[AT] Make repairs or payments

[Gunnells, Brad R]

I wasn’t going to reply but since so many have I’ll chime in as well.  ;-)

I have Dad’s Ford 871 at my place, it started running rough, coughing and sputtering. For some reason, I thought it might be trash in fuel so got a carb kit and soaked it in Simple Green and sprayed all the passages with carb cleaner and compressed air. Thing was nice and clean. Put it all together and still ran like crap. WTH???

So, stopped by a local farm fleet type place and picked up a point/condenser set. Thing running like a top. Start mowing weeds with rotary mower and about an hour in starts to misfire etc. Hmmm…Pull carb back apart and check to make sure not crap in there. Nope clean. Ok…maybe a faulty point kit. Stop and pick up another. Just throw in the condenser. Thing runs like a champ. 45 minutes later….you guessed it! Spit sputter cough. I swiped a condenser of an old Allis combine engine (226 WD45) I have sitting hoping to find a place to transplant it. Thing runs again. Figure at this pace I can’t hardly use the tractor. So, get the Pertronix kit and it’s been running great since.

Of course, it had been 20+ years since we’d last tuned it up. I’m sure the quality of points then was far different than what you get today.

Ralph’s mention of the GM electronic ignition reminds me of the early days of HEI. Kept a spare rotor in the tow truck when going out on service calls as they’d often burn a hole through them and the vehicle would die then and there. 2 minutes, a screw driver, and one new rotor later and they’d be back on the road. No need for ODBC code readers and computer diagnostics.  (

Brad

On 1/29/18, 10:35 PM, "at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com on behalf of Ralph Goff" <at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com on behalf of alfg at sasktel.net> wrote:

    On 1/29/2018 9:39 PM, Jason wrote:
    > They don't quite make points like they used to. Electronic is really a good
    > way to go.
    I really can't complain on the service I get from points and condensors. 
    I really can't remember when I last put a set of points or condensor
    in the Cockshutt tractors. I think I replaced them in the IH Loadstar a 
    few times in the 34 years I've driven it but its been a while.  The 52 Merc
    old flathead is running great on whatever points and condensor were in 
    there when it was parked in the early 1980s. I did shine them up a bit
    to get it started the first time. I remember adjusting the points once 
    on the Chevy II (six) and might have eventually replaced the points.
    On the other hand, I don't think I have spent anything on electronic 
    ignition repairs on my GM engines in the 81 and 97 engines. So yes, 
    electronic
    has been good to me too.
    
    Ralph in Sask.
    >
    
    
    ---
    This email has been checked for viruses by AVG.
    http://www.avg.com
    
    
    _______________________________________________
    AT mailing list
    http://www.antique-tractor.com/mailman/listinfo/at