Brand New 2N Distributor From Amazon... check the points

[HFJ]

(quoted from post at 07:56:38 08/04/23)
Then I can move on to our hay elevator, tedder, haybine, and even the wall of our hayloft...because all need repairs before the next hay-weather window

Forgot the baler...that also needs the plunger stop bumper replaced...

no rest for the wicked, and the righteous don't need it

 

[HFJ]

i have no shortage of stuff i should be doing today, but none of it is urgent enough to make me want to feed the insanely bad mosquitoes here. yet.

hoping Chemical Ali can pay me a visit tonight or tomorrow night, and sunday is supposed to be breezy. fingers crossed. i can put some stuff off indefinitely, but my lawn has a recurring "best when mowed by" date. poison fog followed by wind is a blessing for me

 

[lastcowboy32]

I hear ya.

This is all just "guided anxiety" anyway, as I finish up the week at my desk job and plan my weekend maintenance activities at the farm.

I could do a lot more experimentation and such, if I was home all week during the day. As it is, I can't pull off my distributor and futz around with it all day during the week... so... I pop in and out of here, reading posts asking questions, trying to guide my thinking... so I can make the most out of an evening or weekend, because if I don't have parts ready for the weekend... that means ordering something else, and maybe not getting to it until the weekend after.

 

[lastcowboy32]

To the above point... I figured I could go to the local Fastenal or Grainger to get truss head screws for the elevator project. Went to run an errand at lunchtime...

Both locations have closed...online only.

I'll have to put the elevator together with regular machine screws, to get the fit right and add the truss heads next week.

It's the same with my N tractor. I have a local Ford/New Holland dealer... great for most things, but they stopped supporting the older fords a few years back. It's all online... or maybe NAPA...which would have to order anyway.

It's not the same as it used to be.

 

[HFJ]

(quoted from post at 17:34:14 08/04/23)
To the above point... I figured I could go to the local Fastenal or Grainger to get truss head screws for the elevator project. Went to run an errand at lunchtime...

Both locations have closed...online only.

fastenal and grainger an hour+ from me

just lost a bolt on one of my mowers. as soon as i pulled its mate, i knew my local hardware store wouldn't have it. i'm guessing 1/4-8, more like a round nosed sheet metal screw on steroids. i shocked myself by finding a perfect replacement in my stash.

tried to replace the pulley on the other mower. my careless rush to avoid the mosquitoes almost broke my wrist. at least i know i won't have to cut the bolt now.

 

[Eman85]

If I bought a distributor from Amazon for a front mount N I would have thrown the points and condenser in the trash and installed better parts before I installed it.

 

[lastcowboy32]

(quoted from post at 08:03:06 08/05/23) If I bought a distributor from Amazon for a front mount N I would have thrown the points and condenser in the trash and installed better parts before I installed it.

I've thought about the same, because condensers are dicey nowadays.

But where would you source a more reliable condenser and points?

I definitely would buy I to the notion of getting the new distributor from Amazon for the mechanicals, to replace my 80 year old mechanicals, (that was my main deciding factor when I bought it) while putting in more reliable internals...but I fear that all parts come from the same place, Amazon or not.

This post was edited by lastcowboy32 on 08/06/2023 at 06:41 am.

 

[MI-Bill]

i did buy one . the points have perfect or better alignment of the contact surfaces, something I have not found to be true for points from this site or other recommended brands in the last ten years.

 

[lastcowboy32]

(quoted from post at 19:14:06 08/08/23) i did buy one . the points have perfect or better alignment of the contact surfaces, something I have not found to be true for points from this site or other recommended brands in the last ten years.

I had a positive first impression of the one that I bought. I still think it was a good deal. I just should have checked the point gap.

To me, it's understandable that an aftermarket manufacturer could be confused about the point gap on these things. Ford used these distributors forever, in three models of tractors spanning about ten years... and one of the tractor models has a different distributor with a 0.025 gap.

There are plenty of us, here in the US...that speak English as a first language... that are plenty confused by the mishmash of parts and part application within the N tractors...(as I read a couple of threads that talk about how some N tractors are chimeras of front distributor blocks with some part swaps that enable side distributor use...)

So... if you have a front distributor block... with a side distributor... what do you set the gap at? Do you set the side distributor to the front distributor gap???

 

[Dwd14329]

Is there a link to download manuals? I have a 1947 2n and from what I can tell from YouTube videos, this year and model requires 15 thousands gap and the spark plug are 25 thousands??

 

[lastcowboy32]

manuals are good, but I've been burned enough to now know...

Yes...if you have a 2N with a front mount distributor... 0.015 points, 0.025 plugs

But...get the manuals, there are many places. TSC even sells a version of a Ford N tractor manual right on the shelves in the store. Almost always a copy in stock, whenever I walk by that section.

Downloads? I don't know. Can't help you there.

 

[lastcowboy32]

There is also a frequent forum member, Bruce VA, that has a handy dandy FAQ page for old fords...

https://www.yesterdaystractors.com/articles/artint268.htm

 

[Dwd14329]

I don't have a manual for my tractor yet but .015 is correct gap setting for 1944 2N as well? I'm getting conflicting answers for the gap. That's why I ask. Plug gap is .025?? Also float is 1/4" height? Getting ready to repair my stranded tractor. This is why I am confirming. Darn thing dies every time i drive on an incline and finally it won't even fire on level ground. Sounds like a float issue but then again could be fuel filters blocked, vapor lock and now points might be stuck closed. Could be a number of issues but the incline is what's got me baffled. I'm thinking previous owner installed an aftermarket carb and he didn't verify settings. Good news is that I can easily eliminate firing as an issue.

 

[HFJ]

(quoted from post at 09:43:31 08/13/23)
I don't have a manual for my tractor yet but .015 is correct gap setting for 1944 2N as well? I'm getting conflicting answers for the gap. That's why I ask. Plug gap is .025?? Also float is 1/4" height?

yes, yes, and yes.

my arthritis doesn't miss my front-mount points

 

[Dwd14329]

Perfect and thank you for the detailed reply. Lol. I know how ya feel with arthritus. Unfortunately, I have to work around front loader brackets. I can't wait, plus my eyes are not the best at my age either. The pain will all be worth it if it starts.

 

[Dwd14329]

I did check points on my new distributer and points were off by .007 but timing was good. Good tip