repairing the FARMALL H and diagnosing magneto problems

The Farmall H quit running suddenly last spring, and I finally have the time to diagnose what's wrong and repair it. After narrowing down the problem to a lack of spark, I disassemble and diagnose the magneto and get the H running again. I also show how to properly time an International H4 magneto to the engine, and what to check for when a magneto stops working.
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[@bourbonbeertractorsandprep9335]

Nothing better than working on the old iron! Its therapeutic in a way!!

[@arvbergstedt3303]

Great knowledge of primary and secondary electrical circuits in mags and distributers. Self taught. Impressive.

[@jameszindler]

Hey great job on your Farmall H, I grew up on a H and still have it today.

[@rgplpc]

I enjoyed the video, Pete. My H has a different style magneto, a Wico XH, but the principles are the same. The Wico has a start timing, which is what you demonstrated, and a run timing, which is set by adjusting the mag before it is mounted. All of your videos are fun to watch. Always makes me wish I had room for more tractors.

[@NichollsSense]

I love your channel. It reminds me a lot of “this old house”. But instead, it’s this old farm. I love it. Keep doing what you’re doing. Clearly well thought out. Super enjoyable to watch.

[@BearCat459]

Instead of ordering them off eBay I got a guy who has a salvage yard I get many of my farmall stuff from him. Jp tractor is the name. Great guy

[@farmkid7]

Just bought my first tractor yesterday and its an H. Super excited to pick it up as it is the same tractor my grandpa bought as his first tractor 50+ years ago. Love your videos!!!

[@petere1867]

Pete your an awesome guy. I enjoy watching your videos. Very educational and put together. Your like the uncle everyone wish they had.

[@robertmoore6700]

Loved it Pete. I always enjoy your work on the tractors. I really love your complete rebuilds. You make them look and operate better than new as you upgrade several components. Thank for sharing as always. Bob

[@GarrickGriswold]

Hey Pete we just got a farmall 706 for our farm thank you for your videos abt it

[@tlh001]

Great video, Pete, I love everything about the H. Such a great tractor. My granddad’s H was the heart of his Watertown, NY dairy farm in the ‘60s and ‘70s. It got used every day for manure and did lot of heavy lifting with seasonal duties. He had a 560 for field work, but the H was his everyday tractor and it was so reliable. I would love to find his old machine.

[@genesloan3175]

That noise was a good catch! Finding the noise was even a better catch! I also do hail Mary's, but don't often have good results... Had to laugh, but felt your frustrations, too.

[@6116phil]

Switch to diesel pete 😎. I bought my grandpas 806 to keep in the family then a small acreage. I’m 35 now but our family has worked on IH and Massey equipment since my grandfather bought his f20 and my Great Grandfathers B. I have fought that 806 ever other day for a year. I love your videos, it’s always nice to see someone else battling it out. A lot less swearing at your shop however...😜

[@JustaFewAcresFarm]

No swearing, I like this work as long as I'm not in a hurry to get it done. That's why I waited so long to fix it, and also why I have a spare tractor or 6 to fill in if one goes down. Does that 806 have the big 301 gas in it? I ran a gas 263 in the 656 for a few years but swapped in a diesel and I'm very happy with it.

[@6116phil]

Just a Few Acres Farm my 806 has the DT361 diesel. I’m a diesel fan so I always razz a gas guy..😜 I love your tractor collection it’s great. I’m hoping to come across a decent M or a diesel 560 or 656.

[@sergioresendez3474]

Good job Pete!

[@johnrosier1686]

Good instructional video. I am sure at some point I will watch this again and use it to help diagnose a problem. Feel free to make more of these kinds of videos. Old tractors maybe pretty simple but there is definitely a lot to learn.

[@joebarbjb6668]

Again at 74 I learned a bunch. Thanks friend.

[@danielbutler3673]

You can also convert a magneto to battery ignition quite simply. You disconnect the coil in the magneto from the condenser and connect a coil to that terminal, connect your power supply through a resistor, and run your coil wire to the center terminal of your magneto cap. We had a Farmall M that was set up that way.

[@donaldmack7213]

I have seven Oliver O C 3 ‘ s. Four run, the other three are in various states of sad disrepair, waiting to be rebuilt. They all have magnetos. I have two spare magnetos ready to exchange. From my experience, the condensers go bad just sitting. I could not get one OC3 running, no spark, exchanged it’s mag with a spare. Not starting. No spare. Points good and I cleaned them. No spark. Changed the condensers and Spark! Those import parts are junk! The condensers “suck in moisture” from temperature and humidity changes. Now my spare mags are kept in vacuum sealed food bags! No more mags going bad sitting on the shelf! You do an excellent job of explaining how that ignition system works! I enjoy your videos!

