BUZZ COIL REPAIR (Model T Ford)

[@prancstaman]

I love how they made things back then. To me even a simple box was a work of art.

[@805ROADKING]

+prancstaman It's amazing isn't it!! All finger joints and brass for something that isn't even seen!!☺

[@DAquingil]

You're right. I've got a '26 Model T that I finally got running. People love to see those beautiful coils. The top plates are brass, and they really polish up nicely. Since he's not putting the coil into a "T" he's not worried about filling the voids in the box, but if it's on an actual Model T, it will shake so much that the parts will probably rattle loose. I was out in mine last week taking the first drive when the coil box lid vibrated off which caused two of the coils to lose contact. I like this guy's style. He explains everything so clearly.

[@aftershock2222]

Thanks, Road King, I needed a refresher course. I just opened up my buzz coil.

[@41Zman]

doing one now. just gotta order the cap. surprisingly the tar was still very soft inside but hard to dig out. had a round style paper cap in it that went bad

[@ziggassedup]

Good spark with the new cap...Good stuff RK.

[@805ROADKING]

+ZIGgassedUP Yeah Buddy!! It's throwing lightning bolts now!!☺

[@CraigArndt]

Cool stuff, What they did for ignition back then was wild. Pretty smart people.

[@805ROADKING]

+Craig Arndt Yeah Buddy!!☺

[@not2fast4u2c]

That is Neat to see old stuff like a buzz coil sparking and buzzing...I bet that old tar has a good smell to it !!!

[@805ROADKING]

+not2fast4u2c Yeah Buddy!!☺

[@signalhillscooter]

great video, I love getting the insight into how the old machines like model T fords worked. thanks so much for sharing :-)

[@805ROADKING]

+Patrick Leonard Thanks Bud!!☺

[@Mopardude]

Interesting how they packed it with tar to protect it. What kind of amp draw would something like that have? I would think over time that tar aids in that condensor breaking down, heat wise.

[@805ROADKING]

+Mopardude interesting point you make there!!☺

[@MalcOfLincoln]

Very interesting for me. Until I watched your vids I'd never heard of a buzz coil. However, at the start where you show the points sparking a lot, I instantly knew you were right, and it was the condenser. Replaced so many on distributors lol. Most kids today don't even know what a distributor is.

[@805ROADKING]

+MalcOfLincoln Yeah the Kids don't know nothing about Carbs, Dist, and points!! And we don't know anything about the new coil packs but they do!!☺

[@MalcOfLincoln]

Exactly. Modern cars...it's like being a 5 year old again and knowing nowt. Least my Clio diesel has no electronics, so I can fix it. No air bags, ABS etc etc.

[@thatguyb3rt]

+805ROADKING Not all of us are like that, I'm 19 and I do quite a bit of work on old cars! :) My car is and 82' corolla with a little 4 cyl hemi that I just rebuilt, Threw a weber 32/36 carb on there to make it that much better.

[@thepyrodude]

I messed around with those Toyota 2tc and 3tc hemi's quite a bit from my early teens in to my 20s and those lil suckers can be built to pump out a good bit of power for a lil 4 banger

[@RamblinAround]

Interesting stuff...they put out a nice hot spark when they're working well. Nice fix.

[@805ROADKING]

+RamblinAround Thanks Bud!! Yeah Ol' Henry knew what he was doing eh!!☺

[@smallenginedude71]

good history there. buzz coils are cool little things

[@danielbailey1489]

This was really really helpful! I had a question, maybe you could answer it. How do you test the primary and secondary coil? I think you test the secondary for resistance using the two posts on the side, but I’m not sure how to test the primary... thanks for the video!

[@skycarl]

Very coo RK. Love this stuff. Condenser is big version of what we find in the old radios we restore..Carl

[@805ROADKING]

+skycarl Yeah I use to restore old radios, still have about 50 laying around!! I have one similar to your 84!! I think mine is a 1935 model 60B!! Never finished it, got tired of restuffing them tar pot caps!!☺

[@MechanicForGMCCars]

Well is it posibel to build some thing similar with blinker relays? If so how to change pulse duration in relays? For around 300rpm for 4 cilinder engine?

[@eno9111]

What is normal capacitor ratings for centrain engin size? Is there way to calculate how much you need primary and secundary coil?

[@jareksample6963]

would that connect to the pulse generator on a four wheeler engine to turn the spark on and off?

[@andrewlee3421]

Where do you get your compassitors.

[@MrGunPilot]

I have one that is completely dead. Curious if you have ever replaced the actual coil part with something from a later engine that will work and fit into the box?

[@805ROADKING]

+GunPilot No I've never done that!! I do have one I completely gutted just outta curiosity that would be a good candidate for something like that!!☺

[@KowboyUSA]

Would that exact coil be found only on a Model A? Or was it made by an electric component company and distributed with a number of different motor products?

[@805ROADKING]

+John Ratko Nah they are original coils off a Model T, They have the Ford emblem embedded right in the case!! There was a company that did make them later on, but the ones I have are the real McCoy!!☺

[@KowboyUSA]

805ROADKING Model T, back when Ford made everything on site. Sweet.

[@19Robert98]

John Ratko only on model t’s. Model a’s had a completely différent sparking system

[@huck01955]

Cool I may need to do the same repair . Picked up an interesting engine yesterday .

[@GaryFanders-vk1iz]

Where and size of capacitor best place to buy?

[@charleshorsley8439]

What size or rate Compactor would you use

[@arska6383]

This made me think if the windings have gone bad or someone has destroyed them by poking with a screwdriver through the tar into the wrong location in the buzz box, could the whole contents be replaced with an electronic version inside the original enclosure, using a suitable coil and a kind of free-running CDI driver. It is of course not the original thing any more but at least it would keep the appearance and functionality of the original ignition system.

