Voltage Regulator. Either setup requires the OEM Ballast Resistor in the circuit, wired correctly. Using the original 6V coil on the front-mount distributor system, requires adding the ceramic 1-OHM external resistor in the circuit, wired correctly. With a12V coil, the external resistor is NOT needed. The 8N correct wiring for the 6-Volt/Positive Ground setup is shown in these diagrams:

FORD 8N TRACTOR WIRING DIAGRAMS:


Tim Daley(MI)