1948 ford 8n bogs under load

[blakefords]

Any chance the gas (E10?) picked up water sitting in the field a few months?

When you do a gas flow test catch the liquid in a clear jar and see if there if two layers

First fill up was 8 or 9 gal of rec fuel. After talking with some old boys they said don't spend the extra $$ on it and run normal 87.

I will check the fuel when I drain it later this week.

 

[ChrisFromCLE]

As Jim L mentioned, I would check spark advance for gumminess or corrosion.

Chris from CLE

 

[Mad Farmer]

First fill up was 8 or 9 gal of rec fuel. After talking with some old boys they said don't spend the extra $$ on it and run normal 87.

I will check the fuel when I drain it later this week.

I had to run some fresh E10 to finish cutting for the day.

When I refilled 2 days later with 91 pure gas, there was so much water in the remaining E10 it separated into two layers. Had to drain sediment bowl several times. Bad E10 batch from the filling station? What % water did I buy?

Same happens when E10 sits, and absorbs so much water the 10% ethanol won't hold the water in solution.

If I have to run E10 in equipment I use only enough for the job at hand and run it dry before refilling. Only exception is the car/truck that uses up all the corn fuel by the end of the week. I NEVER run it in any 2-stroke mixes.

 

[OldBlue61]

I had to run some fresh E10 to finish cutting for the day.

When I refilled 2 days later with 91 pure gas, there was so much water in the remaining E10 it separated into two layers. Had to drain sediment bowl several times. Bad E10 batch from the filling station? What % water did I buy?

Same happens when E10 sits, and absorbs so much water the 10% ethanol won't hold the water in solution.

If I have to run E10 in equipment I use only enough for the job at hand and run it dry before refilling. Only exception is the car/truck that uses up all the corn fuel by the end of the week. I NEVER run it in any 2-stroke mixes.

Exactly why I don't run ethanol-based fuels in any of my equipment (othert than our DD vehicles). I have a few places within 10 miles of my place that sell pure gas, and that's all I ever use. A little more expensive, sure, but worth it IMO.

 

[Eman85]

People seem to have a lot of problems with E10 fuel. It's as humid here as anywhere and I don't get water in my gas using 87 cheapo gas. How humid is it you say? I had some methanol in a pan for about an hour and it looked like milk when I dumped it.

 

[OldBlue61]

There are a lot of problems w/ E10, just one of which is water absorption. Because it can attract water, it can cause corrosion to metal fuel tanks on vehicles that may not be used all that frequently, especially seasonal equipment or things like morotcycles or older vehicles. It can also degrade rubber and plastic parts in fuel systems, it breaks down faster than straight gasoline, again which can be a bigger problem in vehicles that get stored for long periods or not used frequently. These issues can make it very bad for 2 cycle engines as well.

--EDITED for spelling, of course!--

 

[blakefords]

Definitely forgot to mention that when I bought this the alternator had output to the 12v. I tested this with a wrench while running and it had magnetic pull. The day it quit running I worked and got it back to an idle. The alternator did not have anymore magnetic pull and the 12v needed jumped to crank and won't hold a charge. My thoughts now are my coil isn't getting the charge needed to fire off at high rpm.

What controls the Chevy 1 wire alternator to charge?

 

[Jim L WA]

Definitely forgot to mention that when I bought this the alternator had output to the 12v. I tested this with a wrench while running and it had magnetic pull. The day it quit running I worked and got it back to an idle. The alternator did not have anymore magnetic pull and the 12v needed jumped to crank and won't hold a charge. My thoughts now are my coil isn't getting the charge needed to fire off at high rpm.

What controls the Chevy 1 wire alternator to charge?

It has an internal voltage regulator.

 

[Jim.ME]

Definitely forgot to mention that when I bought this the alternator had output to the 12v. I tested this with a wrench while running and it had magnetic pull. The day it quit running I worked and got it back to an idle. The alternator did not have anymore magnetic pull and the 12v needed jumped to crank and won't hold a charge. My thoughts now are my coil isn't getting the charge needed to fire off at high rpm.

What controls the Chevy 1 wire alternator to charge?

It looks like you are using 12V instead of the word battery? If so, I can see that getting confusing if someone asks you to check the voltage. I would recommend using the word "battery", if that is what you are referring to as 12V.

I am not saying the alternator is not at fault, but have you had the battery tested? Is the alternator belt tight enough that you cannot turn the fan of the alternator with your hand? Is the belt the right width for the crankshaft and water pump pulleys as well as the alternator pulley? Some people use a 3/8 belt to fit the common auto alternator pulley, and it bottoms out in the crank and water pump pulleys which lets it slip. The alternator pulley should be the width for the OEM belt and a small diameter (about 2-5/8" is common).

