I'm sure this has been covered 100 times before. Here is 101.

Board shortener Tom

Board shortener Tom

Well-known member
I'm finally getting around to doing a complete tune-up on Karla's 1955 LoBoy. I'm installing a new 6v coil and a pertronix electronic unit in the distributor. This machine has a distributor and not a magneto. When disconnecting the coil I noticed the wire going to the distributor was connected to the + terminal on the coil. Before I install the new coil, is this the correct location or should it be on the - terminal? This tractor is still 6v positive ground and hasn't been altered.

Thank you.
 
My personal experience with pertoronix and 6 volts systesm has not been very good. I have used them on 12v systems, and they are great. I would stick with the points for 6 volters and use NAPA parts
napa points ECH CS1600
napa Condenser ECH IH200
napa Rotor ECH IH300
napa Cap ECH IH350
napa VR 6 v VR851
napa coil 6 ECH IC7
 
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inairam said:
My personal experience with pertoronix and 6 volts systesm has not been very good. I have used them on 12v systems, and they are great. I would stick with the points for 6 volters and use NAPA parts
napa points ECH CS1600
napa Condenser ECH IH200
napa Rotor ECH IH300
napa Cap ECH IH350
napa VR 6 v VR851
napa coil 6 ECH IC7
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Thanks for the caution. Already installed the parts but I did get what I could from Napa per an earlier list you had posted. I'm going to give the pertronix a try and if it fails I will go back to points. As you started, the 12v pertronix works wonderful on my 140. That and a hot coil...it barks now.
 
Is your tractor pos or neg grounded at the battery? I've always followed the installation of the wire from the coil to the dist as: if battery pos ground, coil pos to dist. and if battery neg ground then coil neg to the dist (thus grounding the circuit when the points close, same as the battery ground). I remember reading on this forum that the coil will work either way but might last longer if it follows what I posted. JMHO Stan
 
staninlowerAL said:
Is your tractor pos or neg grounded at the battery? I've always followed the installation of the wire from the coil to the dist as: if battery pos ground, coil pos to dist. and if battery neg ground then coil neg to the dist (thus grounding the circuit when the points close, same as the battery ground). I remember reading on this forum that the coil will work either way but might last longer if it follows what I posted. JMHO Stan
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Positive ground on the battery. I've got it all hooked up and have great spark now. Still seems to be hanging the float and spilling gas on the floor when I try to start it (battery needed a bit of charge though.) I'm going to drop the float bowl and see if the needle is stuck and not closing all the way. Might just pull the carb and go through it with a new kit. That's usually what I wind up doing every time.
 
Here’s what you may experience with the 6v Pertronix: you crank it to start but it does not start, until you release the pull rod, it then fires off and runs fine. The starter pulls the voltage too low to start while cranking. Maybe they have improved them by now but for that reason I’ve not recommended them. Like you, I love my 12v units, my 2 Cubs and my Cockshutt 20 start instantly with them. I avoid the high output coils, however, they put a serious strain on the electronic pick-up of the Pertronix.
 
Gary Dotson said:
Here’s what you may experience with the 6v Pertronix: you crank it to start but it does not start, until you release the pull rod, it then fires off and runs fine. The starter pulls the voltage too low to start while cranking. Maybe they have improved them by now but for that reason I’ve not recommended them. Like you, I love my 12v units, my 2 Cubs and my Cockshutt 20 start instantly with them. I avoid the high output coils, however, they put a serious strain on the electronic pick-up of the Pertronix.
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I did finally get it running today. I will have to see if that's how it starts next time I fire it up. I wound up removing the distributor and found some rust and crud under the advance weights. They were dragging and not always returning which was giving me an "advanced" start attempt. I cleaned all that up, cleaned the downtube on the air cleaner and it fired right up. I also adjusted the lifters. Anyhow, I need to throw the timing light on it yet and I've got a set of spark plugs coming. It seems to have a miss and I recall one of the plugs being oily....probably fouled. Anyhow, it's good to see the light at the end of this tunnel.

Thanks for all the help everyone and for making sure I checked things over well before replacing the carb.
 
Final report on this topic from me. Today the new spark plugs arrived so I gapped them to .023" and installed them. I put the timing light to it and cranked it up. Took it to what the book said is "fast idle" at approx. 2000 rpm. The thing was way past 16° btdc so I twisted the distributor around until it came in right at 16° btdc. The tractor runs the best it has since we bought it. The slight miss is gone and it starts super easy now that the timing isn't all jacked up. Multiple problems going on but the big culprit was the advance weights sticking. I guess if they had not I would still be driving it without it being "just right" thinking the small problems were just old tractor things.
 
Board shortener Tom said:
........ I put the timing light to it and cranked it up. ......... The thing was way past 16° btdc so I twisted the distributor around until it came in right at 16° btdc. The tractor runs the best it has since we bought it........
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Good to hear that you successfully got rid of the gremlins........Makes one a believer in the timing light when you have this this kind of success. :) JMHO Stan
 
Board shortener Tom said:
I put the timing light to it and cranked it up.
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Hi,
I would use the timing light and also see if it is running at the TDC mark when running at slow idle, about 500 RPM.
Then watch the marks with the light, and slowly speed up the engine, and the timing should move slowly to the 16 degree advanced mark at full speed. This shows if the advance is working right.
1955, or 1956 was when IH began using the crankshaft pulley with 2 marks on Cubs, for TDC, and 16 degrees advanced. Before then there was 1 mark, the TDC mark.
I guess you meant the LoBoy has 2 marks.
 
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Glen said:
Hi,
I would use the timing light and also see if it is running at the TDC mark when running at slow idle, about 500 RPM.
Then watch the marks with the light, and slowly speed up the engine, and the timing should move slowly to the 16 degree advanced mark at full speed. This shows if the advance is working right.
1955, or 1956 was when IH began using the crankshaft pulley with 2 marks on Cubs, for TDC, and 16 degrees advanced. Before then there was 1 mark, the TDC mark.
I guess you meant the LoBoy has 2 marks.
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The LoBoy is a 1955 and does have the 2 marks. I might check the low idle timing but it idles nice and doesn't miss a beat when the throttle lever is moved to full, quickly or slowly.
 
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