No spark

[Steveh10]

My 1953 Ford golden jubilee was converted to 12v before I bought it and ran great with the points. I converted it to electronic ignition and now no spark. Any ideas that could help me?

 

[Jim.ME]

Welcome to the forums.

More info will get you better answers.

It sounds like it was running before you changed things so that points to a problem with the parts you installed or something you did or did not do.

What brand and kit EI did you install?

Did you pull the distributor to change things or make the change with the distributor left in the engine? If you pulled the distributor and did not get the rotor pointing exactly where it was prior to pulling it, it is likely out of time for one thing.

Carefully and slowly go back over the diagram(s) and instructions, word for word and step by step, even if you have done this already.

 

[Fixingfarmer]

12 volt negative or positive and did you select the right ei kit?

 

[Sean in PA]

What electronic ignition kit did you purchase?

 

[Eman85]

Get the instructions and go over your work.

 

[Steveh10]

I used a petronix 1244A kit and did not pull the distributor. I will go over everything again thank you all. It was running before I changed it over to ei.

 

[Steveh10]

12 volt negative or positive and did you select the right ei kit?

12 volt negative ground

 

[Sean in PA]

That does appear to be the correct kit for a 4 cylinder Ford tractor that's been converted to 12 volts negative ground. Electronics have been known to be bad out of the box sometimes. Have you tried contacting Pertronix tech support to ask them for help? They have a good reputation for standing behind their products and providing technical assistance.

 

[john in la]

Did you use the proper holes to bolt the plate down. Clockwise and counter clockwise rotor rotation uses different mounting points.

Did you hook the wire from distributor to positive coil correctly. On a 12 volt coil it can hook directly to the coil but for a 6 volt coil with a ballast resistor the wire gets hooked before the resistor.

And most of all did you make sure the piece that goes on distributor shaft is pushed all the way down.

 

[PatsTractor]

check the voltage on the ignition wire feeding the distributer.. if the Pertronix unit isn't getting the required volts it won't fire spark. Just a thought..

 

[showcrop]

I have had two Pertronics for thirty years. Their call in tech service is exceptional.

 

[DanielW]

Agree with what Pats and John said: The ones I've seen that had problems have all been due to a voltage drop prior to the Pertronix power (red) wire. This can happen if the old coil was used (which would have had a ballast resistor) if the Pertronix power (red) wire was connected directly to the input side of the coil. Thus, the ballast resistor is up-stream of the red/power wire, and you have voltage drop to the power/red wire. You want it connected up-stream of the resistor. Similarly, if at some point someone's installed a 12V coil that doesn't require a resistor, make sure you remove the ballast resistor from the circuit. A points/condenser kit will usually work fine with too much voltage drop due to extra resistance, but those Pertronix kits are very picky about needing the full 12V.

Essentially what you want is picture 'A' if you have a 12V/3-ohm coil. Picture B if you have a 6V/1.5-ohm coil and ballast resistor (which is what most tractors had back in the day - even when they were 12V from the factory they used a 6V coil plus resistor to make it suitable for 12V). What you want to avoid is having 'C', because the ballast resistor is up-stream of your power wire and thus giving you a voltage drop.

Personally I never saw the appeal of Pertronix kits for old tractors. For performance engines, sure. But a properly installed points/condenser kit should last years (decades in the case of many of mine), is dead-simple and cheap to diagnose and repair, and won't make any difference on performance in an old, slow-revving tractor.

 

[Hemmjo]

For me, this is the best Electronic ignition you can get. I have had on on my Gravely 816 with Onan Twin, Gravely commercial 10 then 10HP Kohler and my Ford 860 for years. Also put on on a friends old Jeep don't know the year

Transdenser I learned about them from Kirk Engines. This was a site dedicated to engines and modifications for Pulling Garden Tractors. He has closed up since nnalert. But the Transdenser is still available from the Transdenser link. Anyone thinking of an electronic ignition should consider it. It was about 20 years sgo when I installed the first one on my Onan Twin.