Need help with jubilee

[Pacman]

I have a 12 volt system, The wire that connects the coil post to the post on the distributor (points)
Can I measure voltage on this wire when turning over the tractor and if so what should it be

 

[old]

I have a 12 volt system, The wire that connects the coil post to the post on the distributor (points)
Can I measure voltage on this wire when turning over the tractor and if so what should it be

Voltage on that wire if your turning the engine over will go from battery voltage to almost zero since when the points are closed you have a short to ground which is how the coil builds up the spark

 

[Pacman]

Voltage on that wire if your turning the engine over will go from battery voltage to almost zero since when the points are closed you have a short to ground which is how the coil builds up the spark

So , if points are open and key is in “run” position I should see 12(ish) volts
To coil post and
Out of coil post

 

[old]

So , if points are open and key is in “run” position I should see 12(ish) volts
To coil post and
Out of coil post

Yes with 12 volts you should read around 12.6 volts with the points open

 

[Pacman]

Yes with 12 volts you should read around 12.6 volts with the points open

Ok now everyone is going to have a good laugh at my expense but that’s ok as long as I can get my tractor running
I went on this morning
Points open
Key run
Check battery first with a strong 12 volts
Go to the post on the coil
-12 volts never noticed the - sign previously
Does this mean what I think it means
that this tractor was never converted to 12 volts
When I went to the parts store for battery and coil I assumed my dad had converted it and sadly he’s no longer around to ask
I no longer have the old battery to look at
Did the old 6 volt have the negative post to the right of the driver?

 

[old]

Ok now everyone is going to have a good laugh at my expense but that’s ok as long as I can get my tractor running
I went on this morning
Points open
Key run
Check battery first with a strong 12 volts
Go to the post on the coil
-12 volts never noticed the - sign previously
Does this mean what I think it means
that this tractor was never converted to 12 volts
When I went to the parts store for battery and coil I assumed my dad had converted it and sadly he’s no longer around to ask
I no longer have the old battery to look at
Did the old 6 volt have the negative post to the right of the driver?

Where the battery post is doesn't matter since a battery can be put in either way. As for it being 6 or 12 volts you need to look the charging system over a bit. If it has a generator then good chance it is still 6 volts. If it has an alternator good chance it is 12 volts. It is has an alternator and you hook the battery up wrong the alternator will be burned out in less then 2 seconds

 

[Pacman]

When I saw the after market bracket I assumed (again) that this was part of the conversion
Maybe not

 

[Rich'sToys]

Looks like an alternator in that picture.

 

[used red MN]

When I saw the after market bracket I assumed (again) that this was part of the conversion
Maybe notView attachment 71450

Hello Pac-Man, welcome to YT! That is an alternator ((a Delco 10si to be exact), IT HAS TO HAVE THE BATTERY CONNECTED AS A “NEGATIVE GROUND” if you connect it backwards from this and it was installed correctly the alternator and maybe your wiring will be damaged. You will need a 12 volt battery. (Just FYI a 6 volt battery can be easily identified by it having 3 caps on top to check the electrolyte (fluid/acid)
Edit to add: I see you said it measured -12 so you do have a 12 volt battery. Sorry about that misinformation!

 

[Pacman]

Thanks for the great info on the alternator
Now I can move forward to find my problem
Yes I have a 12 volt battery and coil because that’s what I bought with out knowing for 100%
That’s what I needed, I assumed it was converted but as I struggled with no spark I started to question what I was doing

 

[old]

Thanks for the great info on the alternator
Now I can move forward to find my problem
Yes I have a 12 volt battery and coil because that’s what I bought with out knowing for 100%
That’s what I needed, I assumed it was converted but as I struggled with no spark I started to question what I was doing

Hopefully you didn't hook the battery up + ground because if you did you smoked the alternator and that could be a big part of your problems since it could be a direct short to ground now

 

[used red MN]

Thanks for the great info on the alternator
Now I can move forward to find my problem
Yes I have a 12 volt battery and coil because that’s what I bought with out knowing for 100%
That’s what I needed, I assumed it was converted but as I struggled with no spark I started to question what I was doing

I would suggest disconnecting the alternator for now take the wires off circled in yellow and unplug the plug in the side. Tape up the wire eyes for now and tie or tape them out of the way. I see some farmerization circled in red you better tape that up as well. None of that wiring has anything to do with it having spark at the ignition and running. Unless as old suggested the alternator is shorting to ground, disconnecting it will eliminate that problem for now. All that wiring is for the alternator and charging the battery. Get it running first then we can help you figure out if the alternator or wiring for it was damaged.

 

[leroy in ne]

Coils and wiring thoughts. Coils may be true 12 volt, 12 volt resistor required (basically 6 volt coil}, or original 6 volt coil with ballast resistor installed (very common on conversions). If a true 12 volt coil is used with a resistor, a very weak spark will result. Quick visual check is follow wire from coil to switch, if you see what looks like a ceramic item connected in the wire it has a ballast resistor. Meter check, switch on, points closed, near o volts on distributor side and 5 to 8 volts on switch side of coil would indicate a resistor or dirty connections causing voltage drop.

 

[Pacman]

Thanks for all the comments
So to be clear
I never connected battery as negative ground
With a review of all comments I am now 100% convinced that the tractor has been converted to 12 volts and had run for years
Relatively successfully
This is what I found today
I have 12 volts to coil and 12 volts out of coil if wire is disconnected from distributor
Once I connect to distributor readings go wacky (even with points open)

Additional notes
I noticed that a check from the copper strip in distributor to ground revealed continuity
I was told about failing insulators on the screw thru distributor
So I disassembled and inspected
I didn’t see anything that looked odd
I reassembled and repeated above test with
Same results

 

[JMOR]

Thanks for all the comments
So to be clear
I never connected battery as negative ground
With a review of all comments I am now 100% convinced that the tractor has been converted to 12 volts and had run for years
Relatively successfully
This is what I found today
I have 12 volts to coil and 12 volts out of coil if wire is disconnected from distributor
Once I connect to distributor readings go wacky (even with points open)

Additional notes
I noticed that a check from the copper strip in distributor to ground revealed continuity
I was told about failing insulators on the screw thru distributor
So I disassembled and inspected
I didn’t see anything that looked odd
I reassembled and repeated above test with
Same results

Continuity with points open or closed?

 

[Pacman]

Open

 

[Pacman]

maybe I can’t see the forest thru the trees
I guess I can disconnected condenser and points independently to insulate

 

[Janicholson]

Using a ohm meter on the condenser can be informative. It should show only a very brief pulse of conductivity, then nothing. if it shows continuous continuity it is bad. the copper strip could also be touching the flat washer under the non standard hold down screw! jIM

 

[Pacman]

I disconnected the condenser and the continuity from distributor and copper post went away
It appears to me that the body of the condenser is shorting
Is this plausible?

 

[Janicholson]

I disconnected the condenser and the continuity from distributor and copper post went away
It appears to me that the body of the condenser is shorting
Is this plausible?

Check continuity between the condenser lead and the condenser metal body If there is continuity the condenser is bad(shorted internally) A simple explanation is that a condenser is constructed with two sheets of aluminum foil on opposite sides of a sheet of waxed paper, with another sheet of waxed paper on top. This is then rolled up into a cylinder, keeping the foil sheets electrically insolated from one another. One sheet is attached to the lead wire, while the other is touching the containment can. These sheets can become shorted between them, or at the connections. They can also fail from heat, moisture, or excess voltage that jumps the wax paper. (called a dielectric).