Starting problems

[John in So.IL.]

8n will not start when starter is engaged...once button is released it will then start. It has front dist. and has been changed to 12volt. Any ideas? Is that a enough info?f
 

[Walt Davies]

Rewired wrong.
Walt
 

[cole in mo.]

Somewhere along the line you've either got too much resistance to the points, or somebody hooked the coil wire to the starter button.
 

[Berth 29 opinions]

Check the current to the distributor while cranking. Could be there is no voltage to the distributor when cranking - or the voltage could be too low to fire the plugs.

One time I had a bad key switch, another time a bad battery cable.
 

[Bob]

It takes current to operate the starter, which pulls down battery VOLTAGE making the spark from a defective ignition system too weak to light off the charge in the cylinders.

When you release the starter button, battery voltage rises, and the engine is still turning over (on it"s way to coasting to a stop) and fires from the now "hotter" spark.

You may have a weak ("fried") coil, damaged from TOO LITTLE primary resistance in the primary circuit and/or from the key being left on with the engine stalled, or, on the other hand, the coil may be OK, and there is TOO MUCH resistance in the primary circuit, casing low primary current/low spark VOLTAGE.

There are/have been coils with various primary resistances on the market and each individual doing a 12Volt conversion may opt for a slightly different way of doing things!

This makes for a lot of FUN when a later owner has problems.

You MAY have to start over with a new coil and appropriate primary resistance. here has been enough written about this to fill a book, over at the "N"-specific Board. You may want to surf over there.
Place for N stuff

 

[old]

A starter that is on its way south will cause that. As will having the wrong ballast resisters or a ballast resister getting bad. The front mount system had a ballast resistor on it from the factory that was a thermistor which means as it got warm the resistance would go up and if you have that and another ballast resister the factory resistor maybe getting bad.
 

[John in So.IL.]

Ok guys thanks, I now have some things I can take a look at after this big snow we are suppose to get tonight. Sorry, I guess I posted this in the wrong group.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
 

[VicS]

Where are you in So. Il. I'm at Barnhill. No snow yet. Vic
 

[John in So.IL.]

Harrisburg...12 inches last night...fun with the 8n today.