Won't start.

[Jim.ME]

Hi Twisted_Steel, welcome to the forum.
I hope you ordered a 12 volt coil so you can just eliminate the ballast resister. A match book cover is always a good ball park gap for points, but I think .025 is the correct gap. Today a lot of points you buy come with a little feeler gauge to set the gap. Don't forget to put a little lube on the distributor cam.

.020" is the gap given for the distributor contact points of a Z120 Continental gasoline engine in the TO-20 Ferguson Operation and Maintenance Manual.

 

[Jim L WA]

.020" is the gap given for the distributor contact points of a Z120 Continental gasoline engine in the TO-20 Ferguson Operation and Maintenance Manual.

Thanks Jim. I gave my maintenance manual to the guy that bought my TO-20.

 

[Twisted_Steel]

I just set them before reading this. I'll have to call a tractor place about 80 miles from here that my brother deals with frequently. They are "classic tractor" guru's. I should find out everything I need to know from them as far as brand of distributor and part numbers so I can get the correct ones.
In the mean time, I used my wife's old emory board and cleaned the points, reinserted them, set them to .020 and she fired right up.
Thank you for your patience, info and insight Jim.ME.
Maybe I'll get my yard finished and sowed before we leave for the beach next week.

 

[Charles in Aus.]

A few 'points ' ; sorry couldn't resist the pun !
Apologies if they've been mentioned before.
New points often come with a clear lacquer coating to prevent corrosion, file or dissolve this off first .
Often no power to the coil can be traced to a faulty ignition switch or button if fitted .
The rubber insulating washers in the distributor can break down and cause shorts to earth .
Never trust a new condenser, 50 year old ones are better than new ones .
Beezelebub lives in coils ! Even new ones can act up , ensure that the terminals set into the plastic lid are firm and tight . Often the connection under the top is intermittent.

 

[Jim L WA]

Twisted_Steel, I went back and read your original post where you brought Old Gus home. You said you ran it around for awhile and then worked on it. Then the ballast resistor fried. I would go back and look for something you did while working on it. It sounds like the ignition circuit got grounded somewhere.

 

[Twisted_Steel]

Jim, all I did was grease it and add wire looms so the wires wouldn't eventually short out from rubbing against the bell housing.

 

[Twisted_Steel]

After a short vacation and a few extra days I'm back to work on the TO20.
New coil, points, condenser and now to set the timing at 7° BTDC.
I finally found timing marks on the flywheel, now to find the pointer. I found what looks like a v-notch in the sight hole. Is this my timing pointer? It should be at about 9:00 in the hole of the picture.
I haven't seen anything else that can be used as a marker.
Of course the picture turned...so the notch will be at about noon.

 

[Charles in Aus.]

British made versions have a sighting hole in the clutch housing adjacent to the starter and timing marks on the flywheel.