P and R Pete
Member
I have a '49 Super-A, 12-volt system with a one-wire alternator and a distributor. I have been running it flawlessly for about 20 years, but now I've developed a problem with the plastic extension of the points, that run on the cam in the distributor, melting, which kills the gap and the engine, and it happens within 200 yards of driving the tractor. I'm trying to intuit what would be causing so much excess power that it would be melting the plastic. So before I start taking things apart and fishing for an answer to something I don't understand, I am asking if anyone might have an opinion, or have experienced something similar.
I've asked plenty of people in my area, but everyone seems stumped. One guy said I needed to replace my distributor cap, but that didn't make sense to me. Another said it could be a bad condenser, but I replaced that along with a new set of points, and the problem persisted. Another guy said I needed to put in a ballast resistor and step it down to 6 volts, and I could see how that would spare the points from melting, but it wouldn't answer why this thing has run so well for so long, nor get to the root of the problem. Yet another thought I had gotten grease on the points, that something might be 'arcing'. After all that, I've gone through 4 sets of points with no improvement (though I did not put in a ballast resistor).
I would think a 'short' somewhere would kill power, not increase it. The only other thing of which I can think is that there is a corroded wire somewhere, and the resistance is causing the alternator to make more power than needed. Is that logical?
I'd love to hear any thoughts, advice, or experiences. Thanks.
I've asked plenty of people in my area, but everyone seems stumped. One guy said I needed to replace my distributor cap, but that didn't make sense to me. Another said it could be a bad condenser, but I replaced that along with a new set of points, and the problem persisted. Another guy said I needed to put in a ballast resistor and step it down to 6 volts, and I could see how that would spare the points from melting, but it wouldn't answer why this thing has run so well for so long, nor get to the root of the problem. Yet another thought I had gotten grease on the points, that something might be 'arcing'. After all that, I've gone through 4 sets of points with no improvement (though I did not put in a ballast resistor).
I would think a 'short' somewhere would kill power, not increase it. The only other thing of which I can think is that there is a corroded wire somewhere, and the resistance is causing the alternator to make more power than needed. Is that logical?
I'd love to hear any thoughts, advice, or experiences. Thanks.