Please repond - magneto advice needed

pjdeb

pjdeb

Senior Member
My last post only received 1 reply. Perhaps I did not phrase questions right. Hoping for more response this time.

I am working on getting a 1923 coupe running. Not a show car by any stretch of the imagination.

Last time it ran was 30 years ago. It was running on battery at the time. Magneto post removed.

Engine is out on stand.

1. Who says restore/replace the magneto and why?

2. Who says just run coil boxes on battery and why?

Please give me your opinion and reasons why?
 
I would try to recharge the magnets in the car. There is a procedure in the Dyke's manual for recharge in the car. if done properly, it will work. Running on mag gives a hotter spark than a 6 volt battery. If you have to run on battery, run with a 12 volt battery.
 
They run much better on the magneto, you can hear it when you switch it over from bat to mag
 
If the engine is out of the car then that would be a good time to work on the flywheel or the coil plate if it is in need. A person can replace the whole system for a battery operated distributor but it takes away a bit of the soul of the car. No free starts with a battery/distributor ignition system. No buzzing coils to make people ask questions. The trembler coils like a higher voltage to function. The battery use with tremblers and a timer was more of a back up system that a running system. The magneto, with it's multi magnets and trembler coils, was as hot as it could get back in the horseless carriage era. The early electric light cars used the magneto to draw an AC current for the headlamps. Starters and generators didn't come along till 1919 & later. The ones that do have an electrical system can easily convert to 12-volt which does aid the battery/trembler coil ignition somewhat.

A person may only have coil problems if the magnets are still holding a good residual magnetism and the coil plate is still in good condition. There are ways to test everything that makes up the model T magneto system. If you don't want to repair it then consider a distributor system. It would take the trembler coils out of the equation and likely be a bit more reliable.
 
Replace the magneto coil with rebuilt unit. The windings wrapping is 100 years and at this point if not coming apart and falling off, it will be. There is no magic elixir that will coat and hold to the old oily coils without failing itself. All that material coming off has a good chance of plugging the oil pipe to front of engine.
Beond that, we can not see what you are working with so, what needs to be done as far as replacing the flywheel ring gear, then resetting the magnets heights etc we would not know. You need to get the Ford Service Manual if you are going to be working on it.
 
I would definitely advise returning the magneto to proper operating condition (unless you're trying to build a hot-rod T). They run much better on magneto when all is in good condition.
 
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