Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire working on the 8n - no spark after installing new distributor

We have a Golden Jubilee under the shed. I asked the wife if she wanted to sell it and she said to restore it. It’s what she learned to drive on. Got me to thinking, it’s what I learned to drive as well. I used to spend the summers on her parents dairy farm.

Had a 1973 BMW 2002. Developed a similar issue. Chased it for ever. Turned out to be the tach was grounding the points / distributor. Disconnect everything but the ignition and then check the switch as mentioned earlier.

8N Fords were originally 6 volt, Positive ground, with a DC generator charging system. Many have been converted to 12 volt negative ground with an alternator charging system.

What setup does your 8N have?

Are you sure the tractor is still positive ground? It looks like most people have converted them to 12V negative ground to be more like modern stuff.

This is the original.




Basically, when the points in the distributor close, it completes the circuit and lets current flow through the primary of the coil. When the points open, it stops the flow of current, the field collapses, and a high voltage is created in the secondary winding of the coil. This voltage should be capable of jumping at least an 1/8 inch gap in open air. If you are getting no spark from the coil then either the points are not allowing the current to build up or the coil is bad.


Jerry

I appreciate the interest, Its still old school

6v battery, 6v starter, 6v coil

The picture must be the side mounted distributor, mine is the front loaded

it looks like this and the square coil attaches to it via that clip



Its actually easier to find the 12v version than the 6v, at least for me online

I was unaware that a 6V electronic ignition system was available (aftermarket) for the 8n. My '52, side mount distributor, was converted to 12v before I got.
FWIW, the 8n and 9n were somewhat notorious for poor ignition switches. While they may shut off the engine, they did not completely disconnect power to the coil and condenser. The same thing happened in reverse, so to speak. Turn the key but no power is sent to the coil or condenser. Can't remember how many I put new switches in the 2 8n's I grew up with. Finally just put rugged toggle switches in the place of the keyed ignition switch.

Added....for some reason I was under the impression that the plug wires used with the conventional ignition were a different than those used with electronic ignition.

The ignition switch on an 8N just completes the connection between 2 wires. Mine went bad and I replaced it with a toggle switch.

😉😉😉^^^hint

I don't know the ins and outs but the coil was getting power with the key on and off today. Since I wanted power to it, I didn't really care to check if that was correct or not.

Try this for schits n giggles jump the positive battery terminal to your starter 🤷‍♂️

You say you are getting power to the coil. How are you measuring that? Remember Positive ground is odd.

With the key on, if you measure across the two small wires on the coil, you should have six volts when the points are closed and zero volts when the points are open.

Jerry

This ^^^

Just because it is new doesn't mean it's not junk.

kwg

Did you remember to install the rotor?

15 minutes... Tops...

Someone said, the correct point gap for an 8N front distributor is 0.015". For a side distributor it is 0.025"

When I was a kid my best friends parents had one, I was so jealous of them because they were driving this thing all over the place. In the woods down the trails, even the 5 miles to my house. So as soon as I could afford one I bought one. Definitely a love hate relationship, it seems when I need it the most that's the time it doesn't want to start. I own two of them. One has the Sherman step up and step down transmission, combined with the even rarer Howard transmission that further slows it down or speeds it up. Currently both are parked because they stopped getting spark and I haven't taken the time to figure them out. I am almost tempted to get out of the 8n game all together seeing I bought a Massey Ferguson 60 horse with all the bells and whistles. Even though with the right person fixing it these tractors will run for another hundred years

Time to get after it

Suggestion. Go to Yesterday's Tractors web site, they have a active Ford 8N, 9N, 2N forum. Many threads on ignition issues.