Smokey '73 Allis-Chalmers 200

[Cousin Uncle Larry]

I have bought a property here in Central Iowa and it came with a '73 Allis-Chalmers tractor. (Google is a heck of a tool to figure out what year this is)

We'll be using it to move hay bales, shred the pasture area, and move any thing else that we need. I think it's life as a 'heavy worker' are over.

The good news, it runs and all the hydraulics move the things they're supposed to.

The bad news, it smokes like Cheech & Chong, even at operating tems. To the point that I can't leave it in the barn for more than a min before it becomes unbearable due to the smoke.

Here is what I know to look at and have done:
1. Verify that the air cleaner isn't choking the system, making it run rich.
'Done' - to the best of my ability... I took off the grill and opened the filter box, but I can't ger the filter all the way out.
The front loader mechanisms are in the way and I didn't take a good look on how to move them out of the way.

In a 'previous' life, I've been a mechanic and know that it's a mechanical fuel pump/injector system, but what would be the 'best' way to lean out the mix?

My guesses are:
1. The injectors have been worn out from use, over the years
2. Someone has manipulated the fuel pump to increase power
3. The fuel that's in the tank may have something wrong... (unlikely but possible)
4. Some combination of the 1st 3...

I would also like to find a Owners/Service manual so I can become more educated, but I don't want to buy blindly over the internet. Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance and I hope you have a great day.

 

[DrAllis]

What you consider a possible problem might be somewhat normal for a 50 year old engine that has a lot of hours on it. Especially a loader tractor that hasn't pulled a plow or worked hard in decades. They are only a 15 to 1 compression ratio engine (not 16 or 17 to 1) so that would cause some of what you may be seeing. My concerns would be: How does it start on a COLD start after sitting over night ?? If you think it is a relatively good cold starter (AC's are NOT normally the best at that) then the cranking compression must be adequate. If it was mine, I then might pull the injectors and replace all six tips. Nothing short of replacing all six tips and setting the pressures at no more than 3000 psi. Now, I need to tell you why one might not want to do that. If the injectors have never been worked on, they might be rusted in the cylinder head bores and be very difficult to remove. It could require making a large slide hammer tool and "hammer" them out of the cylinder head, and at that hope you don't break one. Before I would attempt any injector work, I would be absitively sure you can even buy new tips these days. I have been told that particular p/n has been discontinued and no longer available from any source. All I know is what I have been told. You might consider a fresh tank of fuel doctored up with some expensive fuel conditioner and take it for a 10 miles there and 10 miles back drive down the road at full throttle in road gear. If it starts good and runs good with no miss-fire, I'm not sure I'd do anything at this point. Shut it off in the shed. "Turning up" an injection pump doesn't do this, so forget that. There is no such thing as leaning things down.

 

[Cousin Uncle Larry]

What you consider a possible problem might be somewhat normal for a 50 year old engine that has a lot of hours on it. Especially a loader tractor that hasn't pulled a plow or worked hard in decades. They are only a 15 to 1 compression ratio engine (not 16 or 17 to 1) so that would cause some of what you may be seeing. My concerns would be: How does it start on a COLD start after sitting over night ?? If you think it is a relatively good cold starter (AC's are NOT normally the best at that) then the cranking compression must be adequate. If it was mine, I then might pull the injectors and replace all six tips. Nothing short of replacing all six tips and setting the pressures at no more than 3000 psi. Now, I need to tell you why one might not want to do that. If the injectors have never been worked on, they might be rusted in the cylinder head bores and be very difficult to remove. It could require making a large slide hammer tool and "hammer" them out of the cylinder head, and at that hope you don't break one. Before I would attempt any injector work, I would be absitively sure you can even buy new tips these days. I have been told that particular p/n has been discontinued and no longer available from any source. All I know is what I have been told. You might consider a fresh tank of fuel doctored up with some expensive fuel conditioner and take it for a 10 miles there and 10 miles back drive down the road at full throttle in road gear. If it starts good and runs good with no miss-fire, I'm not sure I'd do anything at this point. Shut it off in the shed. "Turning up" an injection pump doesn't do this, so forget that. There is no such thing as leaning things down.

All very valid points.
I have a 26 y/o fuel injected Harley that the Dealerships won't touch for the 'injectors not available' issue you described.

It starts 'okay' but because I'm new to 'old tractors' that's relative. 5-10 seconds of cranking with the plunger out and she'll cough and start. Now it is July and '6 billion' degrees out, so we'll have to see when it get's a little cooler if she still starts 'easy'.

My thinking is/was that the injector tips are just 'worn out' for lack of a better term... With potentially thousands of hours of fuel running thru them, and the last 10 years with USLD, it may be like you say, 'just the way this one runs'.

I did put 5 gallons of fuel in it with a 25 gallon mix of fuel lubrication in it, to see if that may help.

Thank you for your knowledge and comment.

Have a blessed evening.

 

[farmer52]

What color is the smoke...black, blue, or white?

 

[Cousin Uncle Larry]

What color is the smoke...black, blue, or white?

It's diesel smoke. Black with a heavy scent of fuel. I had a mechanical pump Dodge that I changed the profile plate for more fuel and it smelt just like this.

 

[Tramway Guy]

Could the timing be off a little?

 

[DrAllis]

Changing the static timing a couple of degrees more advanced might improve things....maybe.....and maybe not. But, I will guarantee if you advance the static timing one bit, cold starting becomes more difficult. So, you've got to be aware of that fact. Could the advance mechanism in the injection pump be malfunctioning?? maybe, but at this point with no real experience with this particular tractor, I wouldn't be looking for the needle in the haystack when maybe there isn't one to be found.

 

[Steve in IL]

Hmmm... You can't get the filter out? Perhaps it's been quite a while since anyone replaced that filter. Not a Allis expert, but does it have a air filter restriction gauge? If it doesn't, does it have a port that you can connect up a vacuum gauge? Thinking anything more than 20" water is excessive restriction... And that will lead to black smoke.

 

[Sixfoot]

I have bought a property here in Central Iowa and it came with a '73 Allis-Chalmers tractor. (Google is a heck of a tool to figure out what year this is)
View attachment 158892

We'll be using it to move hay bales, shred the pasture area, and move any thing else that we need. I think it's life as a 'heavy worker' are over.

The good news, it runs and all the hydraulics move the things they're supposed to.

The bad news, it smokes like Cheech & Chong, even at operating tems. To the point that I can't leave it in the barn for more than a min before it becomes unbearable due to the smoke.

Here is what I know to look at and have done:
1. Verify that the air cleaner isn't choking the system, making it run rich.
'Done' - to the best of my ability... I took off the grill and opened the filter box, but I can't ger the filter all the way out.
The front loader mechanisms are in the way and I didn't take a good look on how to move them out of the way.
View attachment 158891

In a 'previous' life, I've been a mechanic and know that it's a mechanical fuel pump/injector system, but what would be the 'best' way to lean out the mix?

My guesses are:
1. The injectors have been worn out from use, over the years
2. Someone has manipulated the fuel pump to increase power
3. The fuel that's in the tank may have something wrong... (unlikely but possible)
4. Some combination of the 1st 3...

I would also like to find a Owners/Service manual so I can become more educated, but I don't want to buy blindly over the internet. Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance and I hope you have a great day.

Take the loader off and check the air filter. Those Westendorf loaders are great units and can be removed easily.

 

[Dieseltech]

The early 200 used a 5 degree pump advance, 10 at the crank. the Late 200 used an 8 degree pump advance, 16 st the crank. The static timing is not the same for both pumps.