Guest Barry Norman Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 Need a copy of a wiring diagram for my 1912 Maxwell Messenger. Any help greatly appreciated ! bcnorman55@gmail.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Layden B Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 At that time most cars only have wiring for the ignition system. What make and model system of ignition do you have? The wiring diagram would be the same as any other make car that used the same ignition. Pictures of your equipment might be helpful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Barry Norman Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 At that time most cars only have wiring for the ignition system. What make and model system of ignition do you have? The wiring diagram would be the same as any other make car that used the same ignition. Pictures of your equipment might be helpful.I will try to get the system name and some photos of the ignition system as soon as I can !! Thanks so much !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidMc Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 Barry, The 1912 Maxwell Messenger originally came with a Splitdorf H magneto which is low voltage 6v magneto. It does not provide the high voltage to the spark plugs. The spark is provided by an ignition coil activated by the 6v and a set of breaker points along with a condensor. Its a "waste spark" system in that the plugs spark on both the firing and exhaust strokes. The magneto does not turn fast enough when crank starting, so starting current is provided by a small 6v battery.If you search the Maxwell Briscoe Yahoo site you will find good information there about how it works. Its not uncommon for them to have been hanged over to a to high voltage system so you need to know what you have. I have attached a schematic sketch of the Splitdorf system . Most owners fit new 6v coils into the original coil box, using a readily available 6v Harley Davidson coil.Let me know if you need more information.David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Barry Norman Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 When the engine is cranked on the battery, it shuts off when the coil box lever is switched to mag. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Barry Norman Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 David , that diagram is exactly what i needed ! The dash was rewired last year, and since then , I've had this problem. Will put all your info to use tomorrow !! Thanks SO MUCH !!Barry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Barry Norman Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 Ok..better description of what happens..Cranks on battery. When I switch to magneto, No electricity. Engine shuts off. Everything works. What could be wired wrong? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidMc Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 Barry,This is a common problem, the most likely cause is that the magneto is not working or has insufficient voltage. The first step is to have it re-magnetised which may be all it needs. Some owners run their cars on the battery alone which is fine but you will need something more than a torch battery otherwise it will run flat, you can buy a small 6v rechargeable battery that will hold charge for a day or so of running, just need to re-charge it each night.I assume yours has the original Splitdorf H magneto? If so is the pot metal base still sound?David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Barry Norman Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 Do you see anything visibly wrong in these that could be causing the problem ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidMc Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 Barry, All looks normal to me, its got the correct Splitdorf magneto, if it runs on battery but not magneto then the magneto needs to be checked to make sure its is generating around 6 volts. Interesting that it has a brass radiator, the other Messengers I have seen including ours all have painted radiators.Keep us posted on what you find.David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GasWorksGarage Posted March 14, 2017 Share Posted March 14, 2017 Hello, I just got my 1912 messenger running but it wont shut off. I am new to the maxwells and someone has done some wiring before me. The switch has a lever marked battery A Off and battery B and then a button on the battery box. It has a generator - starter on it and a 12Volt battery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidMc Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 GasWorksGarage: This is a new problem, we mostly hear of difficulties in starting not stopping the engine. It seems the “Off” switch on yours has been bypassed. I would trace the wiring and draw a simple circuit diagram to understand what is happening. More information is needed to discuss your problem. I assume you have read the information above which describes how your Maxwell Ignition system worked originally. That switch on yours is not the standard Splitdorf coil box/switch unit, so what else has been changed? As your car has a 12v battery it possibly has the ignition system set up to operate on the 12 v battery using only the magneto breaker points along with a condenser and 12v Coil . With such a set up the magneto is redundant. Such a set up will work well, even a small 12v car battery will allow the car to run for a long time between charges. However the “OFF” switch needs to be functional! Incidentally I have the same model Messenger and when I bought mine a few years ago it had a similar starter/generator unit mounted on posts extended from the 4 top bolts that clamp the cam assembly. I removed it all from mine because I was concerned that the significant weight of the starter generator, subject to the oscillating vibration of the 2 cyl engine, could overload and break the top part of the engine around the above 4 bolts. Its hard to see how your starter/generator is mounted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GasWorksGarage Posted March 16, 2017 Share Posted March 16, 2017 its mounted with custom made brackets. it appears pretty solid. I installed a hidden toggle switch to ground the magneto to kill the engine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Cerutti Posted March 16, 2017 Share Posted March 16, 2017 8 hours ago, GasWorksGarage said: its mounted with custom made brackets. it appears pretty solid. I installed a hidden toggle switch to ground the magneto to kill the engine. GasWorksGarage The "kill" switch doesn't. Start with your design or implementation. As mentioned earlier, the Maxwell used a proprietary Splitdorf system, waste spark and conventional energy source, points, coil and condenser. If you have installed something else, you may want to share when asking for help. Frank Cerutti 1909 LD9024 Townsville, Australia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GasWorksGarage Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 Hello, only thing I installed was the toggle switch to ground out the magneto. When you switched the leaver to battery B the car would start but there wasn't anything hooked up to turn off the engine. So I installed a 2 position toggle switch. It works fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now