Magneto Installation and Timing with Engine Start - zeketheantiquefreak

[@montiraruba2831]

Make sure that the body of the magneto makes good contact with the engine block otherwise your spark plugs won't fire well. I found that out when I had problems with no spark.

[@zeketheantiquefreak8518]

Thank you, good advice!

[@jamesmckay9966]

During WW 2 near Paynesville, MN we had a John Deere similar to this one. It was called G P if I remember correctly. It had a 4 row cultivator when needed. It burned Distilate

[@zeketheantiquefreak8518]

Yes, the 'GP', General Purpose... Those would have been heady times.

[@Marine-72]

AA++, thank you for taking the time to make this video.

[@michaelstjohn2617]

Very nice explanation

[@justtinkering6054]

Thank you for this! My old B and I appreciate this! I been having a terrible time finding this kind of info.

[@zeketheantiquefreak8518]

Thanks for the kudos! Glad to have been of some help.

[@bustednuckles3946]

I have enjoyed watching this video over and over. Very good video.

[@zeketheantiquefreak8518]

Hey, thanks for the kudos! I hope this video and others will help people to keep these pieces of old iron alive and ticking. Do you have a project on the go?

[@bustednuckles3946]

I used your video to help swap the magneto to the correct one on my 1944 BR. Just yesterday I used another one of your videos to set the toe on the BR. I myself love spinning the old flywheel to start a tractor.

[@yako0000]

thanks for doing this, much appreciated. will be at the stage soon as it's warm enough to open the shop doors.

[@zeketheantiquefreak8518]

Thank you for the comment! Thirty friggin below here tonight!

[@baskooy6204]

Very useful video, thank you, will help me rebuilding my 38 A.

[@sherryt6733]

Very helpful, don't do it enough to keep memory sharp, tks JD4US.

[@zeketheantiquefreak8518]

Thank you for the comment!

[@schrabk]

Excellent video!

[@zeketheantiquefreak8518]

Thanks!

[@bushdidit2u911]

great vid kurt. really nice tractor

[@zeketheantiquefreak8518]

+bushdidit2u911 Hey, slip over one day @ lunchtime and you can drive it!

[@starpuss]

*Looking good!* _Hope to see it drive soon!_

[@zeketheantiquefreak8518]

Yea, I have had it out to the coffee-shop a time or two... One nice day I will take a video of the thing in action!

[@bushdidit2u911]

sounds like it runs great

[@zeketheantiquefreak8518]

Thanks!

[@trudylehmeyer6647]

Zeke I have a 642b bobcat when you adjust the choke on a manual choke is the choke supposed to shut all the way tight or do you leave a small Gap I follow you all the time you are the best I wish I had a tenth of your knowledge thank you for any feedback John

[@zeketheantiquefreak8518]

Yes, the carb choke cable should be adjusted so the choke plate shuts tight. A certain amount of airflow is built into the choke plate and is usually ok for my climate. (Canada) Not often, but I have had to block some of that airflow for a richer start on a cold Manitoba morning. Some chokes seem designed for warmer climates. (I try to adjust the choke cables so when the button is pressed in and the choke is completely off, the button is not seated to the dash. Hope this makes sense. If the button sticks out a little bit you know that the choke is completely off. Thank you for the comment!

[@keltonwright7]

I have a question, Can you or how much can you advance the timing to get more power? Own a model D and use it for tractor pulling but it doesn't pull the greatest, so I was working if I could adjust the timing to gain a little bit of power. Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

[@zeketheantiquefreak8518]

Here goes. (None of the following is recommended.) If there is not enough adjustment on the magneto mount to please you, raise the governor housing and advance the camshaft one tooth on the gear. Or, set the points slightly closer, since point distributors and magnetos fire when the points open. A smaller gap will fire sooner. Too little clearance and the coil doesn't have time to 'build'. Thanks for the question... This has been fun.

[@keltonwright7]

@@zeketheantiquefreak8518 Thanks, I'm not looking for anything excessive, just possibly sharpen it up a bit. , I know D's arnt the best for pulling, but I'm trying to make it better. Which way do I need to turn the Magento? Top towards the front is advancing correct? The tractor pulled great the first year I owned it, then it got into fouling plugs regularly, so I had to mess with the carb and turn it back, still runs and starts awesome, but lost quite a bit of power, and just trying to get a bit back. Thanks for all the help, greatly appreciated!.

[@zeketheantiquefreak8518]

@@keltonwright7 I have little to no experience with the ''D' model John Deere, so I can only share a bit of what I know from the Model 'A's. The 'A's have two needles on the carb. One of them is nicknamed the 'power needle' and controls fuel flow under load and hence horsepower. Man, it would be nice if you could borrow one of those old pto driven horsepower measuring machines. Can't remember the name of it. You could try it, make minor adjustments and try it again. Premium fuel has more btu per gallon. Worth a try for a couple percent more power. Magneto... Maybe take the cap off, and rotate the engine to find out which way the mag turns. Mark the housing with a paint stick for future reference. Advance the timing by turning mag housing opposite normal impulse rotation. Check the air cleaner intake. These are often near plugged with oily dirt. Hope something here will help!

[@keltonwright7]

@@zeketheantiquefreak8518 great thanks for the help!

