Electronic ignition tea20

[deermedo]

Hello,
I have installed a new electronic system in my Fergie. Few months back and it has been running well. Yesterday it quit and there is no spark. I suspect it is the unit or the ignition switch. If I run a wire from the positive post at the battery to the positive side of the coil would this eliminate the ignition switch and possibly prove either the coil or the electronics are at fault? The tractor is 12 volt negative ground.
Thank you in advance for any info.

 

[rvirgil_KS]

Providing there is no additional resistor between coil + and the switch

 

[Jason S.]

(quoted from post at 15:26:11 01/02/15) Hello,
I have installed a new electronic system in my Fergie. Few months back and it has been running well. Yesterday it quit and there is no spark. I suspect it is the unit or the ignition switch. If I run a wire from the positive post at the battery to the positive side of the coil would this eliminate the ignition switch and possibly prove either the coil or the electronics are at fault? The tractor is 12 volt negative ground.
Thank you in advance for any info.

Yes that would eliminate the switch from being the culprit. Also check while your cranking it to make sure that the voltage to the coil isn't dropping to low for the module to work. As rvirgil said if there is a ballast resistor in line from the switch to the coil that could also be bad. It depends on whether you changed the coil to a 12 volt no external resistor required coil or not. I have seen several Pertronix units in the last few months that have lasted no time. My dad put a brand new one in a VW and he drove the car about 30 miles and it died and never did crank back. The module was bad. A friend of mine has a pulling tractor and the Pertronix in it was about 10 years old. It finally quit and that's understandable being that old. He put a new one in and he backed the tractor off of the trailer at a show and that was as far as that one made it. He had to change it again. It seems that Pertronix quality control has went to crap.

 

[deermedo]

Ok guys here's one for you. Hot wire from the battery direct to the pos on the coil and still no spark?? Changed coils and still the same. Any ideas??

 

[Jason S.]

Have you checked the distributor it's self out real good? If the air gap on the module is right and you don't find anything wrong with the distributor like a shorted wire or bad rotor,etc...I would say you have a bad module. I'm not one to jump on the electronic ignition module band wagon. I tried one in an old truck I had and it left me sitting in the middle of town and I switched the truck back to points. All of my gas tractors run points. A good set of points will cost $10.00-$12.00 and under heavy use will still last around 3 years or more.

 

[Fergie-boy]

Hello,
I have installed a new electronic system in my Fergie. Few months back and it has been running well. Yesterday it quit and there is no spark. I suspect it is the unit or the ignition switch. If I run a wire from the positive post at the battery to the positive side of the coil would this eliminate the ignition switch and possibly prove either the coil or the electronics are at fault? The tractor is 12 volt negative ground.
Thank you in advance for any info.

Hello there,

Did you ever resolve your problem with your TEA 20 and the Pertronix electronic ignition? I'm looking to convert my Fergie but don't know which conversion kit (number) to order.

Did you do as one member suggested and just go back to mechanical points? I eas hoping that converting to electronic ignition would be more reliable, but if the modules fail that easily, I might be better off sticking with points.



Thank you.

 

[Jim.ME]

Hello there,

Did you ever resolve your problem with your TEA 20 and the Pertronix electronic ignition? I'm looking to convert my Fergie but don't know which conversion kit (number) to order.

Did you do as one member suggested and just go back to mechanical points? I eas hoping that converting to electronic ignition would be more reliable, but if the modules fail that easily, I might be better off sticking with points.



Thank you.

January 2015 thread, Deermedo hasn't signed in here since February of 2015, you are not likely going to get an answer.

You will get better results if you start a new thread of your own about converting to EI. there are many more using it now than in 2015.

 

[DanielW]

Hello there,

Did you ever resolve your problem with your TEA 20 and the Pertronix electronic ignition? I'm looking to convert my Fergie but don't know which conversion kit (number) to order.

Did you do as one member suggested and just go back to mechanical points? I eas hoping that converting to electronic ignition would be more reliable, but if the modules fail that easily, I might be better off sticking with points.



Thank you.

