2n Timing/points question?

[DZG300]

1945 2N

Ive been having an issue where it would lose spark after running a bit. I changed coil/cap/rotor/wires and it fired up. Put hood back on and then it started, ran like garbage and died and wouldnt start. No spark again.

So i pulled the hood back off, pulled the distributor, and found a couple things...

First, the points were "offset", like only half of one point was touching the other point.

Secondly, the points will not open, and will not adjust. I think the cam and bushing both are shot. The resistor (12v conversion, ceramic style) startedxt
smoking while i was cranking on it....guessing this if from the points being stuck closed?

Anyways, i ended up ordering a new distributor, yes its chinese but im hoping it just gets me through untill whenever and ill rebuild the factory one and convert to electronic ignition.

But ive read and read and still dont fully understand how you adjust the timing? I want to make sure point gap/timing is correct on new distributor.

What do i turn or loosen?

Sorry if i sound ignorant but points are something ive never fooled with much at all.

My other question is with the points being stuck closed do you think i fried the new coil i bought?

 

[Lynn Patrick]

I won't attempt to answer your dist questions unseen as many of today's dist problems are actually poor quality points, but I don't agree w/taking the hood off to work on the dist. All you need do is unbolt the wire from the coil top, unclip the 2 cap clips & let the cap hang, remove 2 bolts (1/2" end wrench) & work on the dist wherever you please. The first time you do it the bolts seem difficult to figure out, but after a couple times you learn the best way & it is really not that difficult. Just be sure you have the dist turned correctly when you reinstall it so the off-set drive tang lines up & you don't crack the housing!

 

[DZG300]

I won't attempt to answer your dist questions unseen as many of today's dist problems are actually poor quality points, but I don't agree w/taking the hood off to work on the dist. All you need do is unbolt the wire from the coil top, unclip the 2 cap clips & let the cap hang, remove 2 bolts (1/2" end wrench) & work on the dist wherever you please. The first time you do it the bolts seem difficult to figure out, but after a couple times you learn the best way & it is really not that difficult. Just be sure you have the dist turned correctly when you reinstall it so the off-set drive tang lines up & you don't crack the housing!

Yeah after time #2 i realized pulling the hood wasnt really needed lol. But oh well.

But thank you

 

[Non-farmer]

Yeah after time #2 i realized pulling the hood wasnt really needed lol. But oh well.

But thank you

I'm a huge fan of siphoning. I use about an 8 foot piece of fuel line. the extra length was an unexpected bonus, as an unexpected benefit became apparent. anyone who gets a mouthful of target liquid in their mouth deserves to be laughed at (and possibly a mad dash to the nearest hospital too.)

 

[Jim L WA]

I'm a huge fan of siphoning. I use about an 8 foot piece of fuel line. the extra length was an unexpected bonus, as an unexpected benefit became apparent. anyone who gets a mouthful of target liquid in their mouth deserves to be laughed at (and possibly a mad dash to the nearest hospital too.)

Non-farmer, I think you grabbed the wrong thread.

 

[Jim L WA]

To answer your question, there is a screw on the side of the distributor housing that holds the plate in place inside the distributor. You loosen that screw and move the plate one way or another to adjust the timing Do know about using a straight edge and a ruler to set the timing?

 

[Non-farmer]

Non-farmer, I think you grabbed the wrong thread.

Indeed I did. Thought this was the one where the OP was having problems getting liquids *into* something. A lot of people never think of siphoning as a way to ADD.

 

[DZG300]

To answer your question, there is a screw on the side of the distributor housing that holds the plate in place inside the distributor. You loosen that screw and move the plate one way or another to adjust the timing Do know about using a straight edge and a ruler to set the timing?

Yes that part i understood. But wasnt clear exactly how to adjust it if need be. So the whole plate iside the distributor turns?

 

[Non-farmer]

Yes that part i understood. But wasnt clear exactly how to adjust it if need be. So the whole plate iside the distributor turns?

yes.

 

[DZG300]

yes.

Thank you

 

[Mad Farmer]

Yes that part i understood. But wasnt clear exactly how to adjust it if need be. So the whole plate iside the distributor turns?

This link has a pretty good tutorial of R + R on a front mount with good pictures.

https://myfordtractors.com/distrbldfrnt.shtml

 

[Non-farmer]

You could easily have an older engine in an 8N. Does the distributor look like this? If so, that's a 9/2N dist. You can put the older distributor in an 8N engine, but the question that comes to mind is why? An engine like that in an 8 generally equals orig 8N engine gone real bad, this one was handy.

 

[DZG300]

You could easily have an older engine in an 8N. Does the distributor look like this? If so, that's a 9/2N dist. You can put the older distributor in an 8N engine, but the question that comes to mind is why? An engine like that in an 8 generally equals orig 8N engine gone real bad, this one was handy.View attachment 95194

Yes i have that style distributor

but


i also have a 2n tractor

 

[JMOR]

Several differences, & some can be swapped, but at least one "identifier" of older 9N, 2N & 'early' 8N engines is the location of the oil fill tube. On older engines, it is very forward, leaving no space for the left side generator, but later, the tube was moved rearward and mounting bosses for generator appear forward of new tube location.

https://imgur.com/OEXF2nz

 

[will-max dairy]

1945 2N

Ive been having an issue where it would lose spark after running a bit. I changed coil/cap/rotor/wires and it fired up. Put hood back on and then it started, ran like garbage and died and wouldnt start. No spark again.

So i pulled the hood back off, pulled the distributor, and found a couple things...

First, the points were "offset", like only half of one point was touching the other point.

Secondly, the points will not open, and will not adjust. I think the cam and bushing both are shot. The resistor (12v conversion, ceramic style) startedxt
smoking while i was cranking on it....guessing this if from the points being stuck closed?