[@zeketheantiquefreak8518]

Tell me about your experience with ethanol fuel... Here in Southern Manitoba Canada, premium non ethanol fuel is still available @ many places. My older equipment just does not run the same on the ethanol. Some of the carbs I have cleaned of ethanol gum, or worse, farmer's 'purple gas' have not been fun. Last I checked, premium non-ethanol fuel was 23 cents a litre more than the crappy regular ethanol. The gov't has you comin' and goin'. Sooooo... I guess it is time to detune my old iron so it sort of runs on the E85. Or not.

[@Kuulanth]

So much room for the upper bolt than a 1945 B. Can't move more than an 1/8th of a turn with the hood and tanks on.

[@zeketheantiquefreak8518]

Thanks for the reply. Do you have access to those open end wrenches with the head on one end say at 30 degrees and the other at perhaps 60? They can help in some of those tight situations. (I hope to own a running B one day.)

[@alancripps1356]

do you know how to time a base mounted wico model X for a D

[@zeketheantiquefreak8518]

Thank you for the comment. I think the information above would also work for the Wico X... In the video it shows a Fairbanks-Morse which I later changed to a Wico X when one became available. I am not aware of any changes in mounting or direction of rotation between the 'A' and the 'D'. Perhaps others could comment on their experience.

[@zeketheantiquefreak8518]

Base mounted? Not flange mounted? Maybe I misunderstood before I made the comment below. Let me check out the jdparts website over the weekend and see what you are faced with. Without having a Model D to look at, I am at somewhat of a disadvantage.

[@alancripps1356]

It is on a 1937 JD D unstyled

[@zeketheantiquefreak8518]

I think this is the base mounted magneto you are talking about (Page 23): jdpc.deere.com/jdpc/pdfs/PC0658.pdf Here goes for what it is worth: Time the number one piston so that it is at the timing mark, after compression stroke, TDC. Back engine flywheel up by perhaps 30 degrees to facilitate installing the magneto in the drive slots without fighting with the impulse. Place a bent wire in the number one spark plug hole so that the firing sequence can be observed. Set the magneto so that it is at the edge of impulse for the number one cylinder. Engage drive tangs in slots and loosely mount magneto base. Move flywheel forward to the TDC #1 position again. the impulse should 'snap' making a spark slightly after TDC for safety in starting. Let me know if this was in any way helpful.

[@zeketheantiquefreak8518]

How did you make out?

[@BonnieSoules]

Any one know how to reinstall a gear shifter on 1939 Model H? I can not get it in the correct position. There must be a way to align.

[@zeketheantiquefreak8518]

Without having a model H to look at, I can only suggest that the flat pin on the business end of the shift lever has to go into the slot formed by the shift rails... If the tractor is in one gear or another, the shift rail(s) can be moved to the neutral position with a large screwdriver or a prybar. It is easy to miss the slot with the shifter and may take a few tries. Let me know if this helps. Thanks for the comment. Again, I don't have an H to look at so this is kind of awkward. If the shift rails stay with the shifter casting, the forks will have to be placed into the grooves on the gears themselves. This is tougher and may require the gears to be slid to the proper spacing for the shift forks.

[@FastenDeezNutz]

Ive aligned mine twice. Darn thing slips out. But its not to hard. Just find your path of shifts

[@robertparker9280]

is this the same way to set a 1950 john Deere b thanks.

[@zeketheantiquefreak8518]

+Robert Parker: Excellent question! I don't have access to a Model B John Deere to look at, but I believe it would be the same. Number one cylinder is on the left hand side when sitting on the tractor and number one plug wire comes out of the top hole of the magneto. Perhaps someone who has worked on a B can leave a comment. Thanks in advance.

[@zeketheantiquefreak8518]

+Robert Parker Just spotted this video posted by 'jonelsonster'; How to re-time a John Deere B. I haven't checked it out yet, but it may have exactly what you need.

[@mulehead82ify]

How bout showing how to wire up a kill switch on one with original magneto

[@jamesmangen9936]

You can turn gas off and run it dry

[@zeketheantiquefreak8518]

Sorry for the tardy reply, I have been having trouble accessing comments for some time... Yes, if the magneto has a small machine screw sticking out the side, any method of grounding this will stop the spark. That said, it is preferred to shut off the fuel and let the engine run until the carb is empty. This will prevent the gasoline fumes from condensing on the spark plugs making for a difficult start next time. Thank you for the comment.

[@mulehead82ify]

@@zeketheantiquefreak8518 thanks so much for this information..

[@matnaylor8939]

Very informative is it a Fairbanks Morse ??

[@zeketheantiquefreak8518]

Sorry I missed your comment from months ago. Yes, at the time of this video the tractor had a Fairbanks-Morse magneto. I have since changed it up to a Wico-X for no particular reason. The F-M is a good working spare.

[@LegacyGarage]

Can you advance the timing on these?

[@zeketheantiquefreak8518]

Yes, that last step of moving the magneto counter clock wise till the impulse clicks is a hint. A little farther CC will advance the spark timing. Thank you for the comment.

[@LegacyGarage]

@@zeketheantiquefreak8518 i figured, i just got my uncle's B running after years, it has a starter and distributor, i don't know the year exactly but I'm trying to get it tuned up, i wanted to bump it up a hair see how it acts after a adjust the valves, thanks partner

[@zeketheantiquefreak8518]

@@LegacyGarage Let me know how you make out. Did you have any problems with oil leakage from the crankcase behind the flywheel? An attempt of mine on a B Unstyled didn't work out. Still leaks. Not sure what to try next.

[@LegacyGarage]

@@zeketheantiquefreak8518 its seeping all over but im just getting it going, I've only driving it one lap around the farm, so I'll watch that