I've almost always had bad luck with magnetos. I'm currently working on the one in my jd b. To me they just seem really finicky and costly to repair. And just more things to go wrong with them then a distributor and coil. And I've always had great luck with getting engines to run great on distributors. What are your thoughts? Like em? Hate em?
- Thread starter jwitty
- Start date
I love them. Of the 6 or so tractors that I have I think I might have one with a distributor. To me they are more bullet proof. I have dealt with drying out distributors from fog, rain or power washing but not with a magneto. I will agree they can be more expensive to fix and not as easy to check or change points and condenser. However for me they take out a lot of guess work IE: Fewer wires to trace, not dependent on a battery to work and you do not have to worry about getting the right coil wired in correctly with or with a resistor. To be fair my experience is only with Wico and Fairbanks Morse magnetos and from what I have read or heard, they are more forgiving mags than some other brands.
Well for me I prefer a good Mag.
You can honestly say that a distributor is simpler if all you consider is the distributor and coil. What you have to remember
is to keep that system working you also need a working generator, battery and wiring harness etc to keep it all working. Only
need enough juice to turn the engine over to start with a mag where with battery coil it needs be able to turn the engine over
and have enough to make a spark also.
That said it is much easier to tune a distributor for performance if you are into pulling etc.
jm2cw
jt
You can honestly say that a distributor is simpler if all you consider is the distributor and coil. What you have to remember
is to keep that system working you also need a working generator, battery and wiring harness etc to keep it all working. Only
need enough juice to turn the engine over to start with a mag where with battery coil it needs be able to turn the engine over
and have enough to make a spark also.
That said it is much easier to tune a distributor for performance if you are into pulling etc.
jm2cw
jt
olgentdc
Well-known Member
They are Great ,.And most will give a lifetime of service with no trouble , However , sooner of later they will
begin to fail and drive a guy nutz chasing carburaters wiring and a " now it works , now it dont " , peeka boo
magneto ,. No Wonder guys get so pizt with them when they start playing trix ,they want to pulvarize them with a
dozer,. There are lots of good mag shops out therfe that can rebuild better THAN NEW.
I like to to tell the true story of Pops 51 CASE DC on our place that ,saved the neighborhood during The
Blizzard of ,Jan 77 , 25 below at nite daytime never got above zero all day for 4 days here in southern
IND,.horrible 30 +mph winds took out the power the 1st nite . on the 3 rd day.still no power , it was sunny with a
milder wind that would knaw on a body instead of snap ya in half . we needed to help our neighbors get wood
,nuthin they had would start . and Our 180 hogs needed feed ground .All of Our batteries were dead,. My brothers
283 Chevy wanted to start So Bad ,but just couldnt get the ummph .
Dad Said ,.' Lets go Start the old DC ,. It has a Magneto",.there was ice and snow plastered to the magneto open
west side of the shed .the last time the DC ran was planting wheat in the fall. The 6volt Battery was all but
dead ,Dad said , leave it alone , Just use the Hand crank ,. my brother and i took turns cranking,.on mu 2nd try
the Ol Gent , went" Kap-phuump" ,.a few more Cranks and the OLBoy Came to life,He stammered and shivered at 1st ,
we quikly tarped the sides of the motor and made a makshift heat-houser,.That magneto fired DC Case Pulled Dads
Ford truck to start , whichin turn then Jump started the 283 chevy , Then the DC pull started the 830
Diesel ,and then Everything Running went around the neighborhood waking up the cold motors .So We Could all Help
ourselves .and The magneto fired DC Case was what started them all..
begin to fail and drive a guy nutz chasing carburaters wiring and a " now it works , now it dont " , peeka boo
magneto ,. No Wonder guys get so pizt with them when they start playing trix ,they want to pulvarize them with a
dozer,. There are lots of good mag shops out therfe that can rebuild better THAN NEW.