 

[blakefords]

It looks like you are using 12V instead of the word battery? If so, I can see that getting confusing if someone asks you to check the voltage. I would recommend using the word "battery", if that is what you are referring to as 12V.

I am not saying the alternator is not at fault, but have you had the battery tested? Is the alternator belt tight enough that you cannot turn the fan of the alternator with your hand? Is the belt the right width for the crankshaft and water pump pulleys as well as the alternator pulley? Some people use a 3/8 belt to fit the common auto alternator pulley, and it bottoms out in the crank and water pump pulleys which lets it slip. The alternator pulley should be the width for the OEM belt and a small diameter (about 2-5/8" is common).

The 12v battery hasn't been tested no. Takes a charge from an external charger but won't hold a charge. Quick fix for that.

The alternator spins under belt tension and 3 months ago made power and charged the 12v battery. The alternator cannot be spun under tension by hand

Would a low 12v battery or non working alternator produce erratic or low spark?

 

[Jim.ME]

The 12v battery hasn't been tested no. Takes a charge from an external charger but won't hold a charge. Quick fix for that.

The alternator spins under belt tension and 3 months ago made power and charged the 12v battery. The alternator cannot be spun under tension by hand

Would a low 12v battery or non working alternator produce erratic or low spark?

Yes, it can, and if the voltage gets low enough it will quit. A Kettering ignition (aka Battery or distributor ignition) needs a given power source to work. A magneto ignition is self-contained and does not need an outside power source. Your tractor has a Kettering system.

Does the wire to the alternator output terminal show battery voltage when you test it with a voltmeter? It should show battery voltage all the time the tractor is shut off. If it has no voltage showing the alternator will not charge.

 

[blakefords]

Yes, it can, and if the voltage gets low enough it will quit. A Kettering ignition (aka Battery or distributor ignition) needs a given power source to work. A magneto ignition is self-contained and does not need an outside power source. Your tractor has a Kettering system.

Does the wire to the alternator output terminal show battery voltage when you test it with a voltmeter? It should show battery voltage all the time the tractor is shut off. If it has no voltage showing the alternator will not charge.

Appreciate the help. I'll throw a multi meter positive on the output terminal and ground on the battery.

 

[Jim.ME]

Appreciate the help. I'll throw a multi meter positive on the output terminal and ground on the battery.

Ground right to the motor. If battery voltage doesn't show, then go to the battery negative. If that shows power, you have a battery to chassis ground issue.

 

[Non-farmer]

I have never run anything but E10 87 octane in my 2N. I have never had a problem with it.

 

[Mad Farmer]

I have never run anything but E10 87 octane in my 2N. I have never had a problem with it.

If it sits long enough you will.

I got a TO-20 for free, that was stored several years and fuel system was left with E10 in it, inlet valve shut off. Tractor had ran fine when put up.

When I got to getting it running, no gas coming from the carb drain, but getting to end of fuel line. I rapped the carb a few times hoping float was stuck, still no gas from drain.

I took the carb off and as I maneuvered it out, gas splilled out? I took the bowl off and there was so much rust on the bottom of the carb it completely plugged the drain out. I was lucky only was bad on bottom of carb, passages were pretty clean. I needed to use muriatic acid to get all the rust from the bottom of the bowl.

 

[Non-farmer]

My tractor is used annually. It sits over the winter with E10 fuel in it, and that has never been an issue. Storing it for several years is never going to be the case. However, should circumstances change and that were something that would happen, I would drain every last drop of fuel out of it, regardless of its alcohol content, or lack thereof.

 

[Eman85]

I have many friends running E85 in their race cars with no problems and none of the horror stories of the internet. Rubber fuel lines and they store 55 gals.

 

[OldBlue61]

I've had 2 motorcycle tanks that were destroyed by the buildup of rust over one winter of sitting because of E10, so that's the reason for me not using it.

But, this is one of those topics kinda like "what oil should I use in my blah blah blah" that ends up in arguments. So, IMHO use what you want, for whatever reasons you want. And let's remain friendly.

 

[blakefords]

UPDATE.
Had aluminum carb on ran like garbage. Rebuilt the original carb. Ran like garbage. Pulled the distributor, had .032 gap. Regapped to .015. Ran like garbage. Took the distributor all apart and tested the condenser on the top of distributor, did not like voltage or getting resistance readings. Swapped with a known good condenser. Runs fantastic.

Throughout this whole process I never lost spark, which is weird.

Thanks for all the help gentlemen.