We are first time rebuilders. WE have a 26 TT Truck. We are getting spark to the magneto, but no spark to the spark plugs. It is a hand crank.
Any suggestions? Thank you, Ruth

Ruth,

IF the mag has sufficient output, the coils and coilbox are OK, and the switch and wiring are OK, then all that's left is the timer (commutator) on the front of the engine. The timer grounds the coils one at a time so that they will fire the plugs.

That "IF" is a big IF, but a dirty (non-grounding) timer would be the first place I'd look.

Seth

After cleaning out the timer for good electrical conduction, then clean all wire terminals and contacts for the same reason.

After that, it is back to examining coils and switch.

PS: What do you mean "We are getting spark to the magneto" as you should not be getting an actual spark to? or from the magneto directly ??

Regards, Roland

This just happened to me. The coils were buzzing (as I assume they are for you) however, the plugs had no fire at the gap.
Pull the plugs from their holes, leave the ignition wires hooked to them and slowly, with the ignition key on Bat., crank the engine over to see if each plug has fire at the gap.
My coil box was soaked during a good midwest rain and this was the first time I had this happen to me.
I took out the coils, removed the contacts and put the coils and the box in the oven at 180 degrees for thirty minutes. I did this four different times.
I first polished and then soldered the bolts to the contacts for better, well, contact.
I then used liquid nails (Westlake Hardware) and coated the wood where the contacts touch and coated about 1/2 inch of the bolt. I also put some liquid tape in the holes and on the exposed wood outside and added coilbox insulators (from the vendors)to seal the holes.
You could have damp wood and, if there has been arcing, carbon build up that is stealing the juice. I suspect damp wood.
Hope this helps you!

Joe R.

Ruth
The Model T ignition system is compromised of several sub-systems. As such there are about 50 different faults that can cause the conditions you describe, especially for a Model T that has been sitting for a long time. There is no silver bullet forum response for your trouble. There are usually several problems which only serve to frustrate single solution answers.
The best way to get to the bottom of your trouble is to select a competant person and work with them off forum. They will walk you through basic tests which are required to establish a baseline for further tests which will ultimately resolve the trouble your having. You may find this frustrating because you want it fixed, but it is the only way to get to the bottom of the troubles with 80 years of others "fixing" it.
Ron the Coilman

P.S. I meant "liquid tape" in both references.

Joe R.

Ditto to Ron Patterson's comments with a couple of other ideas.
First after locating the source of the problem Then whatever solution(s) you need to implement should include rebuilding the coil box with the non-wood liner, & replaceing the timer with an Anderson Style timer.(assuming you choose to stay with the traditional timer setup. The rebuilt non wood coil box will forever end the moisture problem inherant in absorbative wood & most would I think agree that the Anderson Style timer is the best choice among the traditional timer options. These improvements of course assume proper or perhaps new wireing, & good clean connections at all points.(both the non wood coilbox liner & the Anderson Timer are well worth the cost & neither require an excessive skill to install. Bottom line, take some time & you will likely be rewarded with many miles of trouble free ignition performance.
Edward R. Levy

Thank you everyone. As you can tell, we are new to all of this. The problem appears to be in the coilbox. I have removed the coils. I believe they should be tested. We have been unable to locate anyone in our area to test them. Would you recommend purchasing a coil tester, is that a piece of equipment a Model T owner should have in their tool box?
Ruth

Ruth,

Do yourself a favor and contact Ron Patterson. Unless you are going to drive a lot and/or have many Ts, having a "real" coil tester will never pay. Ron can rebuild your coils and make them flawless and can help you with anything "peripheral" to the coils to make sure they work properly.

There are probably quite a few folks like Ron that can also do this - I just know he is more than capable because he did a super nice job with mine.


Good luck with your new hobby - I hope you like your TT as much as I like my speedster.

Seth