I like to to tell the true story of Pops 51 CASE DC on our place that ,saved the neighborhood during The
Blizzard of ,Jan 77 , 25 below at nite daytime never got above zero all day for 4 days here in southern
IND,.horrible 30 +mph winds took out the power the 1st nite . on the 3 rd day.still no power , it was sunny with a
milder wind that would knaw on a body instead of snap ya in half . we needed to help our neighbors get wood
,nuthin they had would start . and Our 180 hogs needed feed ground .All of Our batteries were dead,. My brothers
283 Chevy wanted to start So Bad ,but just couldnt get the ummph .
Dad Said ,.' Lets go Start the old DC ,. It has a Magneto",.there was ice and snow plastered to the magneto open
west side of the shed .the last time the DC ran was planting wheat in the fall. The 6volt Battery was all but
dead ,Dad said , leave it alone , Just use the Hand crank ,. my brother and i took turns cranking,.on mu 2nd try
the Ol Gent , went" Kap-phuump" ,.a few more Cranks and the OLBoy Came to life,He stammered and shivered at 1st ,
we quikly tarped the sides of the motor and made a makshift heat-houser,.That magneto fired DC Case Pulled Dads
Ford truck to start , whichin turn then Jump started the 283 chevy , Then the DC pull started the 830
Diesel ,and then Everything Running went around the neighborhood waking up the cold motors .So We Could all Help
ourselves .and The magneto fired DC Case was what started them all..
rustred
Well-known Member
a magneto and an old crank tractor go together like bacon and eggs.an amazing little box that gets the tracotr running with such a slow motion of the crank. have a WD40 mccormick and 3 pulls of the crank and its running. u could not spin that engine over any faster if you wanted too. a magneto will out last any distributor. and the unique thing with the wd40 is that when it switches to diesel the mag is kicked out and does not turn, so the mag is good to last forever, even the spark plugs will pretty much last the life of the tractor. i have seen magnetos sit for 20-30 years and still work good. im totally for the magneto , no battery required.
have lots of tractors with magnetos and they are some of the best starters.
have lots of tractors with magnetos and they are some of the best starters.
I can take em or leave em. I have one on my dozer for the pony motor that can sit a year and it will still fire up. I'm not a fan of point type distributers. In my climate they can sit all winter and fire up in the spring but leave em set in the summer? Good Luck. Were I to get something with a working mag I'd just run it. Now give me something with a generator type charging system and it's getting converted right away! IMO nothing more than a PITA. Especially today when finding a decent new voltage regulator can be a trick and several trips to the store.
Rick
Rick
37chief
Well-known Member
- Location
- California
I think it is hard to beat a good mag. I believe all older planes used mags for a reason. Maybe the newer planes still do? Stan
I remember that weather ! And enjoyed your story... My Dad also had a 'old DC'(51). It always started about 4th roll over, even being 12v and having a distributor. So much better then the IH 656 Diesel... AND the old DC still starts right up. I am 75, just delivered it to my son last Saturday ! He is pulling logs from a soft area. DC's do quite well in wet dirt.
olgentdc
Well-known Member
The wisdom to engineer torque to wheel traction PERFECT ratio had to be gift from God to Case Co., LOL ,Aint no Way Case engineers could nail it and come up with a Perfect Design, All Kiddin Aside the DC was and remains a fine trctor in my line up
Texasmark1
Well-known Member
If you were to have posted this in the "Garden Tractor" forum I'd say the perfect solution to maintenance free ignition, bar none!
James Babcock
Member
I have a homebuilt plane with a VW-derived engine. The heads were machined for dual spark plugs. Electronic ignition fires one set of plugs, and a magneto fires the other. My thinking was if I ever have an electrical problem, I can shut off the master switch to kill the entire electrical system and stii have an operating engine thanks to the magneto.
I never could understand why people will not hesitate to open up a carburetor which is WAY more complex , but will not even look into a mag. ?
Mags. are pretty simple for the most part. Yes parts are getting harder to get and more expensive for them. Quality of parts is also a big issue. Points getting a scum build up on them and need cleaning off to get your spark back even after sitting in a heated building is my biggest problem with anything that uses points.
