D-17 No spark
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Category: Allis Chalmers
Forum Name: Farm Equipment
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URL: https://www.allischalmers.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=56970
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Topic: D-17 No spark
Posted By: Pat the Plumber CIL
Subject: D-17 No spark
Date Posted: 16 Sep 2012 at 8:31pm
Was mowing with Ser I D-17 this evening and everything was going fine when all of, a sudden with no warning it died.Gas was good.Checked spark plug and no spark,Points,cap and rotor all look ok. Went and got coil off my other D -17,still no spark.Will have to mess with it in the light tomorrow.Condenser maybe? Turns over strong
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You only need to know 3 things to be a plumber;Crap rolls down hill,Hot is on the left and Don't bite your fingernails
1964 D-17 SIV 3 Pt.WF,1964 D-15 Ser II 3pt.WF ,1960 D-17 SI NF,1956 WD 45 WF.
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Replies:
Posted By: CTuckerNWIL
Date Posted: 16 Sep 2012 at 8:36pm
Check for 12V at the coil. Might be the key switch or the wire broke from the switch to the coil.
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Lena 1935 WC12xxx, Willie 1951 CA6xx Dad bought new, 1954WD45 PS, 1960 D17 NF
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Posted By: Gerald J.
Date Posted: 16 Sep 2012 at 9:13pm
I had a tractor stop from dirt getting on the points. Filed the points and it hasn't happened again.
A shorted condenser will do that too.
One simple test is to connect a 12 volt test lamp or voltmeter to the coil wire going to the points. (or 6 volt if a 6 volt battery). The voltage should be battery voltage when the points are open and zero when the points are closed. No change with voltage, points are not making contact. They could have slipped their adjustment or just gotten dirty. No voltage with points open, a pinched wire or bad condenser, IF there's battery voltage at the other coil primary connection. If no voltage there, its ignition switch or wiring. You have to chase back to the battery with the voltmeter or test lamp.
Gerald J.
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Posted By: Pat the Plumber CIL
Date Posted: 16 Sep 2012 at 9:58pm
Thanks for the responses guys.My friend Tom came over to help me tow The D-17 home. He looked at the points one time and said they are opening too wide.Screw that holds points in place is wallered out a little and loosened up enough to let points move. He moved points and eyed it up.Fired on the first bump of the starter. He said to find a metric screw a little bigger to hold it tight or drill and tap next size screw.Any other suggestions? Just a work tractor but would like a dependable repair
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You only need to know 3 things to be a plumber;Crap rolls down hill,Hot is on the left and Don't bite your fingernails
1964 D-17 SIV 3 Pt.WF,1964 D-15 Ser II 3pt.WF ,1960 D-17 SI NF,1956 WD 45 WF.
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Posted By: Chalmersbob
Date Posted: 16 Sep 2012 at 9:59pm
Just run a jumper wire from the battery to the coil and see if it runs. This will bypass the ignition switch and the related witing. LOL Bob
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4 B's, 1 C's,3 CA's, 2 G's WD, D14, D15, B-1, B10, B12, 712S,
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Posted By: Ted in NE-OH
Date Posted: 16 Sep 2012 at 10:06pm
Check the condenser by temporarily disconnecting it. Engine will run without but eventually would burn points.
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CA, WD, C, 3 Bs, 2 Gs, WC, I-400, 914
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Posted By: Mrgoodwrench
Date Posted: 16 Sep 2012 at 10:36pm
a pertronics electronic conversion will eliminate that forever and anyone cam install one in 15 min genesee advertises on this site, they do that too may use the same parts
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There are 3 ways to do job GOOD, FAST, CHEAP. YOU MAY CHOOSE 2. If its FAST & CHEAP it won't be GOOD, if it's GOOD & CHEAP it won't be FAST, and if its GOOD & FAST it won't be CHEAP!!!!
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Posted By: Gerald J.
Date Posted: 16 Sep 2012 at 11:13pm
There is a very slight chance the point plate for the distributor could be found by AC part number or in a shop that specializes in distributors, perhaps Steve in NJ. The original screw likely is a 6-32 thread. It might tap 6-40 (national fine) and hold, but finding the 6-40 screw will be a pain. You may be able to buy a box from McMaster-Carr and I know they have the tap. But if the hole is stripped out, that tap won't do much.
