Firing Issues

Last week I posted that I was able to solve the wiring issue for my tractor that has been a hassle since it came home last year. (A short had developed inside the wiring harness). It now turns over without a hassle but it won"t fire.

I replaced the spark plugs all but one of them were fouled up. I checked all the connections and I made sure I was getting power into the positive terminal and through to the negative terminal on the coil.

I pulled out the coil wire that feeds to the middle of the distributer and the copper ends were blackened and they broke so I replaced that wire and copper ends. I was able to get a blue spark from the end of that wire to the block. I tried it again and it wouldn"t spark.

I filed the points and it will turn over but not fire. Its been suggested that its either the coil or the condenser/armature assembly. Because of the fact I"ve been at school and working most of the time the tractor sat outside where it stopped all winter tarped up. I"m assuming this is the main culprit.

How can I tell if the condenser points have gone bad? I was flipping through the parts on here last night and saw an electronic ignition. Is this a good investment or should I keep the points/condenser in place? Or alternatively is it the coil not firing - I picked up a new one from Auto Zone last night and it wasn"t able to fire with that on there either.

Thanks,

Christos

The condenser is basically an electrical storage device. If the condenser isn't storing electricity ["charging"] or releasing electricity ["discharging"] properly, it must be replaced, as there is no repair procedure.

There is no "armature" in the distributor.

I'd suggest replacing the points and condenser--mainly because they're relatively cheap--and then setting the point gap correctly, making sure you lube the distriburot cam with some silicone dielectric grease [usually comes with the point set, sometimes liiks like a pill or a "bean."]. THEN try it again and see what you do or don't have.