[BudTheGrey]

Since Dad passed about a year ago, I've been tinkering up the collection and getting them ready for sale. The A has sit for about 18 months. All the basic stuff checks out, but there's no fire. I took the cap off the distributor and cleaned everything up as best I could, filed off the points, etc. still no spark. But, I think it's time to put a new points and condenser in it. Looking to buy the parts at steiner, they call it out specifically for the Delco-Remy distributor. Is that the only one that was used on these tractors? I'm not the encyclopedia on these that dad was.

Pictures attached. The tractor is under cover, in not much light, and awkward to get to the ignition (have to belly crawl under the tractor to get to it). It's a 600 mile round trip to get to the tractor, so I will only be intermittently working on this during the winter.

Any advice or insight appreciated.

 

[BigDaveinKY]

Sorry to hear about your Dad. Not sure about the distributor manufacturer.
Contact points look good. Plenty of "meat" on them. Might check that voltage is getting to the coil.

 

[Jim in NC]

Like Dave, I am sorry for the loss of your dad. I have no experience with an A. I would start from the source of power, battery, and check for current to each part of the ignition system. It could be as simple as a poor connection. Good luck!

 

[BudTheGrey]

I would start from the source of power, battery, and check for current to each part of the ignition system. It could be as simple as a poor connection. Good luck!

That's a good point (no pun intended). The batteries are good (two 6v in series), and it turns over well. I didn't think to check the source to the coil. As you say, could be a bad switch or connection.

 

[BudTheGrey]

Not sure about the distributor manufacturer.
Contact points look good. Plenty of "meat" on them. Might check that voltage is getting to the coil.

That's kinda what I thought. They had a little tarnish, and a little sand paper took the corrosion off the rotor button. Definitely a voltage check on my next visit.

 

[lenabella]

Since Dad passed about a year ago, I've been tinkering up the collection and getting them ready for sale. The A has sit for about 18 months. All the basic stuff checks out, but there's no fire. I took the cap off the distributor and cleaned everything up as best I could, filed off the points, etc. still no spark. But, I think it's time to put a new points and condenser in it. Looking to buy the parts at steiner, they call it out specifically for the Delco-Remy distributor. Is that the only one that was used on these tractors? I'm not the encyclopedia on these that dad was.

Pictures attached. The tractor is under cover, in not much light, and awkward to get to the ignition (have to belly crawl under the tractor to get to it). It's a 600 mile round trip to get to the tractor, so I will only be intermittently working on this during the winter.

Any advice or insight appreciated.

I had a similar problem with my farmall. Turns out it was the wire feeding from the coil to the distributor. Where it fed through the side of the distributor it had shorted out. Hope this helps.

 

[Jim in NC]

That is a fairly common problem on some of these old tractors.

 

[Ford5610]

Does your tractor still have a magneto? Unless its has been modified, the battery just turns the starter. Spark comes from your magneto. I would investigate the magneto before replacing those points.

 

[flowerbean]

Pictures attached. The tractor is under cover, in not much light, and awkward to get to the ignition (have to belly crawl under the tractor to get to it).