Anyways, i ended up ordering a new distributor, yes its chinese but im hoping it just gets me through untill whenever and ill rebuild the factory one and convert to electronic ignition.

But ive read and read and still dont fully understand how you adjust the timing? I want to make sure point gap/timing is correct on new distributor.

What do i turn or loosen?

Sorry if i sound ignorant but points are something ive never fooled with much at all.

My other question is with the points being stuck closed do you think i fried the new coil i bought?

As a sanity check, turn the engine over without the distributor and ensure that the slotted drive sheave (for lack of a better term) that's supposed to turn the distributor, is turning.

These tractors are old enough now that I've seen a couple of threads with mystery ignition problems, traced to the fact that the distributor isn't being driven at all. Those drive sheaves can fail after 80 years.

I hope that isn't your issue... and it probably isn't... but it's a very easy thing to check for.

Other than that, you seem to be on the right track.

I'm running our 2N on a cheap, new aftermarket distributor... going on... two years now. No issues. I DID need to check the point gap on it when I bought it. I thought the same thing as you... put in the cheap newbie, buy time to rebuild the old one... and then I cleaned my shop and scrapped the old one. I'm not going to rebuild a distributor. LOL!. I have a million other things to fix around the farm, without pre-emptively rebuilding the 2N's distributor for its next failure... possibly 80 years in the future.


Also... ditto to leaving the hood on... the only thing I mess with to get at the distributor is the fan belt... I loosen up the generator that tensions it and just slide it out of the way.

Also... ditto to looking at the slots in the drive sheave and tangs in your distributor to make sure you have it aligned properly.

Even if your drive sheave hasn't failed. I've noticed with our 2N... that the slots have gotten a little sloppy after 80 years. You can install the distributor 180degrees out of phase, if you don't carefully look at the sheave and the tangs and visually ensure that you are putting it on the right way.

 

[Jim in LA]

You could easily have an older engine in an 8N. Does the distributor look like this? If so, that's a 9/2N dist. You can put the older distributor in an 8N engine, but the question that comes to mind is why? An engine like that in an 8 generally equals orig 8N engine gone real bad, this one was handy.View attachment 95194

Early 8N models also have the same front mount distributor.

You could easily have an older engine in an 8N. Does the distributor look like this? If so, that's a 9/2N dist. You can put the older distributor in an 8N engine, but the question that comes to mind is why? An engine like that in an 8 generally equals orig 8N engine gone real bad, this one was handy.View attachment 95194

Early 8N models have the front mount distributor also.

 

[wore out]

As a sanity check, turn the engine over without the distributor and ensure that the slotted drive sheave (for lack of a better term) that's supposed to turn the distributor, is turning.

These tractors are old enough now that I've seen a couple of threads with mystery ignition problems, traced to the fact that the distributor isn't being driven at all. Those drive sheaves can fail after 80 years.

I hope that isn't your issue... and it probably isn't... but it's a very easy thing to check for.

Other than that, you seem to be on the right track.

I'm running our 2N on a cheap, new aftermarket distributor... going on... two years now. No issues. I DID need to check the point gap on it when I bought it. I thought the same thing as you... put in the cheap newbie, buy time to rebuild the old one... and then I cleaned my shop and scrapped the old one. I'm not going to rebuild a distributor. LOL!. I have a million other things to fix around the farm, without pre-emptively rebuilding the 2N's distributor for its next failure... possibly 80 years in the future.


Also... ditto to leaving the hood on... the only thing I mess with to get at the distributor is the fan belt... I loosen up the generator that tensions it and just slide it out of the way.

Also... ditto to looking at the slots in the drive sheave and tangs in your distributor to make sure you have it aligned properly.

Even if your drive sheave hasn't failed. I've noticed with our 2N... that the slots have gotten a little sloppy after 80 years. You can install the distributor 180degrees out of phase, if you don't carefully look at the sheave and the tangs and visually ensure that you are putting it on the right way.

"Drive sheave"????

The camshaft is driven by GEARS and the offset drive slot is machined into the end of the camshaft itself, dunno where you are seeing "sheaves"?

(I'm NOT trying to be "picky", I just don't see a reason to add confusion to anyone who may who come upon this thread in the future.)

 

[JMOR]

Early 8N models also have the same front mount distributor.

Early 8N models have the front mount distributor also.

"Drive sheave"????

The camshaft is driven by GEARS and the offset drive slot is machined into the end of the camshaft itself, dunno where you are seeing "sheaves"?

(I'm NOT trying to be "picky", I just don't see a reason to add confusion to anyone who may who come upon this thread in the future.)

Not to mention that a fiber cam gear likely a greater probability that totally wore out slot in the cam/distributor interface.

 

[Non-farmer]

Early 8N models also have the same front mount distributor.

Early 8N models have the front mount distributor also.

he specifically stated it was a 1945. aside from the thread title, it was the first thing he said

 

[will-max dairy]

"Drive sheave"????

The camshaft is driven by GEARS and the offset drive slot is machined into the end of the camshaft itself, dunno where you are seeing "sheaves"?

(I'm NOT trying to be "picky", I just don't see a reason to add confusion to anyone who may who come upon this thread in the future.)

I've never taken a cam shaft out of an N tractor. All I know is a couple things:

-That gear (proper term, thank you) can break; and sometimes, the first symptom that people chase down is no spark. That would often lead to looking at distributor, coil, plug wires, etc. When really, the problem is that the distributor isn't even turning.

-The slot in the end of the cam shaft (thank you for clarifying that) can get sloppy after 80 years, and a distributor can be installed 180degrees out of time, if you are not careful.

Thanks for the clarification. The post was still editable, and I edited any reference to the word "sheave" out of it.