8n side distributor with electronic ignition

[Hammbone]

Is there a side mount distributor with already installed electronic ignition available for purchase, or is there an electronic ignition conversion that does away with the advance weights ? All I can find is the standard points breaker ignition distributors.

Was thinking about converting to 12v setup with electronic ignition before I found out the advance weights in my current dizzy are toast, so I figured I best address this issue first.


It also looks like the slots on the shaft ears are worn pretty badly as well. I think this has been the root problem of what seemed like multiple gremlins I have been dealing with for a couple years now such as: hard starting, points wearing quickly (need re-set every 15-20ish hours), intermittent lack of power when under load,
and constantly having to adjust the timing to run ok.

So, to replace the dist. shaft and weights it's looking like it will be around $120-$150. This doesn't seem to make sense when I can get a brand new complete dist for the same price and a few options even less. If I go the new complete distributor route I may consider trying normal points style a little longer with a properly functioning setup.
Thanks for any thoughts on the matter.

 

[RickB]

I do not think you will find a new distributor with EI right out of the box, you will have to buy a distributor then add EI. EI units are voltage specific AND polarity specific, so have those choices sorted out for your long term needs before buying EI. I strongly advise against 6 volt EI installs due to the narrow range of voltage drop tolerance of EI systems and the high probability that an 8N starter and wiring is old, worn, corroded and draws sufficient current to cause EI to be unreliable while cranking because of low system voltage.

My advise would be to replace the distributor, convert to 12V negative ground and add EI in that order. You may well find that adding EI is not necessary.

 

[Hammbone]

Thanks Rick, that sounds like the route route I was looking at going to a T. I was also thinking that the ei might not be needed after finding out it wasn't particularly the points that were the issue but more of a faulty distributor. The tractor runs good when all the stars align perfectly, lol.

One concern with the new distributors though is are they made just like the old ones with replacement parts still being interchangable?

 

[RickB]

Other than points, condenser, rotor, dust cap and cap I would not bet on it.

 

[Hammbone]

Decided to go ahead with the all new distributor assembly. Should be here in a few days, fingers crossed. Will post an update when it's back up and running! Thanks for taking the time to help wrangle in my thought process on which route to go Rick.

 

[John0829]

That distributor is nearly as worn out as the one in my SIL's 8N. We found it less expensive to replace the distributor than get the parts to repair it. As for EI, we prefer the old school points, plenty cheap enough to replace when needed. Few people know how to read the wear of a set of points to understand what is happening with the ignition and just throw in new points and condenser which with the quality of these items now days is not always a smart move. We have tractors on the same set of points for over 5 years, we check the gap and add a touch of lube on the rubbing block every year. So far I have not been impressed with the life of the conversion units vs the price of points. Besides if points fail out in the field I can tinker with them and get back to the shop, EI fails there is where you are till you get a new one.

 

[Hammbone]

Alright, finally back together and running like a dream. Probably running better than it ever has since I have had it the last 6 years. I'm hoping that having a new distributor with everything nice and tight with no slop will give a better experience with points setup and won't require adjustment every dozen hours of runtime. So far I see no need to change to ei with as well as it is running.

That said, the reason it took a few weeks to respond is because I ended up needing to go through and clean up all the connections in the electrical system as well and then figured out the wire from coil to distributor points connection looked good but would intermittently drop voltage and it was driving me nuts. It didn't help that I was using a damaged sparkplug wire to check for spark either, man that was frustrating lol. Finally figured it out and replaced the two wires and she's running like a top! Starts at idle with no choke on the first revolution of the motor!

Thanks for the advice about sticking with the points, I believe I will. as far as the 12v conversion goes, as much as I would like to add some lights I think it will have to wait since it's running so well right now. Back to playing in the dirt for me!

 

[airbiscuit]

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[John0829]

Thanks for the advice about sticking with the points, I believe I will. as far as the 12v conversion goes, as much as I would like to add some lights I think it will have to wait since it's running so well right now. Back to playing in the dirt for me!

Sounds like my SIL's tractor, didn't know it could run so good until the new dizzy was put in.

You can still get 6V lights, probably for less than the cost of the 12V conversion, granted they won't be brilliantly bright but then on a tractor you really don't need to light up the world a mile away. I would have left my old Ford 6V but the charging system was toast when I got it and I needed to be able to use 12V accessories, sprayer and winch, so the conversion was necessary.

 

[Rebeldad1]

if its running great.... all the more reason to switch to electronics.
It will stay running 110% as good for a long time. No more adjusting points. When points go out of adjustment it also changes timing. Usually 1 degree of point change = 2 degrees timing offset.
Best ever point conversion is Pertronix. Direct fit for your distributor. You can still use the stock coil
Also recommend opening the plug gap. If you"re at .025 open to .030
Its as simple as installing new points.
Any confusion call Pertronix tech support