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Model H Electronic Ignition

T

TWannop

New User
I have a 1941 Farmall H with the stock 6 volt positive ground electric system and the stock ignition. I am considering switching it over to the electronic ignition system and high output coil sold by YT. Has anyone done this to theirs? I assume I will get bigger spark and will need to replace the cap and plug wires and widen the spark cap some. Am I on the right track? If I do it, what improvements, if any, will I experience
 
Doesn't your H have a magneto on it? I might tand correct on this but you have to have a distributor to use electronic ignition. You would have to switch out you mag for a dist..
 
I have done several H's in the past. The biggest thing is you will absolutely have to change the spark plug wires. The Petronix ignition module requires carbon core wires. The tractor will not run correctly with out them and you could burn out the ignition module. This is stated in the installation manual in the kit. The spark plug gap is not really that important if you have a stock engine. I would replace the coil also not just for an performance increase the new one might get you. Coils will go bad with age. I burned up a Petronix module when the coil on one of my tractors shorted out. Word of warning, DO NOT leave your ignition on with out the tractor running for an extended period of time. This will burn out a module also. I will run my tractors dry after I use them and I forgot to turn off the ignition on one of them over night. It killed the module.

OTJ
 
All bets are off if you have a mag. A properly tuned and timed mag works just as well as an electronic ignition system. My sons H has a mag and it pulls in the stock classes. It does very well and never runs out of power. Maybe just a tune up of the mag would work just as well.

OTJ
 
I'm not here to take away any sales from the YT store. I'm also not here to tell you not to order the high performance coil. But I will say this: The output of your coil will only be whatever it takes to make the arc across the plugs. And if you increase the gap on the spark plugs too much, the spark will try to take the path of least resistance and arc inside your distributor cap that has a relatively small diameter on your H. There is a reason why GM went to a distributor cap with a larger diameter when the GM HEI ignition was introduced. Ford also went to a larger diameter cap after their electronic ignition was out for a few years. Don't get me wrong, I'm a believer in electronic ignition, at least for a daily driver car or tractor. (I'm just not the firm believer in it on a parade tractor) It's just that adding a super high-voltage coil to any system will not automatically correct your ignition woes.
 
(quoted from post at 09:30:26 09/24/17) The biggest thing is you will absolutely have to change the spark plug wires. The Petronix ignition module requires carbon core wires.OTJ
Click to expand...

More CORRECTLY, the pertronix system requires SUPPRESSION plug wires.

Wound wire core magnetic suppression wires are a heck of a lot better choice for spark and durability than cheap carbon-core wires.
 
I recently did what you are asking about, except my tractor is a 1949 Minneapolis R instead of a Farmall H. I believe the new generation Pertronix has been updated to address the (real) problems that Oregon Tractor Jack referred to. I know these used to be problems with the Pertonix, but not any more. The only thing I changed on my tractor was the points for the Pertonix. I'm still running the stock plug wires and an old 12 volt coil I salvaged form a parts tractor. It works great.

The benefit I noticed immediately when going from points to Pertronix is the tractor starts immediately as soon as the button is pushed. Also, I don't hear the occasional slight miss I used to get with points. At the last pull I entered, out of three classes entered, we got two first place wins. The tractor will lug down and keep on pulling. Stock motor, stock plug wires, and stock 12 volt coil.

On the box that the Pertonix came in, they do recommend spiral wound solid core wires and their "hot" coil for best performance. I have not found them to be necessary.
 
If electronic ignitions are so good , why do all piston driven airplane engines use magnetos. Just a question not wanting a fight of words.

Pete
 
Another question, do those new aircraft magnetos use ignition points or do they use solid state switching like about every magneto used in a small engine built within the last 30 years ??
 
They use magnetos because they require no electricity to run, so engine will continue if electrical system fails.
 
I think you need to have more than 5.2 volts while cranking.
You could check that out before purchasing.

http://forums.cadillaclasalleclub.org/index.php?topic=139830.0
 
Thank you so much for the huge number of quality responses. I now believe the best course of action is to replace the 10 year old cap and wires on my magneto and clean up last years new plugs.
 
From the head of your post I thought why would anyone want to put that on a JOHN DEERE H as I don't know if a battery setup was ever made for them. I did not think about Farmall altho had one. I would never put electronic on anything as I have hod more trouble with what came from factory like that than points. Had 2 cars that came from factory with electronic ignition and had to carry a extra unit at all times to change out on the road when car would stop. Had Chevy truck and found out after 10+ years it had points that never gave problems.
 
You wood have to replace the magneto with a battery distributor in order to replace the points with EI.

I don't use EI on any of my tractors and don't understand why some members think points are terrible and high maintenance. This is not true. I have a Case SC with Case magneto. That magneto has not had the points adjusted,cleaned,or lubed in the last 30 years.

The EI dad put on his 67 Ford Ranger only lasted 12 years and burned out. It was replaced with points.
 
(quoted from post at 11:22:18 09/24/17) If electronic ignitions are so good , why do all piston driven airplane engines use magnetos. Just a question not wanting a fight of words.

Pete
Click to expand...

Jacobs aircraft engines used 1 magneto and 1 battery ignition
 
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