Mags. are pretty simple for the most part. Yes parts are getting harder to get and more expensive for them. Quality of parts is also a big issue. Points getting a scum build up on them and need cleaning off to get your spark back even after sitting in a heated building is my biggest problem with anything that uses points.
Richard G.
Well-known Member
I love a good mag. I really like my 42 H JD. No battery to keep up or replace.
Richard
Richard
Steve@Advance
Well-known Member
They do have their place!
Where would we be if every lawn mower, chain saw, weed eater, blower... Had to have a battery to run!
And the safety factor for planes, outboard motors, anything you don't want to HAVE to depend on an external power supply.
If only there were a points eliminator for the old style mags. There probably is a way to do it.
Where would we be if every lawn mower, chain saw, weed eater, blower... Had to have a battery to run!
And the safety factor for planes, outboard motors, anything you don't want to HAVE to depend on an external power supply.
If only there were a points eliminator for the old style mags. There probably is a way to do it.
oldproudvet
Well-known Member
Love 'em. Pre war mags can suffer from the magnets losing their strength, and they have to be given a
thrill to recharge them. Post war mags with the WWII technology and the Alnico (aluminum/nickel)
permanent magnets hold a stronger mag fld longer it seems. Points need cleaning, the gasket under the
cap has to be intact to keep moisture out. The impulse spring that flips the armature at low cranking
speeds, hand cranking and 6v starters has to work. It can fail once in a while. 12v conversions spin
the starter fast enough to override the impulse and make for a weak spark while cranking, sometimes
making for harder starting. Like anything, they're older now but properly working, cannot be beat. Kinda like me
thrill to recharge them. Post war mags with the WWII technology and the Alnico (aluminum/nickel)
permanent magnets hold a stronger mag fld longer it seems. Points need cleaning, the gasket under the
cap has to be intact to keep moisture out. The impulse spring that flips the armature at low cranking
speeds, hand cranking and 6v starters has to work. It can fail once in a while. 12v conversions spin
the starter fast enough to override the impulse and make for a weak spark while cranking, sometimes
making for harder starting. Like anything, they're older now but properly working, cannot be beat. Kinda like me
Traditional Farmer
Well-known Member
- Location
- Virginia
Great while they work expensive when they don't.
Self-contained magneto compared to battery and coil?
Less spark energy potential then battery ignition (15K-20K colts)
Harder to access to maintain
Coil is inside where it gets less cooling and more prone to failure
Harder to upgrade to breakerless
No automatic timing advance (fixed retard, yes)
Spins so slow it needs a spring-loaded impulse to work at cranking speed (another failure point)
Good things about a self-contained mag? Not much.
Needs no battery
Self-contained
Less spark energy potential then battery ignition (15K-20K colts)
Harder to access to maintain
Coil is inside where it gets less cooling and more prone to failure
Harder to upgrade to breakerless
No automatic timing advance (fixed retard, yes)
Spins so slow it needs a spring-loaded impulse to work at cranking speed (another failure point)
Good things about a self-contained mag? Not much.
Needs no battery
Self-contained
buickanddeere
Well-known Member
Don’t Care for the fact that a mag lacks a variable mechanical spark advance .
Russ from MN
Well-known Member
- Location
- Bemidji MN
I have had a few engines with them, never had any problems.
More complicated and less people knew how to work on them. We converted 2 tractors over when they got hard to start because no mechanic knew anything about how to work on them. That was back in the late 60's or early 70's. I am 74 and have never seen the inside of a mag. You can find more places now to get a mag worked on than back in that time frame.
Gene Davis (Ga.)
Well-known Member
Much better than most old distributors. Solid state ignition is a good thing when it is working, but dead when it
goes out.
goes out.
dr sportster
Well-known Member
Really like them !
buickanddeere
Well-known Member
Would rather have spark advance that took care of itMs self instead of always having to nurse it .
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