just did a 12v conversion on my 8n sidemount, using my light i have power to my brand new 12v coil(napa #IC14SB), with my light tester i have power to coil(positive stud), no power anywhere after that, any ideas what to check next?

thanks dave
 

If your light shows voltage at the positive terminal of the coil and no voltage at the negative terminal it suggests one of two things. 1) The points are closed taking the circuit to ground, this is normal. If you rotate the engine the points will open and your light should show voltage, it will be dimmer than on the positive terminal. 2) You a have a short to ground, this is not normal and will need to be corrected.

Note, the above assumes the tractor has been converted to negative ground.
 
if my points are opening then negative side of coil should blink with light tester while turning over motor correct? i have
double checked and points are opening and closing while turning motor over, what ground do you think if #2 is the culprit?
thanks dave
 
"light tester"?

Kinda hard to check voltage w/ that. The Chinese toy store gives meters away for free w/ a purchase.

Do you have battery voltage across the points when they are open? Verify the gap on the points at .025. Then, dress the points by running a piece of card stock or brown paper bag through them. New points sometimes have an anti-corrosive dielectric coating on them & old points can corrode or pick up grease from a dirty feeler gauge or excessive cam lubricant. (I always spray my feeler guage blade off w/ contact cleaner.) Make sure you have voltage across the points, as in past the insulator on the side of the distributor. That is a very common failure point on sidemounts, along w/ the attached copper strip. It's hard to find a short there because it is usually an intermittent . So 'wiggle' the insulator & the copper strip a bit when you are doing your checking. If you find the short there, the Master Parts catalog lists everything you need on page 154. You can make the strip and you could also make the insulators as well. But, somethings are just easier & in the long run cheaper to buy. Get the strip, 12209, screw 350032-S, 12233 bushing & 12234 insulator & just replace it all. If you just replaced the rotor & lost spark, put the old one back in. Insure that the rotor fits firmly on the shaft & that the little clip is there. Make sure the distributor cap is not cracked & doesn't have carbon tracks. Check continuity on the secondary coil wire. Make sure it is firmly seated in both the cap & the coil. In fact, replace it temporarily w/ a plug wire. Next, remove the secondary coil wire from the center of the distributor cap, turn the key on & crank the engine while holding the end of the wire 1/4" from a rust & paint free spot on the engine. You should see & hear a nice blue/white spark. If not, you have a bad coil or condenser. Just put the old condenser back in to eliminate that as a possibility.

Post back w/ results; I'll be interested in what the problem was.
75 Tips
 
i believe it to be a bad ground, i have light power to dist wire going in base of distributor however when i attach that wire it seems to have a ground prob and shuts off the light, maybe copper piece is arcing not sure yet, after your advice the tractor ran great after cleaning points but after running for couple minutes it quit and not if i attach wire to lower dist my power light will shut off, what are the possibilities now? thanks you guys, learning a lot with your help
dave
 
if i put the light tester on the wire going to the base of distributor i have power, with the cap of i attached the wire to the base of the distributor and no light, so i manually opened the points and still no light, any ideas?
dave
 

"The Chinese toy store"

:lol: i assume u refer to harbor freight - or is it someone else?
 
(quoted from post at 09:04:00 06/29/16) it's bad ground at base of distributor, if i wiggle light flickers

I am a litttle confused just how the light is connected and what is wiggled. However, It sounds like you have a short to ground. The points take the circuit to ground, that is why your light shows no voltage when they are closed. A short to ground is another path to ground in parallel with the points.

Check, Bruce's post, he is telling you the common places to look for the problem.
 
tell us from what to where you are checking with this light tester...

I like putting test lamps inline (series)with coils.. then you can find shorts or opens by looking at the serial connections down stream of the lamp.
 

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