Did Tune-up, and '48 8N No-go!

You are probably no older than me, so go to Wally World & get a $15 analog multi-meter. It is not that hard to use.

First, check for continuity inside the distributor w/ the meter. It is very easy to ground the tip of the condenser wire to the body of the distributor when you replaced the points. Also, make sure the condenser wire does not go through the same opening in the distributor that the coil pig tail does. The condenser wire goes the opening on the top right. Look at the points; are they burned, pitted or mis-aligned? Check the point gap, .015 on all four lobes. Points do slip closed! Make sure you have the star washers under the screws on the points.

Next, with the distributor still off the tractor, install the coil. Look at the pigtail on the coil; is it touching the brass screw inside of the distributor? Don’t trust your eyes; test for continuity from the top of the coil to the points. If you do not have continuity, stretch the pigtail a bit until you do. (some people would rather put a small washer under the brass screw) Look at the little tab opposite of the pigtail; bend it a bit also to insure that it will contact the distributor cap. At this point, I just put the distributor, coil & cap all back on the tractor as a unit (it helps to loosen the fan belt). The reason I do this is because it is real easy to get the cap or coil mis-aligned trying to put it back together one piece at a time & the result is something gets broken or you get a ‘no spark’ problem.

Post back w/ results & any other questions.

• 50 Tips

no light.. key switch or resistor is bad.. light always on same briteness.. points open.

light always on, dim.. points close dup or shorted.

lamp blinks.. = good.

sounduy

While slight misses are usually an "ignition" problem solved by a common "tune-up" of parts replacing..... don't forget old dried-out stiff sparkie wires will also cause slight misses. Iff'n yer sparkie wires arn't limp like wet noodle, replace them. You doubt? Go out on DARK-NITE and watch them lazy sparkies dance all over yer sparkie wires. DO NOT USE modern carbon-core anti-static sparkie wire. USE old fashioned cut-to-fit COPPER-CORE sparkie wire. $15, cheap.

Don't fergitt yer weaksister ignition switch ($10, cheap) can ALSO cause weak intermittent sparkies.

And hesitation on start-up could be governor issues..... ...Dell, yer self-appointed sparkie-meister

I think that if it worked before you changed the points, then you've got the problem nailed down. It's a faulty connection with your new tune-up job.

Go back and double check your work. Make sure everything is connected, and all connections are clean.

Couple of things that I found to be tricky are:
1. Pigtail doesn't make good contact
2. New gaskets fit really tight. So tight, in fact, that the previous owner of my 8N gave up on them. The new gasket for the coil could very likely be your problem. Yank on that pigtail even harder!

Run a small strip of paper bag between the contacts of the points to clean off any finger oils or corrossion that may have built up.

Good luck!
Colin, MN