[@stevenlapham5254]

Enjoyable Learning... Well Done video as usual..... explaining makes his videos interesting-

[@nicholaslacovara2381]

The best magneto explanation and repair video I have found!!! Thank you!

[@Fdny0343]

Get er' done pete, can't wait to see her doing work again.

[@StacyEdwards-rd3ot]

You look a bit like Mr.Incredible and Terry Bradshaw, and you remind me of my great Uncle Sarge who used to tinker around his shop when i would come for a visit. Wr spent many a year in Upstate NY and the Syracuse area, beautiful country up there in the fall!

[@dedrakuhn6103]

Great job Pete, your videos is as always a joy to watch and learn from. Thank you and keep up the great work

[@dedrakuhn6103]

I have the same issue on my c Farmall thru this video we will be able to diagnosis the problem, (hopefully)

[@MinksMotorsandMore]

A tip on having coil problems with magnetos, you can test them at home with a multimeter to get a basic idea if it'll work or not. Your workshop manual should tell you what the resistance of the coil should be or have a range of acceptable resistance, usually you just need to measure that and if it is too low or high you know the coil is bad and can diagnose from there. Another test to check its integrity is if the insulation in the coil has burned up and is creating a short by checking continuity from the coil to another part of the coil, depends on each model of magneto exactly where to test it but it's fairly simple. Source is I'm an aircraft technician and most small prop planes still use magnetos for ignition, in fact aircraft universally have two magnetos for the twin sets of sparkplugs.

[@donaldwhite2744]

We had a condenser in the mag go bad on the '48 Farmall M while baling hay years ago. It stopped running good and lost power and black soot came out the muffler. I was too young to know how they diagnosed it, but do remember the failure. So with another excellent video it all made perfect sense. And converting to battery ignition is sure the way to go.

[@mikefuhrman458]

Pete, I enjoy your post. A little advice from an old guy. When replacing spark plugs, use a spark plug socket with the rubber insert and avoid using an extension on your ratchet. It doesn't take much sideways pressure to crack the porcelain on the plug and then the spark can short out there. Those shorts can be a real pain to find if that's the case. Good luck in all you do.

[@tracyknueven9375]

Your knowledge and ability to fix this older equipment amazes me!

[@daviddjerassi]

Another master class in Tractor electronics ,then a kid with a new toy .Great to see you smiling,did you get any rain yet on those dry fields ?.Pete.Keep safe.

[@JustaFewAcresFarm]

Thanks David. Still no rain, and clear weather forecast next week.

[@michaelburt2233]

Our H did something similar to this. We did all of the procedures that you are doing and it came down to a cracked distributor cap. Good thing we keep extra in the barn.

[@dustyroads5753]

I love my H. It's my favorite tractor to operate. There are a few jobs it's just not big enough to do, but tbh they're few and far between around here.

[@passianmaningi8479]

Thanks for sharing with us all practical information and data for the all in repear also the way you explain even completely for person who has not been with machines he or she can have breakthrough. Thanks again for your education.

[@msw00]

You are starting to sound like a Navy Electrician...great video. Have a great day.

[@ericlaker1983]

Very good video!! Enjoyment fur the day thank you kind sir!! I have been working on 656 my self. T/a clutch adjustment!! I know you don't have those issues with your 656 lol. I really really enjoy the older ih equipment. You get stuff done don't cost payments!!! Thank you kind sir loved watchin.

[@JustaFewAcresFarm]

Hi Eric, good luck with your 656. I've done that adjustment on my 504, and it probably needs to be done again.

[@tryhardfinessedyou]

I got so excited I thought this was the MD youve been restoring 😫 lol

[@georgeliakaris53]

I admire your patience

[@delprice3007]

Awesome! I have a 706 that's still on the job.

[@Michael-dd7sp]

Thanks for the video Pete. I enjoy all your videos but the machinery vids are my favorite. Keep em coming.

[@gcc3996]

Your victory dance reminded me of the dancing Farmall tractors - which you're likely familiar with (you can google the videos). Saw them at the plowing match here in Ontario a few years ago. Enjoyed this magneto video(as I do all the others); my JD BR also has one - but a far less knowledgeable owner.

[@290wayne]

Great job nice explanation of how things work. Thank you.

[@jimkewley3790]

Like Joel Saladin (sp?) us non-mechanics are admiring this knowledge and ability😀

[@FarmallFanatic]

Happy Day, but time to get another H4 😁...yea dump the mag 👍

[@mihandsplitters705]

Your wife is more understanding than mine! Cranking victory donuts in the yard would have me sleeping with our dog. Another quality video. Thank you.

