I am hoping someone can help me here.
And if I am in the wrong place, or you can recommend a forum that might better help me, direct away and I will skedaddle.
Quick background.
I am slowly getting an old 1938 John Deere unstyled B running.
I grew up running this tractor on our small ~70 acre farm in Southern Oregon.
As my father grew older, he maintained it less and less and then just didn't and it sat in an open shed for about 5 yrs until I started to pay more attention to it.
As my wife and I care-take the land more and more, I am working to get it running so we can use it, currently the only tractor there.
We live near Albany, Oregon, and the farm and tractor are about 2.5 hrs south of us.
I or we travel down there at least once a month, to do various things, and I start and run it almost every time I am there.
Over about 2 yrs I have been working on getting it going, again.
I have:
Rebuilt the carburetor, with help from my father-in-law
Had the Magneto rebuilt by a place in Lebanon.
Serviced the oil
Serviced the power lift fluid
Serviced the air filter
Serviced the coolant
Replaced the plugs
I can get it to run, and have driven it around a few times.
It is generally cranky, I cannot start it unless I use Thrust starter fluid, a 3sec blast either in one spark plug hole or in the air hole just above the carburetor. There is a pipe running horizontal that I can wiggle out, spray in, then reinstall the pipe.
I am still trying to learn the process of starting and running, the best settings of the choke and throttle, etc. And am not sure I have the load and idles needles set right...
It seems to run rough, like it is not firing evenly, esp when cold.
This last trip:
I first started it fine, even sounded great, it ran fine for about 30 min, as I drove it out and hooked up the cutter bar, then backed the cutter bar into the shed, then ran out of gas.
Refilled the tank with about 2 month old fuel (same fuel that was in the tank before), and then when it started it sounded terrible, burning black smoke, almost no power and only one "pop", which I assume was just one cylinder. I pushed the throttle full open and the rpms would not increase, and it sounded like it was going to die, going up a small hill from the lower barn.
I thought maybe I just had some bad fuel, or water in the fuel.
But in general it seems to run rough, so I am asking if anyone can suggest what I should consider as the problem.
Thoughts I have are the wires, or compression (which I have not checked...)?
I did take a video of it running, which I could, in theory share with anyone; if it might help, if you can hear it.
A related issue is I have had no luck finding anyone I can shoot the tractor talk with as I work on it, so that has been frustrating. I am sure there are people in this state, that could help me, but not luck yet.
I have considered going to a local fair, and trying to find someone there (a person displaying a tractor or something).
I found two clubs online, one in WA, one in Oregon, but have had no luck reaching anyone.
I have talked to local John Deere dealers, no luck yet.
So one question I have is how can I find someone local to help me, if anyone has any suggestions.
Anyway, I appreciate any help, or direction anyone can provide.
I really love this old tool, and am pretty sure I can get it running good again.
Even if I have to replace most of the parts!
I plan to, next trip:
Replace the plug wires
Service the transmission
Check compression
And if I am in the wrong place, or you can recommend a forum that might better help me, direct away and I will skedaddle.
Quick background.
I am slowly getting an old 1938 John Deere unstyled B running.
I grew up running this tractor on our small ~70 acre farm in Southern Oregon.
As my father grew older, he maintained it less and less and then just didn't and it sat in an open shed for about 5 yrs until I started to pay more attention to it.
As my wife and I care-take the land more and more, I am working to get it running so we can use it, currently the only tractor there.
We live near Albany, Oregon, and the farm and tractor are about 2.5 hrs south of us.
I or we travel down there at least once a month, to do various things, and I start and run it almost every time I am there.
Over about 2 yrs I have been working on getting it going, again.
I have:
Rebuilt the carburetor, with help from my father-in-law
Had the Magneto rebuilt by a place in Lebanon.
Serviced the oil
Serviced the power lift fluid
Serviced the air filter
Serviced the coolant
Replaced the plugs
I can get it to run, and have driven it around a few times.
It is generally cranky, I cannot start it unless I use Thrust starter fluid, a 3sec blast either in one spark plug hole or in the air hole just above the carburetor. There is a pipe running horizontal that I can wiggle out, spray in, then reinstall the pipe.
I am still trying to learn the process of starting and running, the best settings of the choke and throttle, etc. And am not sure I have the load and idles needles set right...
It seems to run rough, like it is not firing evenly, esp when cold.
This last trip:
I first started it fine, even sounded great, it ran fine for about 30 min, as I drove it out and hooked up the cutter bar, then backed the cutter bar into the shed, then ran out of gas.
Refilled the tank with about 2 month old fuel (same fuel that was in the tank before), and then when it started it sounded terrible, burning black smoke, almost no power and only one "pop", which I assume was just one cylinder. I pushed the throttle full open and the rpms would not increase, and it sounded like it was going to die, going up a small hill from the lower barn.
I thought maybe I just had some bad fuel, or water in the fuel.
But in general it seems to run rough, so I am asking if anyone can suggest what I should consider as the problem.
Thoughts I have are the wires, or compression (which I have not checked...)?
I did take a video of it running, which I could, in theory share with anyone; if it might help, if you can hear it.
A related issue is I have had no luck finding anyone I can shoot the tractor talk with as I work on it, so that has been frustrating. I am sure there are people in this state, that could help me, but not luck yet.
I have considered going to a local fair, and trying to find someone there (a person displaying a tractor or something).
I found two clubs online, one in WA, one in Oregon, but have had no luck reaching anyone.
I have talked to local John Deere dealers, no luck yet.
So one question I have is how can I find someone local to help me, if anyone has any suggestions.
Anyway, I appreciate any help, or direction anyone can provide.
I really love this old tool, and am pretty sure I can get it running good again.
Even if I have to replace most of the parts!
I plan to, next trip:
Replace the plug wires
Service the transmission
Check compression