how to get read of Carbon and fuel residue in the muffler

[susan A]

hi i would like to know how you get read of Carbon and fuel residue in the muffler or manifold of a farmall 300 it just goes every where when you start it up
 

[Mo in NE tex]

Sounds like you may have a head gasket leaking coolant into the cylinders and blowing it out when you start it up. There should not be any fuel in the clyinders as the carb is below th manifold. Next time you get ready to start it, try pulling the plugs first and then turn it over a few times and see what comes out the plug holes. Moisture would indicate head gasket or cracked somewhere in cylinder area.
 

[John M]

I keep the throttle around half way until it warms up enough to dry it out.
 

[MisterT]

[Bob M]

Susan - As the others suggest, work the tractor HARD for 10 - 15 minutes (run it wide open and with as much load as you get manage). Then allow it idle no longer than a minute or so before shutting down. This will burn out every trace of moisture and gunk from and leave the manifold/muffler dry inside.

Now presuming there is no coolant leak in the head your next startup will be "clean".

ALSO if your tractor has an inoperative thermostat - or if the t'stat is missing - install a new one so the engine operates at the correct temperature.
 

[Janicholson]

If working it when used is a poor option, putting a sweep bend on the muffler that directs the exhaust to the left will redirect the spray. It would not need to be permanent, but it would make putting a rain cap on the top difficult. It would also be ugly. A kevlar "sock" over the muffler on startup might be an interesting experiment. The owners in the past just didn"t (and don"t) care, the tractor is a tool no different than a shovel, they get dirty and sometimes wiped off. Propane tractors would do it far less. Jim
 

[Hugh McKinney]

All very true--especially the part about the propane.
 

[DeltaRed]

If its been 'poopin' around the yard its carboned/sooted up.Put it to work,pull the snot out of it for a while,get it WARM.If the muffler is too sooted and you cant 'clean' it up,you may just have to get a new muffler.But if all it ever does is 'poop'around,it just get sooted again-work it once in a while,get it warm for a bit.
 

[JRSutton]

Carbon comes from gas that isn't burned completely. Usually from putting too much gas in through the carb.

You'll always have SOME on an old tractor.

Are you leaving it choked when starting it? Open the choke up immediately when it starts.

Also might want to try leaning the carb a bit.

If you do that - be sure to test it under load to be sure you didn't make it too lean. And also check your plugs occassionally to be sure you're not running too lean.
 

[old]

That problem is likely to be that it is running way to rich. When was the last time you cleaned the oil bath air cleaner and put in new oil and dumped to water and dirt out??? Good chance you need to service your air cleaner. I have known people that when I asked that said I did not know I needed to do that so do you know???
 

[LarryM]

I have a feeling the responders so far may have missed something. You said the fuel and carbon go everywhere. In 2009 we restored my Dad's Farmall H and he went all out. The problem we have is when we start it little "liquid carbon" droplets come out and go everywhere. What we are experiencing is condensation in the muffler. One of the byproducts of combustion is water. When the muffler is cold it condensates in the muffler and if we open up the throttle it will blow out condensation droplets that are carbon colored all over the place. What we do to prevent this is start the tractor and let it run at a medium - fast idle until the muffler is warm enough to have evaporated the condensation droplets.
 

[old]

She addressed that problem a few days ago and talked about how when first started it would spray black ugly stuff all over and out the exhaust. Guess you missed that post by her.
 

[Phil Tibbetts]

My Dad had a Farmall Super A that he used in the garden. He would run it all day ay idle while cultivating. It got carboned up terribly. I used to start it and let it warm up good then hold the throttle against the governor to make it over rev. You should see the crap blow out of it. Then it would run fine for a while.
 

[todd Hamilton]

If she's carboned up like that watch for hot carbon sparks if you work it heavy to clean it out. They burn a little when they hit your skin, safety glasses good idea too.