[@JustaFewAcresFarm]

LOL! Technically it was the driveway, just overgrown with grass. The gravel needed to be aerated anyway :)

[@mardyfisher693]

Thanks for that information. My 39 Oliver wont spark. I now know what and how to check.

[@hoppasfarmallful]

Really appreciate this video, my H now runs again. Thanks!

[@KingJamesBibleBeliever-de9fy]

Very detailed and informative, thank you. Need more videos like this. Love your videos.

[@tomjerniagan8827]

Enjoyed the show please show the changeover to new system

[@JustaFewAcresFarm]

Thanks Tom, I will definitely do a video when I put the distributor on.

[@johnwalters2611]

Was this tractor changed over to 12 volt?

[@cleaterose5914]

Dealt with magnetos back in the day in a bracket racer. No end to problems, hated it. We wound up ditching it for a battery system.

[@willymack5196]

Interesting video very good and very entertaining as always. Thank you Pete.

[@johnminckler4605]

I have friends in Lansing. I live in the Syracuse area.

[@matthewbarber6579]

You can get the coil fur the magneto at Napa! I just bought one today

[@prestonmiller9552]

Ahhh, there's nothing better than super sleuthing a problem and figuring it out. But I have to agree about going to the battery ignition system. Most small airplanes also still use the dual magneto system, and they can be not always reliable at times but there you have the redundancy of dual mags on the airplane.

[@arlandmiller6673]

Hi Pete! Your videos are coming in handy as I get ready to service my recently purchased M. Huge txs for making these! Nothing on KZbin comes close to your clarity and conciseness. Well done! Quick question: what type and brand of grease do you prefer to use on your Farmalls? Same for all your equipment (tractors as well as hay equipment)? All the best with your business and keep up the good work. All the best!

[@brianstevens2327]

The nice thing is that you suggest that an import ignition coil is rather cheap . Made in USA coils are rather expensive around $150

[@stuckinthepast300]

Great video!! Happy to see the H going, I have a 300 and love it to death, and its all the same as this H as far as engine build and such goes, so this vid was super helpful for anything electrical in the future! Thank!

[@zackvahlkamp3960]

I agree mags are not worth the hassle to fix. I started putting in electronic ignition in my old tractors never ran better.

[@evergreentimber]

I learned to drive on an H Farmall and a 9N Ford!

[@johnwythe1409]

Great video. Love it. If the condenser and coil are good, then either a bad armature or bad magnet. My dad collected those M/D and IH tractors for years. Ones from the 20’s to the 60’s. He had a lot where the magnet got weak or lost it all. He refurbished many of them by recharging the magnet. Not entirely sure how he did that. Whether a bit of heat was needed or not as well as an electro magnet. From the way the washer attached to the magnet, it looked weak to me. The magnets I still have snap a washer down pretty good and don’t come off easily.

[@yoopermann7942]

i`ll pass on those tricycle front end tractors, the only time i got hurt using a tractor is when i used one, i`ll keep to the wide front end tractors. great video!

[@robertheflin5446]

Loved the video. I wish I had your mechanical knowledge.

[@toddcaskey9984]

Great job as always

[@wayneharland432]

Great video 👍

[@frankbeougher6675]

Great job there

[@swm78]

Thank you!

[@markblackwood3121]

Thanks for sharing “H” is classic and a perfect multi- use tractor. Guess that’s why so many were sold. I grew up on the “H”👍👍

[@puskabeuford8667]

Learn something new every day.🦅🇺🇸

[@DeTransAllianceCanada]

Learning so much! Appreciate the detailed breakdown

[@fredericklozon5838]

i had magneto that had no spark,i took the rotor out and it was rusty,had hose clamps around the rotor to keep it magnetized,cleaned the non moving parts of the mag in the blast cabinet then cleaned everything well in my parts cleaner.put it back together and had spark,oh and if there are carbon tracks on the rotor,erase them with a number 2 pencil eraser,i used magnetos in my modified race cars,harleys,and lincoln welders on the job,the old lincoln SA 200 had a 4 cylinder gas continental

[@jeffreyjohnson9108]

Great segment....learned a lot!

[@RehoKevin]

Another great video Pete ! Looking forward to seeing you install the distributor. I've heard folks voice concerns about rollover on those old tricycle configuration tractors, but when you're doing your celebration dance in tight circles, it looks very stable. Have you ever had any concerns about stability on those? Thanks for sharing so much great content.

[@JustaFewAcresFarm]

I don't have any concerns about stability, and the narrow front is so nice for turning on a dime. I've got 450 lbs of wheel weights on each rear tire which helps. It's never felt unstable on any of our terrain.