Probably better to start a new thread as this one is so old. But read this: It's part of a reply I wrote to someone on the N sub-thread who had a problem with their electronic ignition. Worth considering:

"I'm going to sound like a tedious old grumpster here. But if it were mine, I'd scrap the Pertronix kit and go back to points/condenser. Whether you stick with 12V is up to you (I'd probably stay with 12V, as it sounds like you're already set up for it). I never understood the appeal of the Pertronix kits on old equipment. It seems like once a week someone is on here asking about how to diagnose a bad electronic ignition kit. If you have no/bad spark with a Pertronix kit, there are so many hard-to-diagnose variables in there: Coil type? Ballast Resistor? If ballast resistor, what type? Bad module? Suppressor wires? Prox gap? etc. If a points/condenser system goes bad (very rarely), they're dead-nuts simple to diagnose and any replacement part costs $20 or less. And for an electronic kit to work right, all those aforementioned factors have to be perfect/correct. For a points/condenser system, you certainly want to have those factors right, but they'll usually still run in some capacity if they're off. For instance: A points/condenser system will work best with non-suppressor wires, but will still work pretty well with suppression wires. And a points/condenser system will usually run fine with the wrong resistance across the coil - you just won't be doing the coil/condenser any favours. It makes it a lot easier to diagnose and repair.

For high-speed, built-up race engines red-lining at 5000+ RPM where perfect tuning and crisp accel with perfect dwell are critical, an electronic kit definitely makes sense. For any of the old tractors we talk about on this site, you'll never notice a difference in performance between an electronic kit and a properly-installed points/condenser system. Of the dozen or so (actually, 15 I can count) old gasser tractors/vehicles I have, 14 have points/condensers. I've had one only failure of a points/condenser system: A condenser failed in a Fiat 850. Put in a new $10 condenser I had in the glovebox, and it's been running fine ever since. The rest of them have been running decades with no issue. I've had two vehicle with electronic kits, one of which failed (the same Fiat - after it failed I converted it back to points/condenser). So in my experience a points/condensers system is far more reliable. I'm sure others will disagree, however, and possibly rightfully so. Maybe I've just been lucky."

 

[Ron(Ont)]

Hello there,

Did you ever resolve your problem with your TEA 20 and the Pertronix electronic ignition? I'm looking to convert my Fergie but don't know which conversion kit (number) to order.

Did you do as one member suggested and just go back to mechanical points? I eas hoping that converting to electronic ignition would be more reliable, but if the modules fail that easily, I might be better off sticking with points.



Thank you.

Just to give a different opinion, I suffered with annoying ignition issues for years. Most of them were just "dirty" connections resulting in intermittent spark. Loosen and retighten the connection was often enough. Anyway, I have a whole new electronic distributer on one TEA20 and a Pertronix kit on the other TEA20. Both work well with no issues for more than 5 years. I also replaced the coils with a "hotter" version. On e caution, they are sensitive to damage, so do not accidentally leave the ignition switch in the ON position.

 

[John Deere D]

Just to give a different opinion, I suffered with annoying ignition issues for years. Most of them were just "dirty" connections resulting in intermittent spark. Loosen and retighten the connection was often enough. Anyway, I have a whole new electronic distributer on one TEA20 and a Pertronix kit on the other TEA20. Both work well with no issues for more than 5 years. I also replaced the coils with a "hotter" version. On e caution, they are sensitive to damage, so do not accidentally leave the ignition switch in the ON position.

Good day Ron(Ont)
Any chance you would post information on your electronic ignition kits,as per your TEA-20's?
Make ,model,supplier,etc,etc,
Bob......

 

[Ron(Ont)]

The Pertronix, I just purchased off Amazon DOT ca. It may be more difficult with the US site. The description was "Pertronix Ignitor Kit For Original Lucas Distributors # D3A4. 4-Cylinder, Single Point, 12-Volt Negative Earth. Counter Clockwise Rotation.

I purchased the complete distributor from England -Ignitioncarparts DOT co DOT uk. This one required a 6 volt positive ground unit.

 

[John Deere D]

Thank you very much..........
Bob....

 

[John Deere D]

Just to give a different opinion, I suffered with annoying ignition issues for years. Most of them were just "dirty" connections resulting in intermittent spark. Loosen and retighten the connection was often enough. Anyway, I have a whole new electronic distributer on one TEA20 and a Pertronix kit on the other TEA20. Both work well with no issues for more than 5 years. I also replaced the coils with a "hotter" version. On e caution, they are sensitive to damage, so do not accidentally leave the ignition switch in the ON position.

Thank you.......
Bob

 

[jvin248]

.

I found all my inconsistent starting is the switch. I bought several new replacements and all quickly quit working reliably.

I upgraded to a "Boat Switch" on two tractors they are very reliable now.

I have only TO-35s

.

 

[Charles in Aus.]

.

I found all my inconsistent starting is the switch. I bought several new replacements and all quickly quit working reliably.

I upgraded to a "Boat Switch" on two tractors they are very reliable now.

I have only TO-35s

.

I used a marine grade switch as well . A more durable part that also has key retention stopping the key from falling out in the field .