Farmall A Upkeep Revisited Still

I read through a lot of posts and some of the archives (now that it's back up!) and figured it must be something with the magneto and/or the following ignition parts going to the plugs.

Over the last couple of days, I pulled the distributor cap, checked the plugs, replaced the plugs, adjusted the breaker points, then replaced the breaker points and set the gap on them. I also replaced the rotor.

The funny thing is this: once I opened her up and messed with the breaker points, I haven't been able to get her to run. I will say that getting the points set was a Bit&#! and I am not sure if the manual was serious about checking the timing mark on the flywheel and all that. I was pretty sure that was for setting the timing on the mag and I didn't think that was necessary for just setting the breaker point gap.

Was I wrong about that? What else can I do?

I know it was something I did, but exactly what it was I am uncertain. It was running (if only for 15-25 minutes at a shot) before I started and now it's not firing up.

I AM getting spark from the coil and all the way to the plug wire ends. I am getting fuel flow and I have a full tank. The battery is strong like bull. SO... the question I have is this: If I have to mess with the timing of the mag, did I already screw the pooch on it by getting in there in the first place? Will I have to remove the mag assembly from the tractor to properly align and time it if this is the case?

I await any sage and semi-sane responses.
Christopher

Like I told y'all before, I am sometimes too smart for my own good. I cannot thank you all satisfactorily for the advice, information and support in terms of general interest in seeing these tractors continue to run.

I played with that dang gap setting over and over and then I attempted to set the ignition timing, based in part on your input to the problem. Using the service manual and, in the rare case, the I&T manual, I figured out where and how to check that.

I pulled about 15-20 years of dried oil, mixed with grass, mud and not a few mud-dauber wasp nests out of the bell housing so I could even SEE the timing marks. Once I did that, I quickly set the timing according to the manual. It didn't work.

I played with that dang setting and the distributor position over and over and over. Then, I had a brain storm clear out and I went: Well, it was a timing problem, what if I turned the distributor, regardless of what I see on the marks and whatnot? After all, every now and then it would backfire. I'd done it before to ensure that a full rotation would bring me round to the same spot. DUH! How about halfway?

What do you know? It fired right up and is running excellently now. I mowed about three and a half acres today and stopped only because it's hot and my butt was sore from all the bumping I took over uneven ground. I had a great time every moment. Even when the bolt came off the trottle/governor and my tractor kind of took off on me, I still had fun.

SO, that's that and thanks again. I hope I have repaid your kindness in some laughter based upon my ignorance and sense of good fun with a tractor.

If you want to make sure that you have the plug wires on correctly, take out the number 1 spark plug and turn the engine over until you feel air coming out of the spark plug hole as it is coming up on compression. When the air stops coming out of the spark plug hole, check to make sure that the spark plug wire terminal on the mag that the rotor is pointing to is connected to the spark plug that you have removed. Then note the rotation of the mag and attach the rest of the wires accordingly. Firing order is 1-3-4-2.

Since you have spark (I’m assuming that it is a bright blue one) and fuel, then the spark is not being delivered to the cylinder at the correct time.

Hope this helps…

As to the heating and starting, I could get it to start right away the first two or three times it would do it, but I couldn't keep mowing, I could barely tow my brush hog. If I waited for about 5 minutes, then I could run the tractor long enough to get it back to the drive and park it, but no mowing. Once it started dying, then I would restart, run for a few minutes, then die again and then I couldn't drive it without it dying. I could only restart it maybe three times and get it into gear, then I had to wait about half an hour.

Like I said, I went through a lot of posts and the most likely cause I could see was the mag points or the rotor/cap/plug wires. I have a good cap, relatively new plug wires, new rotor, plugs and points. I have spark, though it won't fire. I wonder if there is a definitive way to set the points other than what the book indicates?

Anywho, tbanks for the additional troubleshooting info and the possible info for a mag alignment if necessary. Anyone else got anything different for me out there?