I have spark at the points, but none at the Spark Plugs. The suspected problem is the worn rotor. Any suggestions ? Also, can you tell me what the direction of rotation the rotor turns ? Thanks Jer
Found the problem.. Pulled the Magneto, and discovered the Coil burned out.. Apparently. the previous owner tried to start it using a 12 Volt battery.. My Cletrac has an 8 volt Battery, is this the right Battery for this crawler ? ---- The " blob " in front of the grill is the Auction Tag..
did you by any chance hook the battery to the magneto?
The 12 v battery shouldn't have been an issue. The magneto produces it's own current independently.
thats why i asked him
The model of your Cletrac is an HG. IXK-3 is the Hercules engine model. Originally the tractor would have had a 6 volt battery - if it came with electric start. Switching to 12 volts should not hurt the starter any, though other items in your lighting and charging system will have to be changed. The magnet has no connection with the electrical system, except perhaps for a ground switch to shut it down.
??? Of course you are all right.. Stupid of me to think that battery was needed. Dad had an old Mc Cormic Deering lug tractor without a starter.. I pulled the Mag off my Cletrac, and took it apart. Used match marks for reassembly.. The inside metal parts were all caked with rust and residue from the Coil.. all cleaned up now, getting a new Coil and Points from NAPA Auto Parts,,, $113.35 Now, I would like to have an owners Manual. Can anybody help me with this ? Jer
Manuals for your crawler are available from various sources. Do a search on eBay for "Oliver Crawler"or Zimmermans @ http://www.olivercletrac.com/zocmanuals.html or check out the Yesterday's Tractors site which has a number of vendors for doc on old iron.
Jethrow
::) This Tractor is causing me to pull my hair out... The new Coil isn't the same as what I took out. Also. no magnetism on eather one.. I went back to the shop, and traced a wire from the Amp meter post that is connected to the EIGHT volt Battery. to the ignition switch, and from there to the side of the magneto. The magneto doesn't snap like the one on dads old McCormic.. Is it possable that my IXK3 is newer than a 45 ? I never saw it run, I bought it at Auction and it was marked as starting good, and running good. but acording to the condition of the Magneto. It couldn't possably have been started.. Also after reading the post on IXK3 Bad news,..... I am concerned if the rods are out of this also.. Don't know how to download a picture on this Forum.Jer
disconnect the wire at the magneto, connect it to a volt meter, ground the other meter lead, turn on the switch, if you get a voltage reading, then that is why the coil is toast, the lead from the mag is a ground lead to stop the engine
Perhaps your magneto is not a magneto at all. Maybe it's a replacement distributor or someone made it into a distributor?
:-\ I understand that for a Magneto to work, it has to have a magnet, that an armature spins past to cause spark.. this magneto doesn't have that. the Armature spins past a brass point on the side of the Magneto housing a wire from the Coil connects outside. I would be interested in buying a good used Magneto for my Tractor if one can be found. Fairbanks Morse, Type B4B, B11502.....
I wonder if you have a converted mag to make a distributor. We need some pictures.
:P My Son went to HANDS HARDWARE in Glen NY..13 miles from here.. That is a Farm machinery parts Store out in the country.. He met an employee there that rebuilds magnetos..$ 65.00 an hour + parts. I will keep you informed about progress. ---------------- Just got a call from the Hands Employee.. The Coil in the Magneto is not a Magneto Coil. Its an ignition Coil, and cant be located for replacement. He is going to see if an exterior Coil can be rigged..
If all else fails,,, just change it over to a distributor. Eay & cheap to maintain compared to the pain in the %$$% mags,,
??? :-\ :'(... Not getting anywhere with the Automobile coil hook up. The Coil that I need is the B4B type It has legs and a brass contact strip on top. Where can I get a Distributor. ?
Next Day... I made some modifications. now have good spark to the Points.. No spark comming through the Rotor.. .If and when I get this " toy " running, I will let ya know what all I did..
I used a farmall h dist with mount to replace mag,
fit nicely with little mod to drive coupling.
found one on ebay cheap.
need to relocate coil to engine to clear carb.
Curt
8) Found a Rebuilt and tested WICO magneto on Ebay that will fit my Tractor. My son and I discussed the item, and figured it best to cut my losses, and buy it.. As I said in another post, this Guy is parting out a couple Cletracs, and lives about 100 miles from me.. Hope its better than the Fairbanks-Morse that was on it..
Received the WICO Magneto today.. I had to grind a wee bit off the bottom bolt tab in order to have it clear the frame so that I can pivot it in order to time it.. The tractor still wont start. I have spark to the plugs, and I am sure that I have the spark on no.1 when it is compressed. I am inclined to believe that the Plugs aren't firing under compression, and also the Plug wires might be shorting out against other wires. I had 2 cylinders fire, then a backfire. Any suggestions Guys, I really need your help on this. :(
Is there spark at each plug? How do the plugs look? Those plugs are so huge, there is generally a lot of room to work with as far as cleaning them up. I like to take them out and hold them over a propane torch and get the electrodes just a dull red so it burns all the oil and carbon off. Then take a small finishing nail and flatten one end on a vise so that it has almost a knife edge on one side. Then, using the nail, you can get down inside the plug and clean out the dried old carbon. Set the gap and connect them to the ends of the wires without putting them back into the head. Crank it over and see if there is a spark at each plug.
Blake
The plugs don't look good. and neither do the wires. Your info is worth a lot, I can also check my fireing order by using your suggestion..Thanks..
OK.. Got it running. ;D..... With the help of my son, we got the pointer on the Magneto in a possition where we could see it through the little window on the Magneto.. the number 2 clynder was up. WE switched all the wires counter clockwise 1 place on the magneto cap. The fireing order is 1243.... The plugs had already been removed and cleaned. and we removed the asbestus cover tube that the wires ran through.. Sweet running engine, good clutch and steering.. Problem with the radiator.. See other post. Thanks for all the help on this ..