I am trying to coax an old Chrysler Hemi back to life that has been sitting a year. it has a Vertex Magneto. Wiring in the car and under the dash is a rats nest-trying to trace mystery toggle switches. I am under the asumption the magneto does NOT need an outside current introduced to it. A freind says it does. All mags I'm used to on stationary engines/tractors etc are self contained. This unit has what I think is a grounding stud on the side with a wire that disappears down below the firewall and comes up somewhere else under the dash- and I'm trying to trace it. I'm thinking about disconnecting it from the side mounted terminal tomorrow and see if it has spark. Anybody know what the point gap would be on the points of the mag?. Any trouble shooting help appreciated. Car was supposed to have been running a year ago-but clearly has no spark now. Thanks in advance
Yes, I think you are right. All of the magnetos I have been around do not need external power. There will be a lug for grounding. The toggle can be the "kill" switch in this application. There would be no harm to disconnect the wire and see if you have spark that i can think of anyway.
The mag needs no outside power. The terminal stud is for a grounding wire to shut the engine off. The points in the Vertex should be about right at .015" Early magnetos like the Vertex don't like a wide plug gap like the modern CDI systems. .030 should be good. The mag will either fire, or it won't. About all that can go bad is the points or the internal coils. If it won't fire, send it to someone like Cerrillo to have it checked out.
As others stated, the wire is a ground for cutting the ignition (kill switch). If the wiring is messed up and you don't know where the switch is, disconnect the wire and the mag will work (if it is working). I would put a wire on it so I could ground it out and stop the engine, or even put on a switch and ground it to the engine. Before I went to start the car.
Early mags (like the Vertex), also work best with solid core wires, not the wires mostly sold today. I ran my spark plugs at .028" in my small Chevy with Vertex ignition power. And yes, if you look up the definition of a magneto, they do make their own power, need no outside influence. As has been said, the lug sticking out of the body of the mag. is for shutting off the ignition by grounding it. Use a large (12g or 10g) gauge wire and a good quality (20 or 25amp) toggel switch. Mike
Couple of things come to mind, Have you welded on this car? If so the Mag may be dead or severely weak. Also a Mag needs to spin fast enough to create enough spark to start so if the engine turns slow you'll have troubles. The best thing to do is to take the mag out and spin it on a bench being careful to stay away from the grounding lug, it'll make you wet your pants if not careful. You are looking for a nice blue spark. I put a plug in the vise and attach one wire to it. You should never just spin a mag with no path to ground. A Mag is just that a magnetic ignition which makes its own electrical field through magnets. They get weak or go bad over time and need to be recharged to be in optimal working condition. Tom Cirello is really good at making these work, and for what it's worth I have three mags in working cars currently and won't run anything else. Standard HEI plug wires work just fine as they are made for high voltage. Early ignition wires are very low resistance and are not recomended. All the best, Tim
A little misinformation in this thread, plug gaps need to be much smaller, I run about .018 Do not spin the mag without wires and plugs grounded, a mag in good condition set up right will easily fire an engine at cranking speed, best to put it on a distributor machine and have it checked by someone who knows how.
Go to Don Zig magneto website, there is a lot of very helpful info on there. You will be glad you did.
If you want it checked out or worked on, Mason racing in Collegeville Pa works on mine, Pat knows what he's doing when it comes to mags and dist. Call he will be glad to talk to you!
FYI. DON'T file the points! They are usually platinum according to a place in Albany NY called "Mags-R-US" Don't know if they are still in business, this was 20+ years ago!
Lots of good info here! I actually just bought a truck with a mag and have never been around one. I didn't and don't know how reliable they are for the long haul. The one I have seems to work fine, I've never taken it on a trip yet. Long as it's working, I just don't want to break down and walk into the local parts store and mention a mag to the guy behind the counter and get the 'deer in the headlights stare'. Of course they'll have parts on the shelf...................
They are bullet proof. Originally made for airplane engines. No NAPA stores up there! I still run them in my drag cars. Magnets will weaken with time but usually not a huge problem on a street car. I use MAGSRUS in Albany,N Y. He does a great job. Don Zig and Joe Hunt are good too. Don't try to work on them yourself! Don't even need a timing light, set them on the balancer with a .001 feeler in the points. Most have a 12 degree ( cam ) advance. If you know built in advance it's easy. Best to you.
WOW MAGSRUS is still around! Great to hear. They set up a mag for my 64 race Jag years ago. Killer performance, and perfectly set up. I seem to remember giving them what I was using it in so they could "tune" it. I am glad to hear they are still around. Think I'll try to find one for my Merc flatty!
My Mallory Mini-Mag would not throw a spark on plugs running .035" gap. Reduced the gap to .018" as per Mallory specifications and the engine fired right up, and ran well at all loads and RPM. The Mallory is different from the Vertex in that it runs a Power-Pak which receives battery power during cranking, has an external epoxy encased coil and an electronically switched on/off device. I ran it on Packard 440 secondary wires, but was not very kind to TV/Radio reception in the neighborhood.
Packard 440 secondary wires, but was not very kind to TV/Radio reception in the neighborhood. Does it mess up cell phones? That would be interesting if it does. Ago
I really don't know, Ago! 1973 was the last time I ran the mag - adapted to a 426 Hemi. Cell phones back then???
I'm running a Cerrillo mag that was recharged 25 years ago sitting in a cabinet. I couldn't believe it when it worked with zero problems......
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