Up through WW2 there was a 7-32 thread that was just a little larger, but its been mostly abandoned except for sight screws on some rifles so the tap and screw may be available at some gun shop supply houses. Going fatter on the screw can make it necessary to file out the frame of the points so they will adjust. Not necessarily progress. 8-32 would be the next common size and its about .040" bigger than the 6-32 screw. Probably wider than the slot.
If there's clearance under the point plate, you can solder a steel nut there. Hold it in place with a stainless steel screw and the screw won't get soldered in place. Or find a press in place PEM nut but its designed usually for aluminum that gets extruded into a groove in the nut to hold it in place. A PEM nut could also be soldered to steel and can be practically flush if the hole was machined to take the hex on the underside. But if there's room under the plate, soldering a standard nut in place will work after taking the distributor apart. Things need to be CLEAN for solder to hold.
Gerald J.
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Posted By: Steve in NJ
Date Posted: 17 Sep 2012 at 8:12am
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If you need a breaker plate, we do sell replacement breaker plates. In the Delco units, they're pretty easy to replace, but you may be able to just move up a size on the hold down screw. The hold down screw is 8-32, so you probably could move to a 10-32 for a hold down. The E.I. is an option if you wanted to go that direction. We carry the E.I. kits in stock if interested. Upgrading the screw size is obviously the cheaper route. A breaker plate is pretty inexpensive also as Gerald mentioned. I believe the breaker plates run around $14-$16 bucks. Its been quite a while since I sold one of those, but we have them in stock. Just need the Distributor number off the tag to fit you up with one....
mailto:Steve@B&B" rel="nofollow - Steve@B&B
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Posted By: JC-WI
Date Posted: 17 Sep 2012 at 9:04am
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I s it possible to take the plate out and lay in on a heavy chunk of steel and then take a 1/8 inch punch and go around the thread hole woth out touching the threads and punch/work the metal towards the hole to shrink it? Do four corners and if that isn't enough, then go inbetween. Fon't punch syraight down but maybe at a couple degrees angle so it punches towards the hole. Oh and work it from the bottom side, and if it dipples up on the top side, you can tap it down to flat again.
Just a thought
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Posted By: DaveKamp
Date Posted: 17 Sep 2012 at 9:44am
Yes, a guy could take the plate out and flatten the hole area with a punch... warm it up with a MAPP torch and flatten the hole area out enough to shrink the hole, then re-drill and tap...
Or you could put same on a piece of wet wood, and zap the hole shut with a MIG welder, then re-drill and thread it.
You could also drill it out to 10-32, and tap it... then chuck the 10-32 screw in your cordless drill, and gently lay it up against your bench grinder and grind the OD of the screw HEAD down 'till it fits the slot.
Whatever it takes...
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Ten Amendments, Ten Commandments, and one Golden Rule solve most every problem. Citrus hand-cleaner with Pumice does the rest.
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Posted By: Steve in NJ
Date Posted: 17 Sep 2012 at 2:31pm
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That plate will never survive the Mapp Gas, so I wouldn't go that way. That thing will be warped fir' sure. If you decide to repair it, don't use any heat, and make sure you work on a flat steel bench or anvil. This way after the repair, it'll go back in the Distributor and line up correctly with the support screws. Two of which anchor the bails.
mailto:Steve@B&B" rel="nofollow - Steve@B&B
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Posted By: Jimmybeam01
Date Posted: 01 Dec 2021 at 8:25am
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Same thing happened to my d17 series one. Got spark tho tested everything. Every once in a blue moon while I’m laying on the key it will pop then nothing. But has spark still? Perplexed right now
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Posted By: DaveKamp
Date Posted: 01 Dec 2021 at 8:43pm
Jimmy, that's a common symptom of a failing ignition switch contact. Put a jumper wire 'tween the coil BAT/IGN terminal (not the side connected to distributor/points) and battery, and try the keyswitch. if it starts and runs, it's a bad keyswitch.
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Ten Amendments, Ten Commandments, and one Golden Rule solve most every problem. Citrus hand-cleaner with Pumice does the rest.
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