defective distributor caps - China

[Linden123]

in a recent post, I asked for help after giving my 2N a complete electical overhaul..new points, condensor, dist.cap, coil, and plugs..and could not get a startup..no spark. Friendly folks blamed the key switch, the only thing left. That turns out not the problem, and I want to warn the next guy who buys a distributor cap: If it is made in China, check it out before installing it. Mine had no continuity from the outside contact to the middle post. And, to vendors of Chinese made distr.caps (yt are you out there?) I suggest you check them before you send them on to your customers.

 

[souNdguy]

not saying it wasn't bad, but what did you check it with for continuity? some of those use a resistive element that conducts high voltage ok.. but not low meter currents for an ohms x 1 scale.. etc.

good luck.

PS.. I've seen 'warped china caps that don't set flat.

soundguy

 

[Linden123]

I have to apoligize to everyone, including China.
I just put on the distr.cap that for me had not worked before...onto the 2N that is now purring... and the engine started right up. NOW I can't say the cap is bad, but checking it with the ohmeter previously showed no continuity, and now it shows some, though not as much as the old cap.
Further, (in case anyone took it as so) nothing bad about YT was ever intended, I accept the fact that sometimes bad parts get manufactured and someone gets them. Next time I need tractor parts, I won't hesitate to call YT.

 

[Dell (WA)]

Linden.........humme??? defective conductor to the center rotor button........That is so far down on possible causes of no-spark to be infinitesimal. Based upon yer original description, it is unbelievable. In fact, I have NEVER heard of such a thing. Thank you for yer due diligence and reporting your find.

Iff'n you want YT parts attention on this matter, post directly to them, NOT hiding it inside this bulletin board. ........Dell

 

[Bob Harvey]

Hey, just wait until you see their Mega Complex in Washington State (no offense- tongue in cheek). b

 

[souNdguy]

as I stated.. I doubt an ohm meter is a good tool to check a material that conducts high voltage. etc.

remember.. carbon impregnated fiberglass conducts high voltage.. but on an ohms x1 x10 x100 x1000 etc.. won't show much..

 

[Linden123]

Valid observation, soundguy. If these caps are designed to pass only high voltage and not low, you are absolutely correct. But here are some facts that I was working with:
1) the 2N did not start when the newcap was first installed. 2) then changing nothing else but to replace the newcap with the oldcap, the 2N started. 3) then comparing ohms between the two caps, the oldcap showed good continuity, the newcap showed absolutely none...no needle wiggle. 4) then, assuming the center post of the newcap had a non-conductive coating on it, I filed it with a rotary tool,remeasured ohms and got a needle wiggle that was very small compared wtih the oldcap. I assumed it was defective and purchased a 2nd NEWcap at a local store. 5) Then, testing ohms on the 2nd NEWcap showed good continuity equal to the oldcap. I put it on the tractor and declared the first newcap disfuctional...never put the first newcap back on the tractor after filing on its centerpost... until yesterday when with it on the 2N purred away.
I deduce, (from fact no. 1)that the newcap, as received was disfunctional. I deduce that the filing with rotary tool on the centerpost jiggled it in its setting, or in some other way established enough continuity to allow it to subsequently work. Since two of the three caps I am dealing with show good continuity with an ohmeter, and they work on the 2N; and since the one cap that showed no continuity did not work on the 2N (until I screwed with it), I feel that checking with an ohmeter is a worthwhile thing to do. Yes, as you point out, there may be caps where this test is not valid, but in this case it was.

Once again, I apoligize for having mentioned where I got the newcap. Am sorry I did.

 

[Steve (BC)]

(quoted from post at 02:30:21 01/06/12) Hey, just wait until you see their Mega Complex in Washington State (no offense- tongue in cheek). b

Bob - how much of a drive is it from the Vancouver, BC area?

 

[Britcheflee]

I think that China will probably follow a similar path as Japan when it comes to manufacturing parts/electronics etc - intially there will be problems and cheap/shoddy work but eventually they will have high quality products/cars/electronics etc. Unless I am mistaken a lot of our high end electronics are already made in China and are of good quality?
Of course there is still a huge market for basic cheapo stuff 99% of the stuff you see in the dollar store but there will always be a market for this in the USA/west. I am constantly amazed by how much stuff is made in China - just yesterday at work looked at a box with traditional soup bowls for French onion soup - made in China!

I also think that we all probably have a rather dated vision of these countries - rather backwards and poor - yes, there are many regions which are like this but willing to bet there are many high tech facilites and modern infrastructure in both China and India that we probably would be suprised to see.


Lee

 

[souNdguy]

my -GUESS- is the cap that showed no continuity had a coating on the contact that you filed off and now works.

as to not showing good continuity. I will again guess it is not using a striaght thru metal conductor.. but a high voltage conductor.. or even an ignition resistor / capacitive element.. passed KV.. but don't show good on low ohms scale.

that's my guess.

Un;less you say the conductor 'wiggle' when you filed it.. I doubt it was loose. from the manufacturing techniques I see.. they are firmly potted ..e tc.

again.. I don't have yours in hand to do any more than guess..

 

[TheOldHokie]

(quoted from post at 16:03:13 01/06/12)
I think that China will probably follow a similar path as Japan when it comes to manufacturing parts/electronics etc - intially there will be problems and cheap/shoddy work but eventually they will have high quality products/cars/electronics etc. Unless I am mistaken a lot of our high end electronics are already made in China and are of good quality?
Of course there is still a huge market for basic cheapo stuff 99% of the stuff you see in the dollar store but there will always be a market for this in the USA/west. I am constantly amazed by how much stuff is made in China - just yesterday at work looked at a box with traditional soup bowls for French onion soup - made in China!

I also think that we all probably have a rather dated vision of these countries - rather backwards and poor - yes, there are many regions which are like this but willing to bet there are many high tech facilites and modern infrastructure in both China and India that we probably would be suprised to see.


Lee

China produces some really fine manufacturing technology and they are rapidly challenging other countries for that market. I recently acquired the SINO 3 axis digital readout you see on the top right of this picture of my my mill. It along with three glass linear encoders for the table were purchased direct from a distributor in mainland China and were shipped direct to my home. Cost for the system was $350 and shipping was $125. That same system is around $800 from domestic resellers. An equivalent US or European made system would have been close to $2000.

The SINO encoders have a resolution of .00002 and the DRO reads perfectly without any signof skips. I have milled small (6") test pieces to check the accuracy of the DRO/encoders and the error is so small I cannot measure it with any instrument I own. It has been on the mill for a little over two years and the only problem I have had with it is one damaged encoder - I crushed the 60" horiziontal scale against the column on the mill when I overshot on a fast Y-axis table traverse I emailed the distributor and they promptly sent me a replacement encoder - $150 total. Cost of a replacement domestic scale that length is over $1000. The only downside so far is the manual which appears to be written in Chinglish by a British educated author so you have to work some when reading it :roll: :roll:

TOH

 

[36 Coupe]

Distributor caps have a carbon button that the steel rotor contact runs on,Ford v8 coils Had a carbon brush that was spring loaded running agaist the rotor contact.Ive found the brush missing at times.You forget we are dealing with a high voltage that can jump a 1/2 inch air gap when the engine is running.Just checked a new cap, got zero ohms.Even if the carbon button is not making good contact the spark will get to the rotor.In any case Ive never had enough money to replace the whole ignition system
so I have find the bad part when I have no spark.There are good mechanics and there are parts changers.Do you think that all the parts you replaced are bad?