Ignitors

Oil Cooled

    The early Oil Cooled engines had both a hot tube and ignitor ignition.  Later on the hot tube was dropped leaving just the ignitor.  Oil Cooled engine ignitors are nearly identical to those used by the Fairbanks Morse model N.  There is no oil hole on these ignitors so be sure to oil it good on assembly.

Vertical Hopper Cooled

    The early vertical engines used a seemingly complex looking ignitor.  The 1 and 2 1/2 hp engines used ignitors of different sizes and are not interchangeable.  The stop pin is located on the inside facing the combustion chamber.  A catch piece is supported between the ignitor body and a second outboard bearing.  Two compression springs are used for tension and torsion.

Double Efficiency 

Big 4 Pumping Engine

    Very little information is available on the Big 4 ignitor.  Only one example in a Queensland Australia museum still retains it's original ignitor.  From this several more were cast and I had the chance to study these.  The ignitor has an outboard bearing support with the trip catch located between it and the main body.  A low tension flick magneto was used with the ignitor, but how the actual igniter trip mechanism looked is still unknown. 

People's Priced 1 1/4hp

    The People's Priced line used two different styles of ignitors.  1 1/4 hp engines used a very unique ignitor where the moveable electrode was screwed into the block like a sparkplug.  The stationary insulated electrode came through the head and met the moveable one in center of the cylinder.

1912 model, 1913 model and modified 1913 model

    With the newly designed People's Priced engine came a new ignitor.  Called the 1912 model in literature it featured a diamond shaped main body with casting number 2N88.  It was a somewhat involved piece with an internal stop pin, external tension and torsion springs and a moveable catch that actuated the moving electrode shaft by means of a rectangular key.  The ground post was fixed by means of a brass stud and knurled nut.  

    Within a year the People's Priced line was slightly modified and introduced as the model N.  At this time the ignitor design was refined into what was called the 1913 model.  The basic shape remained the same but with a new main casting number of 2N88A.  The internal stop pin was relocated to a boss on the main casting's external face.  The rectangular key gave way to a separate "clutch" which was pinned to the moveable shaft.  Two torsion springs were used, dispensing with the previously awkward tension spring and its supporting anchor post.  Also the stationary electrode was redesigned so as to be more easily replaced.  The electrode's outside end was also shortened.  Instead of making the electrical connection direct to the electrode, an ell shaped brass bracket was fixed to its end.  A brass screw was soldered to opposite end of this little bracket and became the new binding post.  

       Once again after about a year the ignitor was refined.  The previous rather pointed main body design gave way to a more robust oval shape.  The casting number remained unchanged.  This was to be the final major change to the ignitor.  Other smaller improvements were made during the years of production.  The stop pin was changed from 1/4 to 5/16, the brass bracket gave way to a simple fanstock clip, a spring loaded ball oiler replaced the previous simple drilled oil hole for moveable shaft.  A simple steel screw replaced the brass stud and nut now attached the grounding wire and the ignitor point diameter was increased.

15, 20 and 25hp model K

These massive engines used an ignitor very similar to the 1913 model having a rather pointed diamond shaped body only everything was 1/3 larger.

Wiring Diagrams

Ignition diagram showing when points should come in contact and when they should snap open.

Diagram for the rotary magnetos. 

Ignition wiring diagram for the 15B light plant engines.