MTFCA Forum

My Torpedo came with TrueFire. For the most part I like it, having had it come with my former '20 runabout also. But the last coupla trips out, suddenly the engine just like starts to go PFFFT so to speak..losing power as tho ready to totally shut down. Thinking its some weird transmission "slip" I push pedal to neutral but 2 days ago it still almost died, and before I could try anything else it "picked it back up" and ran fine. I'm starting to wonder if maybe the TF is the culprit or heaven forbid elsewhere where I'll never find it until it ends up on the side of the road dead! And yes I still gotta go thru all the connections next, I just haven't had time as indicated in the post on July club activities! Thankfully in a couple hours I have my 13 to drive on a tour with club guys which runs like a Swiss watch!

Has anyone else with TF experienced a similar issue? Thanks

While I have installed several TreuFire systems for club members, one has been still running great for 8 years.

The secret to success is to have a good battery and a good set of 0 Gauge (AKA 1/0 Gauge) battery cables.

The heart of the TrueFire is a 12 Volt Double Coil that was used in Ford cars for several years.

There is a Voltage Doubler circuit in the TrueFire box to make the required 12 volts, but if you are using a weak 6 Volt battery, your doubled voltage will be about 10.5 to 11 Volts and that will make the engine hard to start or not start at all.

If your generator is not really charging the battery, your TrueFire will slowly die or become intermittent while driving your Model T.

A quick test is to get a voltmeter with a needle and not a digital type, place one wire on the starter terminal and the other wire on a bare spot on the engine, then have someone press and hold the starter button down, until you get a meter reading.

If that meter reading is not at least 11.5, your engine will not be quick to start.

A fully charged battery will measure 6.4 volts for this test and let the TrueFire give good sparks.

I’ve been running a Trufire in my 13 for more than 20 years. I charge a 12 volt motorcycle battery from the mag.
As with any ignition, good connections are important.

My '24 came to me in 2013 missing its magneto and running a Truefire, it has given me good service ever since.

Check your ignition switch. A few times my '24 with a Truefire would occasionally shut off without warning. I could coast to the side of the road, turn the key off, then back on, and the car would fire right up.

I disassembled and cleaned my switch contacts and haven't had any issues since.

I've run Trufires for a number of years and on many different t's.

The most common failure is the actual rotor fails. Over time the rotor gets overheated and the plastic melts and the pressed in magnet either wobbles around or can get loose and cause a misfire.

There is a great and easy fix. Walt Berdan a poster here makes and sells new rotors with a hi temp material. I have used the new rotor and have not had any issues.

The truefire systems provide a much hotter spark and more even spark. The T engines start quicker and run smoother.

just sayin'

frontyboy

I was an early adopter of the Truefire system. Ed Bittner custom made one to suit the 1912 Heinze coilbox for my 1912 van. Apart from drenching rain one day, it has never missed a beat. I love it.

Allan from down under.

Ed sold several of those custom fit early TrueFire boxes.

I have one or two hat were given to me by upset owners.

The real problem I have found is that a replacement switching transistor for the timer module has not been found or identified yet.

J1MGOLDEN wrote: ↑

Thu Jul 13, 2023 8:18 am

The real problem I have found is that a replacement switching transistor for the timer module has not been found or identified yet.

Jim,

Do you know what the existing transistor is? If not are you able to identify if it's a FET or bipolar (and if the latter, whether NPN or PNP)?

Luke.

Found these for patent application no reference to the numbers assigned to he component