[@mirodeogrl]

Good stuff there Buddy. Glad it's back in working order.

[@805ROADKING]

+mirodeogrl Thanks Buddy!! We're shootin' lightning outta there now!!☺

[@steviemote670]

Road king what size capacitor should I use. I want to rebuild mine since I saw your video

[@805ROADKING]

+Stevie Mote Fogot to tell ya voltage!! point 47 (.47 mfd) 630 volt

[@MrBrendog67rat]

you can arc weld with that coil!

[@billhacks]

Awesome job buddy. I always wondered what was inside and how it worked.

[@805ROADKING]

+billhacks Thanks Bud!!☺

[@dennisdaly907]

Great tutorial!...One thing....I would not recommend using the typical silicone sealant to fill the voids in the box. The reason, is that typical silicone sealants contain a percentage of _ACETIC ACID._ (Smells like vinegar?) This acid reacts with copper to produce verdigris, which is a form of copper oxide, indicating the copper is being 'attacked,' so to speak. There are specialized silicone compounds that don't have this acid in the compound. I'm not a chemical engineer or metallurgist, but after 55 years, I've personally seen the results of 'fixes' of electrical items with silicone sealant. They weren't so good.

[@rheidtech]

thats awesome rk. love these vids.

[@805ROADKING]

+R HEIDEMAN Thanks Bud!!☺

[@tectalabyss]

Way to go Roadking. I remember my Dad telling me about those. A very safe and Happy Holiday Season to you and yours and The Guys :) Bobby

[@805ROADKING]

+Bobby Tectalabyss Thanks alot Bobby!! Hope you and your Family have a great Holiday also!!☺

[@BAGOTCORNER]

What size caps are you using Rk ? What were the originals rated at ?

[@805ROADKING]

+Bagot Corner .47 mfd, the original was probably .50mfd!!☺

[@AK-ck7cy]

you know you can get all the parts for a model t coil at most model t part places online.

[@805ROADKING]

+Albert Koopman Yeah, it's not worth buying replacement parts for our coils, good used ones are only $5!! We only use them in show engines!! If we were using it in a Model T that would be different!! I only messed with this one because I have hundreds of capacitors laying around!!☺

[@rondorothysainsbury6052]

Ron ware do you by your capacitors

[@805ROADKING]

Usually Ebay!! Just type in .47 630v and you'll find a good selection!!☺

[@Captionmarvelous]

As it turns out my friends that are wrong! I am not a know it all! I didn't know there was a cap inside those coils! That is a great tip! When I was a kid I got a shock off of that type of coil. It didn't feel good. The wire inside them must be about number 35. I tried to separate the copper off the high voltage side to see how long it is? Never got it off too far as it got all tangled up! There must be a few thousand feet on on it?

[@prototype9000]

you have 2 secondary coils the primary sits underneath them

[@queenofyeay]

Pretty cool, even if they cost only $5 it's worth saving a piece of the past.

[@BrucesShop]

Thanks I learned something. I could use a couple of those.

[@johngnang6724]

My father told me a story about how he had one wired in his car.When he picked up his father,his father touched the door handle and POW.His father never rode with him again.

[@805ROADKING]

+john gnang I've been bitten by buzz coils before, I don't blame Grandpa!!☺

[@spannaspinna]

People used to make cattle prods out of those

[@41Zman]

theres a place near me that makes all new coils for these old things so one can totally get all new guts

[@805ROADKING]

+41Zman Yeah a brand new coil cost $65, a new capacitor cost 25¢!!☺

[@41Zman]

yea true i should of said just the coil windings are available

[@shawnmrfixitlee6478]

Great fix man , Thumbs up !!

[@805ROADKING]

+ShawnMrFixit Lee Thanks Bud!!☺

[@TrustingJesus67]

That would be good for other electronic experiments also. Pretty cool. God Bless

[@805ROADKING]

+jjackdaddy56 Thanks Bud!! Yeah that's usually the only thing wrong with old motors or radios and TV's!!☺

[@krazy45cat]

I've never seen one before ???

[@805ROADKING]

+krazy45cat They were way before our time Col.!!☺

[@Lawnmowerman02346]

Did you know that the buzz coil is actually a spark gap transmitter ? The plug wire is the antenna lead . If you look at (lawnmowerman02346) I show a short power point on making buzz coils from scraps . Steve

[@805ROADKING]

+Lawnmowerman02346 That's interesting, I might try that!! I have a spare box and a bunch of old briggs coils laying around!!☺

[@Lawnmowerman02346]

The best coills to use are the old point ignition ones . They must have 4 leads primary. + and - , secondary + and - Chassis grounds work . Steve

[@805ROADKING]

Now you tell me!! I tried it using an old 5S coil!! It worked as a coil would but it wouldn't buzz!! I'll have to find a 4 wire coil at the next show!!☺

[@CJaguar265]

thanks for the history lesson. I also never heard of a buzz coil.

[@joealbert7773]

Model T had a magneto in the flywheel with 16 magnets. The buzz boxes were used for starting. They were typically powered by dry cell batteries.

[@805ROADKING]

+Joe Albert Interesting, didn't know that about the flywheel!!☺

[@rheidtech]

thx joe

[@joevignolor4u949]

The buzz coils do operate all the time. The batteries power the buzz coils during starting. Then the driver throws a switch on the steering column to run the buzz coils off the magneto. The batteries don't recharge like in a modern car so running the ignition off the magneto preserves the power in the batteries.

[@waynecreech]

Very cool! thanks for making this video..

[@805ROADKING]

+wayne creech Thanks for watchin' Bud!!☺

[@TheFurriestOne]

No wonder they called 'em buzz coils! XD

[@Ham549]

$5 my @$$