2N Ignition????

This past weekend I tried to fire it up without success but chalked it up to cold (near freezing), damp weather and not having run in a week or so. Yesterday it started right up as usual and I let it warm up while I switched to the blade for some driveway grading. 100 feet down the driveway it stalled. Restarted with some sputter / no power then stalled again...and again. I figured carb problems (happened once earlier this year) like blockage or something so it came off for a thorough cleaning. Everything back together and it won't start at all...digging into it deeper I find no spark at any plug. When I went to check the coil to distributor wire I found the "nipple" on the distributor cap was broken and looked "wet", but the wire soldered to the bottom of the piece was still intact. Continuity checks o.k. from the connector on top to the inside (front) terminal.

Sorry for the long setup - here's the main question. Could the coil act intermittently and then fail??? I think this is my first choice, I get 10V-11V to the pos. terminal on the coil, but no spark output when I ground the distributor feed. More importantly, I am very confused as to what to replace it with.

As I said, I bought it with the 12V conv. already done, but it doesn't seem to match anything I've researched. The distributor is a front mount (standard looking) unit, the cap seems to have no "active" components other than the two top mounted input connectors and the center spring terminal and front terminal inside. The rotor looks very "automotive" unlike what I see in the IT shop manual - no points. Will a standard 12V coil from my local parts dealer work???

Any thoughts would be helpful.

Andy.

Meaning that who ever converted your 6 volt frontmount ignition system, "GUTTED" the ignition coil (that sets on top of the distributor) and you have a typical round can ignition coil somewhere that is being fed through the guttted frontmount ignition coil shell to the distributor rotor and ignition points.

My guess is that it is a standard 12 volt ignition coil.

And realize all standard ignition systems 6 or 12 only make sparkies when the distributor points OPEN. So "but no spark output when I ground the distributor feed" is exactly correct. And doesn't prove a dammm thing.

My guess it that you still have battery charge issues, but its kinda hard to tell from all the other garbarge that you have included. Unfortunately, there is no eazy shadetree mechanic test for failing ignition coil except by replacement.

Howsomever, "100 feet down the driveway it stalled. Restarted with some sputter / no power then stalled again...and again" is typical of a gunked up ignition switch. Eazy to check with a jumper wire across the switch wire terminals. Most ignition switch failures show up in about 10-15 minutes of operation and "cure" themselves after about 2 hrs of rest overnight. Bad ignition coils take about 45-60 minutes to go bad and "cure" themselves overnight.

Please realize that I am a 12 volt advocate for the right reasons. That said, I haven't found the reason to convert my eazy starting 52 8N and I know how to do it right..... ...Dell

Your description is exaclty right, my "original" coil has been gutted and had a "connector" added and fed through to to the main coil terminal. The existing external terminal feed to the "condenser" terminal. In place, a standard 12V automotive type coil is mounted next to the oil filler tube/oil filter canister and wired in.

Anyways - replaced the coil because it was "cheap" and still no luck. Finally removed the distibutor to take a look see and found that the points were constantly touching through an entire revolution of the shaft. Being a novice at a "points" ignition I still figured that can't be good so I adjusted per the IT manual and voila - she lives again....although I still have no "power".

I was able to idle long enough to charge the battery back up but throttle response was terrible and no real power was available. I limped her back up to the garage - I guess I look again at the sparking system or maybe re-adjust the carb!!!

Thanks for the feedback,

Andy.