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Bad Coil???

A

Anonymous-0

Well-known Member
I have a '55 IH 300 utility that has NEVER failed to start quickly when cranked in the 7 years I've owned it. I only use it once or twice a month.

This morning, it cranked fine but would not fire. No pop or puff or attempt to fire of any kind. I've got gas at the carb, but obviously no spark. It ran fine about 3 weeks ago.

My only thoughts are (1) mice ate a wire somewhere, or (2) some ignition component has failed from age. Might an old coil give up in this way? Or the condenser?

Any experience with these symptoms would be much appreciated. Thanks. Bob
 
If yuo've been able to run it for a half-hour or more recently, I'd suspect the condensor or something else before the coil. I'd try folding up a dollar bill and polishing the points before suspecting mice. It's that time of year that there's a lot of moisture in the air, and points and mag armatures have a tendency to corrode enough to make for starting problems if they've been sitting.
 
Sounds like it just plain need a good tune up if you have run it that long and not tuned it up. I would almost bet the points have corroded and thats where your problem is. New points and I would bet it will fire right up. But you probably should do a little trouble shooting before you start throwing parts at the problem. First with it OUT OF GEAR. Pull the coil wire from the center nipple of the cap turn the switch on and spin it over. Hold that wire about 1/4 inch for the side of the engine. You should get a nice blue/white spark form it. If you don't then the points probably are bad and need cleaned or replaced
Hobby farm
 
Check if it has spark. Clean the points. Remove one of the plugs and tape it onto the frame with the wire connected to the plug. Crank the engine and see if there is spark at the plug. If not, replace the condenser. If it still has no spark, replace the coil. Make sure all the wiring is in good condition too.
 
Loose wire, broken distributor HT lead, damp in cap, points not opening (wear to lifter running on cam), broken distributor drive. All in addition to the rest. Best way is to diagnose the fault systematically, not just guess blindly. All the components are simple to test indiviually, unless it is an electronic conversion.

RAB
 
Make sure you have battery voltage at the coil with the points open and the ignition switch on you should have voltage on both small terminals.

If there's no voltage at the coil check the terminal at the ignition switch for voltage. Could be a defective switch, If the engine will crank you are getting voltage to the switch.. Hal
 
THANK YOU for all these great ideas!!! I'll get to work tomorrow checking these leads and let you know what I find. Bob
 
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