TW Timer

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24t
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TW Timer

Post by 24t » Fri Dec 27, 2019 5:15 pm

Any one experience arcing on the grounding pads of the timer at beginning and the end of the pads ? About three years ago Tony was concerned about the problem my timer had so i sent it back to him to inspect and maybe come up with an answer . He turned the inside and sent it back and it looked as good as the day i bought it. I reinstalled it and problem free for months and them i could feel a change in engine performance and smoothness not to mention my spark lever renge was shrinking up . My timer is a very early model he made with the larger brush. since the time he redone the timer i noticed he now makes a smaller one and looks to be round about the size of a pencil eraser. maybe there was to much brush contact causing the arching ? About a month ago i installed a ford roller timer on it and works perfect on my T. I put a little vaseline on it and checked it at about 100 miles and still holding the lube and full use of the advance lever. Anyone with a TW Timer and the large brush having this same problem ? My TW is great until it get the arcing problem. Brent Mize did my coils and he rechecked them to rule them out. without the timer problem the engine works perfect. News on your TW would be appreciated . Ken


Mark Osterman
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Re: TW Timer

Post by Mark Osterman » Fri Dec 27, 2019 6:03 pm

Brent did my coils and I also used a TW for about a year before I had trouble. Tony turned mine down and gave me a new brush. Have since switched to a good used vintage New Day timer. Will probably stick to that since it works fine. I do wipe it down from time to time.

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24t
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Re: TW Timer

Post by 24t » Fri Dec 27, 2019 6:16 pm

Hi Mark !
Would that new brush be the smaller one giving you trouble ?


jab35
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Re: TW Timer

Post by jab35 » Fri Dec 27, 2019 7:05 pm

Quoting 24t: "My timer is a very early model he made with the larger brush."

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TWrenn
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Re: TW Timer

Post by TWrenn » Fri Dec 27, 2019 7:35 pm

Seems to me the earlier brush was the little round one?
Correct me if I'm wrong.

But I think Tony switched to the rectangular one, as the round one would sometimes rotate and twist in the housing.

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24t
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Re: TW Timer

Post by 24t » Fri Dec 27, 2019 7:47 pm

The earley brush was the rectangle type . Langs list them both and post the dates before and after


Kenny Edmondson
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Re: TW Timer

Post by Kenny Edmondson » Wed Jan 01, 2020 7:12 am

Ken, my 1st thought was improperly adjusted coils pulling too many amps, but you’re running Brent Mize coils so that is eliminated. Are you running the ignition on battery or mag? Also which way is the brush holder facing? Is it pushing the brush or pulling it against the surface of the timer? I’m thinking the brush holders are were made to go either way. I’m still running MY original prototype of these since 2010 with no problems.

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24t
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Re: TW Timer

Post by 24t » Wed Jan 01, 2020 8:13 am

Hello Kenny
I always drive on mag . the rotation of the brush is turning counterclockwise viewing from the front of the car and you made a statement about the brush holder being able to be mounted either way ? mine has only one slot for the pin so i can not reverse it . i do have the brush oriented in the brush holder with the brush end angle matching the holder. it works great for awhile then the arcing problem begins. about every 3 or 4 months i clean the carbon out . I bought mine in 2011. for now i am using a ford roller and pleased so far


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Re: TW Timer

Post by Kuhner » Wed Jan 01, 2020 8:26 am

I’ve had the same problem. But I also had a bit of oil getting in mine. Tony cleaned up my housing, and I replaced the seal in the cover. Better but still did it. I built a fixture and cleaned it up myself, replaced the brush and good to go.
I have been through 3 brushes, first was the rectangular one.
I think the small round ones last longer, and when getting worn the don’t seem to “skip” as bad as the larger did.
I love this timer, my car runs really great with it. I just carry a spare housing and brush, appears any housing from a roller timer would work.
“I don’t like nice people. I like tough, honest people”. - Woody Hayes

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24t
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Re: TW Timer

Post by 24t » Wed Jan 01, 2020 9:12 am

I was out in the gaurge this morning and and decided to check it with the multimeter and i was surprised to see it had resistance between three of the wire terminals which it shouldn't have . i used a scotchbrite and then brake cleaner on a rag to clean it and then no resistance . i never cleaned it like this before . just a quick wipe and the air gun. could the brush residue cause a tracking or a grounding condition? i'll reinstall it latter and see how it goes. when i would blow it out it always looked like a black dust storm. i might try one of the round brushes in the future

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Re: TW Timer

Post by ABoer » Wed Jan 01, 2020 11:16 am

Kenneth B.
I have the same problem witch arcing on the grounding pads .
But after cleaning with scotchbride the T is running fine .
But the TW Timer NEED also MAINTENANCE !!
Toon
IMG_0512.JPG

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24t
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Re: TW Timer

Post by 24t » Wed Jan 01, 2020 12:13 pm

Hello Toon !
I didn't install mine yet after the proper clean up. I'll post the results when i run it a few miles. back in 2011 these timers were really talked up about put it in and forget it. heck i was going to through all my tools away , sure glad i kept them. buy the way your grounding pads look just mine. Ken


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Re: TW Timer

Post by Rich Bingham » Wed Jan 01, 2020 2:19 pm

My T came to me “used”. The previous owner had toured some 10k miles with it, and maintained it well. It had a TW installed, no report of its length of service at that point. When I set about getting acquainted with my new friend, examination of the timer body showed considerable erosion of the insulation ring at the leading edge of the contacts owing to electric arc, although the timer was performing adequately. The brush was over half worn out. I resurfaced the contact face and installed a new brush. That was three years ago. I’ve cleaned the timer once since then, putting on a little over a thousand miles during that time. I’ve had no problems at all. I run on mag, and had the coil set re-built and tuned by Brent Mize a little over a year ago.
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Re: TW Timer

Post by Farmer J » Tue Jan 07, 2020 11:14 am

I’ve put about 5000 miles on my TW timer with the larger brush. Replaced the brush last year. I also noticed the rough places at both ends of the metal contacts and found the insulating material wearing down causing a ledge next to the metal contacts. Both of these will cause the brush to wear faster. I made a fixture to hold the timer so I could reface the interior ring in my lathe. No timer will last forever without some maintenance, but this one has to be one of the best.


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Re: TW Timer

Post by BHarper » Tue Jan 07, 2020 4:03 pm

Greetings All,

I almost skipped this thread as I do not use a TW timer. I have nothing against them in any way, I just havent purchased one as I have working timers on my cars.

This discussion of arcing and the burning of the insulating ring on the sides of the contact pad captured my interest as I experience similar burning of the insulating material in my New Day timer. I am using old (like 30 years old) New Day timers (Old Days?) and I resurface the contact surface to make it clean, flat, and smooth. The brush holder has enough spring pressure to make good contact and not too much to accelerate wear of the brush or the timer body.
I run on mag. The coils are rebuilt with new caps and correctly adjusted using an ECCT. Spark plugs gapped at .030". Ignition timing is correct. The car runs really well.

Perhaps this burning that we are seeing is not unlike the arc burns seen on the contact sectors inside a conventional distributor cap when it is simply getting worn out; it is getting burned away and it is time for a new one. We are fortunate in that we can resurface the inside of our TW or New Day timers and replace the brush. The distributer user replaces the rotor AND the cap.

My two cents worth, perhaps overvalued, Bill

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Topic author
24t
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Re: TW Timer

Post by 24t » Tue Jan 07, 2020 7:07 pm

I think BHarper is on the right track, Timmers are wear items. Each timer has its own and maintenance is the only fix.

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