Do I need my distributor rebuilt?

[Stephen Newell]

Sometime this spring my Case 210b suddenly quit working. It wasn't getting a spark. I took the distributor cap off and it didn't look bad at all but I went ahead and went to NAPA and bought a new distributor cap and rotor. Still no spark. I then ordered a distributor cap and rotor from All States Ag Parts same as what I had and it fired right up. Then a couple weeks ago the tractor stopped dead in it's tracks again. It probably had less than 40 hours on the cap and rotor and the contacts were barely discolored. I thought it can't be the cap again so I replaced the coil. Still no spark I then ordered yet another cap and rotor and it fired right up again. This has me wondering if the distributor itself is bad. Thoughts

 

[mEl]

. What makes you think the whole distributor is bad? Unless it has been changed to electronic ignition I didn't see where you replaced the points and condenser in your efforts, they are a maintenance item as well as plugs. Distributor shafts do loosen up over years and that allows point gap to vary but seldom keeps them from running. I would guess it has the prestolite distributor, remove the cover and inspect the points, turn the engine till the points open and see if they have gap, .020 is the setting.

 

[Stephen Newell]

I did check the points and were still gapped to .020. Still I filed them and reset the gap again and it made no difference. Basically what is going on is I'm having to replace the distributor cap and rotor way more often than I should. Trying to figure out why.

It does have the prestolite distributor and just by feel can't detect any lateral movement.

This is the old cap and rotor I took off the tractor which is no longer working.

 

[RGMartin]

Make sure you are getting power to the coil. I have had several in the last couple years with bad ignition switches, not sending power to the coil.

 

[mEl]

does the coil have a nice hot spark when you hold the coil wire near the block, it should throw at least a 1/2 inch blue spark, check the spark out of the coil wire when it's messing up I do not see any problems with the cap and rotor from here. I have been having more than my share of bad condensers right out of the package on one of the most popular brands sold at Tractor Supply and many dealers are also selling them. Are you using copper core wires, I have seen many suppression type ignition wire with core burned back inside the wire. Some of these things can be stubborn.

 

[kenbob]

I am having sort of the same issue with my 300 round nose. When mine dies the starter is dead as well for a few minutes. Nothing, and then mysteriously it works again.

I just put in a new switch and got it from John Saeli so I don't think that is the problem. I could have a loose wire to the switch, but I just put that in last month. Other possibility is that 3 wire bundle that contains the power wire from the starter may be bad. On my tractor I think the steering knuckle jiggles it a little when you turn. I have rerouted the wire and put extra insulation around where it comes through a hole on what I guess you would call the firewall. I haven't used it enough since it stopped (happened twice) to know if I isolated the problem. I have a test light in the tool box to test if it happens again.

 

[Stephen Newell]

Yes, it's getting a spark like that. It's why I turned my attention to the cap and rotor. I'm not sure what kind of wires I have though. Isn't the condenser there to prevent the coil from burning the points? If it works with one cap and not the other wouldn't it be alright?

 

[Stephen Newell]

I did have an issue with the ignition switch but it was replaced and I'm getting 12v at the coil.

 

[Stephen Newell]

I've run out of ideas on mine. I've replaced the key switch, the starter solenoid and the coil. The only thing that made it happy is another new cap and rotor. If I were using the tractor every day like a lot of people here I would have to put a new cap and rotor on every week.

 

[kenbob]

But also, with Mel, condensers are junk these days. If your starter still turns when it quits, your problem is different than mine.

 

[DanielW]

Don't discount the condenser - in my experience it's the most common cause of intermittent ignition problems. Some die when they get hot and work again when they cool down, some cheap new ones don't work out of the box. Some will cause it to run erratically due to a delayed/intermittent spark. They don't always cause complete failure - often it's just erratic spark behavior. Had this on my brother's Cockshutt 540 just a few weeks ago: intermittent spark problems: He kept changing parts, assuming that it if was getting spark occasionally, it wasn't the points/condenser. He fought with it for ages, then for giggles he swapped the condenser with one on his little Triumph sportscar. Worked flawlessly.

I'd replace the condenser, give the points a quick touch with a file in case they're alittle burned from the condensor being bad, and go from there. They're cheap enough that it's a pretty easy/worthwhile potential problem to eliminate. After that if it's still an issue, check to make sure your wires leading to your condenser aren't cut and occasionally grounding out, check timing, &c. But definitely start with the condenser.

 

[Tgrasher]

Can't believe the caps and rotors are going bad that quickly. When your switching them, I'm going to bet that your moving the distributor wire and causing it to unground itself. Check the grommet on the distributor wall.

 

[chuck machinist]

How much vertical play do you have in the dist. shaft? CM

 

[Stephen Newell]

I can't feel any vertical play.

 

[Stephen Newell]

While I was waiting for the new cap and rotor I checked the ground wire and it was fine. I disconnected it and cleaned the ends and put it back on and still no spark.

 

[Stephen Newell]

I've replaced everything else, I will go ahead and change the condenser. I tried to get the tractor started for a couple weeks so it had time to cool off. It's only when I replaced the cap and rotor it started.

 

[Stephen Newell]

Everything worked normally except I didn't have a spark.

 

[Jim.ME]

Deleted duplicated post

This post was edited by Jim.ME on 08/24/2023 at 05:39 pm.

 

[Jim.ME]

(quoted from post at 20:27:00 08/24/23) While I was waiting for the new cap and rotor I checked the ground wire and it was fine. I disconnected it and cleaned the ends and put it back on and still no spark.

Some Prestolite distributors had a metal clip where the points tab and condenser wire connect to the wire from the coil. Under that clip is a thin insulator to prevent the clip and its screw from grounding out. I had a John Deere with a Prestolite that kept quitting intermittently. I found the insulator was bad and grounding out at times. Checking for why it quit and poking around moved the clip just enough to clear the ground for a time. I suggest at least checking the condition of that insulator.

When it won't start have you tried using a test light with the probe on the coil terminal where the primary wire for the distributor connects to see if it test light flashes as the engine is cranked over?

 

[Dingo3]

The only thing I can think of is the coil wire itself. Changing the cap might make a weak connection better when you push the wire on. Only to be lost again while using the tractor. Might try a resistance check on the wire or at least slide the boots up and check the connection.