Ignition Problems 2N

After replacing the wiring harness and ignition switch, I noticed an anomoly with the system. On really humid mornings, my 2N wouldn't start.

The fix was to remove the coil from the distributor (just lay it to the side) and dry the inside of the distributor with a hair dryer. After about 60 seconds, the spark is returned. I guess that is why the coil is attached with a bailer.

Give it a try and see what happens.

Your wiring should look like this for the original 6V system. I worried about my new ballast resistor smoking as well, but after a couple hour run time it has stopped. As you can see, pretty much everything but the wire to the coil and one leg of the ignition switch goes to the center terminal. If you don't have a factory wiring harness, double check to make sure that none of the metal terminals is accidentally bridging across to another stud on the terminal block. BTW, the coil wire is the red wire on the block. Hope this helps!

Jeb

Thanks Jeb.

I circled the part that is smoking, and I guess it's not a problem from what you guys say, but I still have no spark so I guess I still have a problem. I also drew an arrow to show where I hooked the red wire incorrectly and had juice to it for about 30 seconds. It's all wired correctly now, just like the diagram shows.

Follow the volts like Ken mentioned..

If the resistor is getting hot.. there is continuity to ground somewhere.. normally would be at the points.. but that would provide spark.. if no spark.. it has to be shorted somewhere before the points..

Soundguy

You would get spark only if the points were opening and closing. If they were stuck closed you would not get any spark -- you would not need any other shorts to ground for that to happen. :-)

Roger in Michigan

Would hooking the wire from the generator cutout and the wire to the coil to the same post on the terminal block smoke the distributor coil? It think that may have been what I did, but I only had it hooked like that for 30 seconds tops. Do I need to mess with the resistor for the generator?

Thanks guys.
Jeff

Yes.. the ballast resistor is the one mounted to the back of the dash. Virtually all the wiring on the tractor makes it by there.... easy to find if it is present..

While you can take an ohm reading on the primary and secondary of the coil.. most ohm meters aren't very accurate at a low scale.. least not the ones that you can find locally.

The better way would be to hook up as usual.. and take voltage readings.. You want about 3 v on the top of the coil with the points closed.. and battery volts on the coil with points open. ( 2,5 to 3.5 is a fairly safe range.. much less will cause missing.. much more will overheat and degrade the coils insulation leading to premature failure. )

I notice you said you replaced the wires. Did you use solid copper wires.. or the modern carbon core anti-radiostatic wires? The antiradiostatic wires are resistor wires... you don't want them.. your front mount ignition coil is just barley adequate as it is, when running in great condition to get high voltage out to the plugs... there isn't much kv left over to 'give away' to losses int he system.. like dirty terminals.. fouled plugs.. and resistor wires.

Also reccomend you use a champion h-12 plug or an al-437 plug.. or equivalents to those.. as they are a hotter range.

Soundguy

Even if you hooked the 6v battery to the top of the distribuitor coil, and the points were closed grounding it out... the coil wouldn't have smoked in 30 seconds... unless it was already bad or defective.

I suggest you go to nseries . com.. and look at a wire diagram for the front mount system.. and wire accordingly..

Soundguy

I still have a lot of investigating to do. That is what I meant; I was verifying that the resistor for the ignition coil was called the ballast resistor.

Thanks again.

On a side mount N.. you would use the 12to6 dropping resistor and the oem 6v side mount coil, on a 12v setup.. or simply get a real side mount 12v coil like a napa IC-14-SB.. and use NO resistors.

Soundguy