1917 Dodge Touring Ign and Lights Switch

[Guest Darracq]

Hello from a new member of your forum. I'm Dave and I live in the UK. I have just bought an unrestored, but just about running 1917 Dodge Brothers Touring.

The motor sounds good but the electrics and the stock fuel canister have problems.

I have some fuel canister spares, so I can sort that OK.

I have been rewiring the worst bits of the electrics, but I would like to keep the car as original as possible.

The previous owner had rigged up a non original ignition switch and ignition coil. This is where I could do with some help, please.

The lighting part of the switch is working fine, but the ignition switch system was disconnected

I have got a wiring diagram so I understand that there are should be two wires to the original coil. Looking at the action of the switch I guess that the current is sent alternately down these two wires reversing the current to the coil?

If so, what was the idea with this?

Is it possible to dismantle and repair the switch? Or do lots of balls and springs go into earth orbit when it is taken apart?

I am going to join the Dodge Club, but it would help to keep the family onside if I could get this car running soonest.

Many Thanks, Dave

[nearchoclatetown]

Excellant observation on the wiring. The Delco system that most '17's had did in fact alternate feed to the coil. The original switch turned in quarter turns changeing from positive to negative ground. It was to keep the points from burning as the deposits would be shifted back and forth from one contact to the other, never building up. RAH can give a much better explanation if needed. Do you have a complete setup? The coil is unique to the Delco distributor and some replcement parts are getting expensive, like dist. caps and points. OH, and welcome to the forum and do join the DBC ASAP. There was a good article on point ignition in the newest newsletter that just came this week.

[Guest Darracq]

Thanks for your reply nearchoclatetown, I seem to have the complete original setup but the original ignition switch and coil have been disconnected.

A previous owner fitted a modern toggle switch for the ignition, with some new ignition circuit wiring, a modern coil and condenser, and the wiring in the distributor modified to suit.

The original Delco points, rotor arm and distributor cap are all there and in use, but the cap is well worn. Also some of the the insulation on the nuts connecting the HT leads to the distributor cap has disintegrated.

I would like to return the electrics to the original system if this is possible, so any info on the possibility of dismantling the original ign switch and how to test the original coil would really help me.

I found another wiring diagram of the 1917 system that looks like the one I have. See page 14 of :

http://hudsonterraplane.com/tech/1917/1917DelcoCircuitDiagrams.pdf

Regards, Dave

[nearchoclatetown]

Check your ignition switch with an ohm meter to see if it works. They can be taekn apart, I had my '24 switch apart. They have a hard cardboard type of insulator disc in the back. Mine had tracks from the mechanical contacts dragging across it, sometimes I had ignition other times I didn't I used an ink erasor to rub the tracks out of the cardboard, eliminating the miss. If the engine runs with the modern coil just substitute the original in an see if it still runs. I'd think something was wrong or the previous owner wouldn't have changed it. If needed you could hide the modern coil under the dash.

[Guest Darracq]

Well I gathered up my courage and unscrewed the switch. You're right...I didn't get hit in the eye by some little spring that then disappears down that crack in the floorboards.

Its pretty simple inside. I can't see how the lighting part could ever go wrong.

But when you turn the ignition key, it turns a cardboard disc which has two slots at 180 degrees. These slots should line up with two contacts (one for power and one for ground), which then rotate with the disc, that alternate the coil feed.

On my car there must have been a problem with the coil, or some shorting out, because one of these contacts (the one to ground) had almost burned away, losing its grip in the slot in the cardboard disc.This meant that the contact could move at random within the switch, occasionally and randomly shorting out the switch and causing that worrying smoke behind the dashboard.

A bit of careful repair work with a soldering iron and its now sorted.

Thanks for your helpful comments nearchoclatetown.

Back soon with when I find the next problem.

Regards, Dave