12 volt trouble

Make sure you are getting voltage to the coil with the ignition turned on. If you are getting voltage and the points are good, then your coil may have died. Did it make a loud pop when it finally died? mine did.

You write..... ."amp gauge running backwards but battery charging"..... .PROVE ITT!!! Prove yer battery is charging!!!

Why would you ask..... "do I need ballast resister?" A ballast resistor reduces the volts to the ignition coil. You already have NO VOLTS to the sparkie coil, (dead battery) do you think a resistor is going to make volts? The only thing that makes volts is chemical reaction of a battery ...or... mechanical action of a generator/alternator windings cutting thru a magnetic field. Volts are called Electro-Magnetic Force (EMF) for a reason. The ONLY thing a resistor does is convert electric power (amps) to HEAT. You measure amps on yer ampmeter but resistors don't care which way the current is flowing, isn't that amazing?

You can't really check your ignition coil with common electronic test meters. But you can test the sparkies quality with enny old sparkie by gently bending the side electrode for a BIG 3/16" gap. Clamp the metal shell to a convient grounding brackett that you can see and connect enny sparkie wire to top of calibrated sparkie tester. Now turn yer ignition switch on and crank yer engine (good engines may start with just 3-sparkies) and WATCH yer calibrated sparkie tester. Do the sparkies jump the gap with "blue-snott" authority? or are they a wimpy yellowish-orangish excuse. ...or... NO SPARKIES at all?

Given yer reported time-frames of operation, it wouldn't surprize me that yer weak-sister ignition switch has gunked-up internal contacts (incombination with weak battery) that cause weak sparkies. You doubt? BY-PASS yer ignition switch with a test-lead with alligator clippies. Or byte the bullett and replace yer ignition switch. $10 (cheap)

You should also take yer alternator into an auto parts store for a "free" testing..... ...respectfully, Dell, yer self-appointed sparkie-meister

Theres lotttza reasons you don't have sparkies, start with the most important.

PROVE you have volts at the top-terminal of the squarecan ignition coil. An el-cheepo $10 voltmeter from the hardware store is invaluable for testing old tracter electrics. You will have eather battery 12-volts iff'n points are open and some other value of volts iff'n points are closed. It doesn't really matter what the volts are, just prove to me that you have volts at the coil top terminal.

You do know how to take a voltage reading don't you? One meter wire (red) on the coil terminal, tutter meter wire (black) scraping rust on the engine block. Ignition switch on. Simple, eh?

You did remember to gently stretch the danglin' springy-thingy underneath yer squarecan ignition coil, didn't you?..... ...respectfully, Dell