Will, a full charged 6 volt lead acid battery at rest and stabilized should read around 6.3 volts, if its actually 5.5 its pretty low and such could cause low or erratic voltages.
If the battery is okay and the ignition switch is good (no resistive contacts) and ON when the points are open a meter on the coils input would read near same as voltage at battery and likewise even when they are closed. If voltage on coils input drops drastically below battery voltage when key is on and on and points are closed there may be a faulty resistive ignition switch. TRY TO HOT WIRE DIRECT FROM BATTERY TO COILS INPUT in case the switch is bad
Now put a volt meter over on the coils output to distributor terminal and turn the key on. When points are open it should read near battery voltage but when closed it should read near zero. If the engine were cranked slowly a test lamp there should flash ON (points open) and OFF (points closed).
I would check the points and remove any oxidation or carbon and insure they are clean, not all burned and pitted, maybe use a points file to lightly dress them up better yet if burned or pitted or carboned bad get a new set.
If the condenser,,,,,,,,, or its wiring,,,,,,,,,,, or wiring from coil to and thru distributors pass thru were shorted voltage on the coils output would read near zero all the time regardless if points open or closed.
Check points for burning or carbon or oxide or pitting, check voltage on coils in and out with points open and closed,,,,,,,,,,check battery voltage.
If this fails work through my detailed Ignition troubleshooting Procedure to find the problem but its sooooooooooo often bad points or not gapped correct and not opening and closing fully
Upload one or more videos to your post. Photo and video filesizes should be less than 5MB. Formats allowed are gif, jpg, png, ogg, mp4, mov, and avi. Be sure to use filenames without spaces or special characters, and filetypes of 3 digits lower case.
We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today. [ About Us ]
Today's Featured Article - Restoration Story: Fordson Major - by Anthony West. George bought his Fordson Major from a an implement sale about 18 years ago for £200.00 (UK). There is no known history regarding its origins or what service it had done, but the following work was undertaken alone to bring it up to show standard. From the engine number, it was found that this Major was produced late 1946. It was almost complete but had various parts that would definitely need replacing.
... [Read Article]
Latest Ad:
1964 I-H 140 tractor with cultivators and sidedresser. Starts and runs good. Asking 2650. CALL RON AT 502-319-1952
[More Ads]
All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy
TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.