[@RehoKevin]

@@JustaFewAcresFarm Good to know. Thanks for your input Pete.

[@JL-xn3zy]

Great tractor!👍👍👍

[@flybouy11]

Mags are still used in piston engine aircraft. There are two mags on each engine. Two sets of ignition and two spark plugs on each cylinder.

[@carlolson1203]

Loved the video for the 2nd time.

[@mcgam2000]

Since I am seeing this 9 months later, maybe someone has already suggested using an analog volt meter with a needle. This shows the condition of the condenser better than a digital meter... I have used this method for years and I still have an analog meter mainly for this purpose. Many digital meters also have a capacitance setting that allows you to test the condenser also.

[@Andyrob323]

Love the tractor videos!

[@bradleyboyce4347]

Hi I got a question about the farm halls h my grandfather had one and it was the same front as your and he had the bucket out front but when he turned it off it would backfire on him sometime

[@sampowchicken6941]

Was wondering if you use a gas oil mix for the h since it originally ran on leaded fuel? Or just straight gas? Had a few old farmers tell me that you mix used filtered diesel oil in with the gas

[@herbhouston5378]

As always... great job goin' over everything! What year is the old girl? I had a chance 65 years ago... to drive 3 different H's... Always liked them... For their time they had good power to weight ratio... A joy to drive...

[@JustaFewAcresFarm]

She is a 1940. You're right they're solid and fun to drive. And that narrow front makes backing wagons up a breeze!

[@calvary1808farm]

Rockin' the cutoffs under the shade tree! These old tractors are cool.

[@tinkerinbruce6560]

Love them old H’s

[@briananderson626]

Do you have a video on changing the H water pump?

[@astari39]

Love that tractor.

[@vonmikeore]

very informative, thanks!

[@davidoutdoors74]

Keep the vids coming Pete

[@JustaFewAcresFarm]

Thanks David!

[@robertanderson9084]

If I remember correctly you don't have to remove the hood to get at the plugs if you use a universal joint on the spark plug socket.

[@matzimmer6048]

Could you do a video of installing a battery operated coil?

[@leinsterfarmer]

Love the old H

[@paulsmith5339]

The few times I had trouble with a magniteo, it was one of two things. The impulse mechanism wouldn't work because I forgot to oil it. It doesn't get oiled from the engine. The other thing ,was the condenser was bad.. Change the points, condenser and oil the impulse and you shouldnt have any problems with it

[@chuckg9805]

only know of 3 reasons for a mag, they look cool, you like to work on them, you can kick or crank start the engine and the mag will spark

[@ksw12667]

Seems I remembered #1 being the cylinder closest to the seat. Used a cork in the spark plug hole and turned it over with the starter until the cork popped out. Was about 13 at the time so ....

[@JustaFewAcresFarm]

Cool cork trick. The #1 cylinder is definitely the front one.

[@anotherbrickonthewall]

Thanks for the video. Good job!! I see you also went to the alternator Negative ground set-up as well. Where did you get that set-up and what brand alternator is it? Did you buy a conversion kit for that or just "piece-meal" it on your own from scratch? Thanks

[@jamesglass8861]

Hey man I’m having kinda the same problem mine starts up but you gotta move the choke back and forth or it will turn off do you know what it could be?

[@conradbegin9505]

how do you get an outside coil instead of inside the magneto, and how do you hook it up

[@loganyoutube4818]

You should do a video when you do timing on the battery ignition

[@daveholt248]

I have a Wisconsin 4 cyl with a WICO X magneto. Have a really difficult time starting and it’s hand crank so hard to see any spark. I put a spark plug (glass bowl) tester on each plug so when I finally got it started I found only the left bank cylinders are firing, #1 & #3. No spark on right bank, but runs smoothly on just the two cylinders! I’ve got good plugs, correct gap, have swapped some plug wires, cleaned and inspected the cap. Any reason you know that only one side of the motor is getting spark?

[@anthonybarton2103]

Great 👍 👍

[@adamfontana537]

Great stuff!

[@jacoblatshaw3004]

Great videi

[@zachwiz4709]

Hey Pete, I got a quick question. What are all the types of animals you do in a daily year? I know dexters, turkeys, chickens, hens, pigs (or hogs) any others I am forgetting or I don’t know about! Thanks Pete! I enjoyed this video as well, have a good day! Take care!

[@JustaFewAcresFarm]

You listed all of them Zach, except for the 3 kids, which are animals sometimes too :)

[@zachwiz4709]

Just a Few Acres Farm Got it have a good day!

[@allanvarner8137]

i use my push lawn mower to test the mag coils.

[@EricMatson-ru7jj]

This is why l like battery ignition Had a cub with bat. Ignition never Any trouble