[AJD] Mag help

Bill Brueck b2 at chooka.net
Sun Sep 4 19:49:27 PDT 2005


Dennis, I posted on the engine list about 9 hours ago, no hits yet.  But
there is very little traffic this weekend, maybe a message an hour or so and
that's normally a super busy list, seems like 100 messages a day on a good
day.

In the meantime, if you’re thinking of pulling the mag, you'll have to deal
with timing, anyway.  Did you time it when you put it on, or did you just
stick it on?  A hundred years ago, when I was just starting to tinker with
these as a junior high kid, my dad told me the low tension mag didn't need
to be timed.  Sure drove me to distraction that some of my engine projects
worked OK, others didn't, until I learned he was dead wrong.  The mag does
have to be timed.

While there are gear marks you can line up, you can also check to see if the
mag is timed while it is on the engine.  If I remember correctly (and rest
assured folks will jump in and help if I don't quite have it right.  It's
been 30 years since I've had a JD E engine apart.), there are 2 pins on the
outboard (next to the flywheel) end plate of the mag.  If you turn the
engine slowly and put finger pressure on either of these pins, you can feel
when the timing indent passes on the inside of the magneto.  

That said, let's start at the beginning and work up to the timing.  First,
confirm that the mag is putting out.  Take the wire off the igniter and,
while cranking the engine at a good clip, scratch this wire against some
clean metal somewhere on the engine.  You should have visible sparks, but
it's not like a spark plug ignition: it won't jump a gap, but you should see
sparks when you scratch the wire against a clean ground.  Note that you
won't see sparks every time, that gets back to the need to time the magneto:
it needs to be timed so it is delivering maximum spark when the engine is to
fire.

Next, check the timing of the igniter; this is marked on the flywheel and I
think the mark lines up with the push rod when the igniter is to trip.  The
igniter trip arm slides on the push rod to adjust the timing if needed.

OK, now you can time the mag.  Press in the pin that's next to the correct
arrow indicating the direction of magneto rotation.  The pin should just be
exiting from the indentation when the mag trips.

My expectation is that this last step is where you will find what is wrong
with your engine.

Let us know how this turns out, and anybody else out there jump in if my
procedure above needs a little tuning, itself.

Good luck!  Hope this brings a smile for your dad.  I lost a business
partner to pancreatic cancer a few years back, it hit swift and sure, he
overestimated how much time he had left and didn't leave things in real good
shape for his business and family matters.  I know I speak for the list
members when I say you’re all in our thoughts and prayers.

B²
 
Bill Brueck (brick)
Chatfield, MN, USA
 
Confusion is a higher state of knowledge than ignorance.


-----Original Message-----
From: antique-johndeere-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com
[mailto:antique-johndeere-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com] On Behalf Of
Cotton Family
Sent: Sunday, September 04, 2005 9:15 AM
To: 'Antique John Deere mailing list'
Subject: RE: [AJD] Mag help

I am located in a small town 30 miles east of Birmingham Alabama just off
I-20.  Its called Pell city Alabama.  My phone is 205-884-9089

Dennis

-----Original Message-----
From: antique-johndeere-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com
[mailto:antique-johndeere-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com] On Behalf Of
Bill Brueck
Sent: Sunday, September 04, 2005 8:46 AM
To: 'Antique John Deere mailing list'
Subject: RE: [AJD] Mag help

Dennis, where are you located?  This sounds like the kind of mission that
ATIS folks are famous for traveling a little to help out.  I can also post
this to the ATIS Engine list, that has a lot more members and I bet we could
find somebody in your neighborhood who is real familiar with your engine.

B²
 
Bill Brueck (brick)
Chatfield, MN, USA
 
Confusion is a higher state of knowledge than ignorance.


-----Original Message-----
From: antique-johndeere-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com
[mailto:antique-johndeere-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com] On Behalf Of
Cotton Family
Sent: Sunday, September 04, 2005 6:50 AM
To: 'Antique John Deere mailing list'
Subject: RE: [AJD] Mag help

The problem is the mag is a replacement that just dosent seem to run and
hard to crank. The first one on it worked just fine till it got dropped and
broke the magnet and housing..It might be a timing issue, but I needed a
couple places that this could be done on the ASAP... 

The issue is I found out that my dad who is 63 who retired last year, who is
my best friend went in the hospital on Thursday and Friday for a skin
condition was told he has stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer and we have 6 weeks to 6
months.. The model E is for his youngest grandson who is 3 who is fascinated
with it and it will be hooked up to a ice cream churn.. But the freaking
thing has been temperamental since we put the new mag on it.. Time is short
for us right now and we are doing all we can during the good days..I really
don't have time to mess with it as I need to be doing other things but might
need to have it rebuild PDK..Its on the list of things to get done before
the end.


Thanks
Dennis
 


-----Original Message-----
From: antique-johndeere-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com
[mailto:antique-johndeere-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com] On Behalf Of
Duane Larson
Sent: Saturday, September 03, 2005 11:07 PM
To: Antique John Deere mailing list
Subject: Re: [AJD] Mag help

Dennis,
Those magnetos are pretty simple - what seems to be the problem with it? 
About all of the parts are available - perhaps we can help sort it out here.
Duane Larson

----- Original Message -----
From: "Cotton Family" <dcotton at coosahs.net>
To: "'Antique John Deere mailing list'" 
<antique-johndeere at lists.antique-tractor.com>
Sent: Saturday, September 03, 2005 7:02 PM
Subject: [AJD] Mag help


>I am in a bit of a crunch for time. Cant go into detail yet but I might 
>need  a JD 1 1.5 horse stationary engine Mag rebuild pronto.. Does 
>anybody know  a  good shop with a decent turnaround time?
>
> Dennis
>
> _______________________________________________
> Antique-johndeere mailing list
> http://www.antique-tractor.com/mailman/listinfo/antique-johndeere

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