MTFCA Forum

Good afternoon ,
In a box of things with my TT I had two timers .
Both appear that they would work but is one better than the other ?
I’m not sure which is on my truck currently , but I’ll be pulling it off This afternoon before I finish adjusting the timing I had previously poster about .
Thanks , Vince

Being a "TW Timer snob" I would at least recommend the New Day. You'll get the majority of the same replies.

The Milwaukee timer is toast...

The New Day timer is a keeper and seems OK but the roller timer is in worse condition. The fiber insulation ring on the inside of the case is cracked and may not be usable. But what’s interesting about the roller timer is it’s still got the remains of the brand sticker on the outside of the case. You don’t see that very often. You might keep it for that reason.

Yep - the Milwaukee is toast but in it's day was a very good timer. New Day is a good timer. Why are you changing out timers ?

Once again my latest post got bounced by another at the same time! Gosh it happens 7 out of 10 times! So I tried to say it wouldn't take much to convert that Milwaukee timer to a TW timer and then you'd have the best running timer around in my book plus dozens of others would agree!

New Day - Tip Top Timers (Spokane Valley, WA) makes excellent replacement brushes although they cost a bit more than those from the vendors. If you want to use the original brush (assuming it's not too worn) make sure the spring has enough tension. The roll pin should be at the top of the slot in the holder.

BTW, my dad grew up on a farm near Elm Creek. Went back to the area after my mother died in 1978 and married a great lady he'd known as a kid. I've visited and been to Portage and the area a few times. Welcome!

Oldav8tor wrote: ↑

Sun Oct 22, 2023 2:26 pm

New Day - Tip Top Timers (Spokane Valley, WA) makes excellent replacement brushes although they cost a bit more than those from the vendors. If you want to use the original brush (assuming it's not too worn) make sure the spring has enough tension. The roll pin should be at the top of the slot in the holder.

BTW, my dad grew up on a farm near Elm Creek. Went back to the area after my mother died in 1978 and married a great lady he'd known as a kid. I've visited and been to Portage and the area a few times. Welcome!

Nice to meet a fellow Manitoban.
It’s a big world and there aren’t that many of us!
I’m in Bagot Mb
I’ve been putting my fun bits on YouTube for a few years .
Incl this truck .
I’m really enjoying this change from antique hit miss engines . https://youtube.com/@BAGOTCORNER?si=LdmK1XfIYTYrbcFA

Looks like they are one in the same

I run & prefer a new day also.
The Milwaukee would be in my display case.
Neat to find one with a decal in tact.

A good New Day timer with a good brush will last a long time. They need very little maintenance. Just need a good seal on the end of the camshaft to keep oil out and occasionally wipe the dust out and good to go. The other brands need oiling and the spring on the rotor sometimes wears out. But in good condition will also last a long time.
Norm

The Milwaukee roller timer might be special, and also might be a problem (but still special?).
About thirty years ago, I had restored a model T, and drove it for tours and local events for several years. The whole time I drove it, I had problems with the ignition intermittently misfiring one one cylinder. What drove me crazy was that the misfiring cylinder kept changing. I kept looking for what could be causing the problem, and kept missing something right in front of me.
Apparently, it wasn't all of them, but some Milwaukee timers used a roller timer with the roller ring and the roller itself offset almost a quarter inch! It turned out I had a common after-market timer with the roller ring in the proper location, and a roller itself with the offset! The roller ran on the edge of the ring and made poor contact on a small amount of surface, which caused different cylinders to misfire from time to time. I had used some white grease known to work well in the model t timers, and discovered the track pathway was barely on the edge of the ring. Careful comparison with a couple other rollers showed that the nicest and best looking roller I had chosen to use was the odd one.
The kicker was, it turned out I also had a NOS original Milwaukee timer, so I was able to carefully measure the ring's placement and confirm that it was also offset.
On the other hand, I did years ago have an opportunity to measure a couple other Milwaukee timers, and found them to match the common Ford and other replacement timers. So clearly the offset ones are unusual.

That Milwaukee timer could probably be repaired and made good. It likely would be a good one to use, provided the roller and ring line up properly. However, it may also be of greater value as a curiosity if it is an offset version. And with the original label on it, it really should be preserved, not used.

I’d save it too.
To me it’s amazing it survived since it has the outside oiler on it. After a while oil would dissolve the decal. Unless it wore out because it wasn’t oiled !! 🫢🫢🫢

Mark Hutchinson (Hutch) is the guy to talk to at TipTop. hutchmc@comcast.net or 509-220-0892 The best bargain is to get a cap and brush kit. That gives you a spare cap as well.