Hey Guys,I have to pull the engine out of my car to seal up some oil leaks and since I am taking the engine out I am thinking of replacing the working but 80+ year old mag coil with a rebuild one,do you guys think I should change it out or just leave the old one in, and yes the magnets have been recharged. thanks Spencer
Replace in a heartbeat!!Bud.
Depends on the condition. It's at least 87 years old. If it was redone thirty or forty years ago it may be OK. If not, a rebuild would be a good idea because the old insulation may be deteriorated. You could use the MTFCA book and do it yourself, or get a rebuilt one from Wally Szumowski.
Thanks guys this is the one part of the engine that has never been replaced, Steve I am probably getting a new one from Lang's,and it has never been touched since the day the car was built in 1926. has anyone dealt with a Lang's mag coil I would like to know how they are thanks
It's really hard to get all the magnetized dirt and iron out of them!!!!!!!!!!! I have a Wally coil and i have a HOT Mag!!Bud.
Hi Spencer,
Lang's carries mag coils which are rewound by RV Anderson and he does good work. The "Wally" coils are likewise good.
Good luck with your project. Bill
Thanks guys I will post pics of the old coil tommorrow since I just got it out
I have rewound several mag coils. They all worked great. If you value anything above about $4.00 per hour to your time it is better to buy one from Wally or RV.
I would never pull a motor and not replace an original mag ring. My '10 was restored in 1950 and the coil ring was replaced then with a rebuilt. When I did the motor over several years ago I had Wally redo it even though it still looked OK and worked fine because it was over 50 years old and I did not want to have to pull the motor again because the mag stopped working.
I believe in the old saying: "Ifn it ain't broke don't fix it."
Then again some people say: "If it ain't broke we can fix it until it is."
Yes, replace if you are planning to run on mag. Very hard to change if you have to do it later.
Norm
Hi Spencer,
Just replace it with a rebuild one.
15 years ago, as I was getting the Model T bug, I didn't replace it on my first rebuild. This is what I get 2 years later..
Good luck
Andre
Belgium
Replace the mag coil at the very least if its an original and hasn't been touched. You'll be glad you did.
If it quits later on and you like to run your car on mag, its not replacing a defective generator!
Ok guys its out and I am thinking of tightening the flywheel magnets, what torque should I set the flywheel magnet bolts at?, And what type of gasket sealer should I put on the pan gaskets, permatex #2 or ultra black?
#2 will work just fine. Most important is the area around the hogs head to front of crankcase. You need to put sealer on both sides of the felt and put plenty around the edge where the block and hogshead come together. Also be very careful when you tighten the bolt at the edge of the hogshead where it meets the felt seal. It is very easy to break that edge off. I like to tighten the bolts all the way around starting in the center and working towards the end of the block and the crankcase. Put in all the bolts and tighten them till they just start to snug up and go to the next one. Then go back and tighten some more. Do that several times until they are tight. Do not over tighten or you will bend the crankcase and it will be tight at the bolt locations and loose in between. After you get everything together and put the oil in, if you have a leak anywhere, you can clean up with mineral spirits and or acetone. Then smear some sealer in the area of the leak. Try to force it into the crack where the gasket is. The black sealer won't show when you're done. That will usually fix minor leaks without having to take everything apart.
Norm
I would replace the coil. With the flywheel bolts just cut out the wire, if present, and tighten the bolts until tight then rewire. Also, it would be a good idea to replace the brass magnet screws with new ones. Old brass screws get brittle and break.
Stephen
Stephen, I am glad someone remembered those brass screws. Yes, they do get brittle and break resulting in that little piece of metal at the end of the magnets getting airborne and often doing severe damage. REPLACE THEM
Additionally always replace Aluminium magnet spools. The brass spools are safe to reuse.
Ron the Coilman
Also check each magnet for cracks and individually recharge them,
thanks Ron, and everyone else I rebuild the trans last year and got new magnets from Lang's so everything in the transmission is pretty sound, and Ron I did not forget about the motorized coil tester you wanted pictures of, Right now Grandpa's 1950 plymouth is taking priority over going though the barn attic for it. I'll post some pictures of the engine within the next couple of days so you all can see how it is going
The old #2 is ok but the new improved Permatex Ultra Black is much better and especially if you don't want any leaks. Make sure to super clean the oil off all surfaces with a solvent like Naptha. Make sure its not just the black stuff.