2N Blues

[Animal]

Just what kind of swear words, head bashing, beer drinking, whiskey chasing and hammer pounding does it take to get one of these sows to start? Lets go through it, yes I have a blue spark, yes I have autolite plugs, yes they are gapped right. I can choke this until I get a snap, crackle and pop then it just spins like a top. 12volt 6volt starter. I pull the breather pipe off and hand choke it and it will fire a few times, pull the plugs and they are dry. Hand choke it some more and it acts like it wants to go and then we are spinning over with no fire again. Pull the plugs and they are wet. Take my lighter burn them off put them back in. Spritz it with a little starting fluid can smell the stink of starting fluid but not a pop. Hand choke it and boom we are off to the races. Now this is not a tractor that has set outside, but in a 60 degree shop for a week. Do I have a plugged passage in the carb? I am missing something here. For this tractor to have good power I have it running very rich as in blind you and choke you to death while trying to hook anything up on the three point. I have hand start JD A&B that I have started many times at Zero or Below, One B magneto was incased in ice and it still started. Anything this aggravating should be bored and stroked and flogged to death on a pulling track!

 

[old]

Blue spark but does it jump a 1/4 inch gap or more??? By the way what i the compression?? If under 90PSI then there is where the problem is. Yep wet plugs are fouled plugs and you say auto lite but are they the 216 or the 437s??
By the way duck and cover where in for it tonight.

 

[souNdguy]

you are saying a few things which are mutually exclusive.. so it makes me doubt your observations or procedures.

you say it has good spark.. but then say it won';t fire off on starter fluid.. then looses spark.

fix spark first.

once you ALWAYS have spark.. then if you have compression and air and fuel.. it will run.

air is easy.

checking omp is easy.

fuel check can be start fluid.

thus if you have acceptable compression and no hungvalves, if you have air and truely have spark, then a spray of stasrt fluid into carb will make pops and short runs.

post back

 

[Anonymous-0]

I am right there with ya Animal. Been through the same thing with mine today, $@#@(*^78 just does not like to start in cold weather - I finally gave on the beast. Got tired of fightin out there in that wind. btw I'm not far from you - I'm between Liberty and Kearney.

 

[Animal]

Dang Dude, we need to hook up! At that time maybe we can decide how to blow these thing straight to he11. I like to use mine on the grain auger and had not started it since Oct. Last Sat. I hooked a chain on it and pulled it up the drive, got it fired up and put it in the shop. I just knew it would fire right up today, boy was I wrong....I have got freezing rain here now and I am in for the night. You be careful up your way too.

 

[Animal]

I have a good constant spark at all times, when I used the starting fluid it did not act like it wanted to run at all, but you could smell the burnt starting fluid from the exhaust. Where I am confused is when using the choke I will have gas running on the floor from the intake bell and still have dry plugs. Also I have the load jet open a lot more than I like to make it run good. Is it possible that my primary side of the carb. is plugged?

 

[Animal]

Another thing that just came to mind, is when I hand start my other tractors they like the throttle closed or just cracked open a little bit. I swear this one will start with throttle open, half open or closed, I will be darned if I can find the combination to start this one..

 

[souNdguy]

if you have spark, air and compression.. it should start and run on start fluid.

start over on your observations!


if you can get it running eventually.. it's timing is close enough.


didn't sick a squirrel into the manifold did ya?

 

[Mr. T. Minnesota]

A,
My experience is that Ns are cold blooded. Once they flood they just do not like to start. From the beginning of your description thought it was close to zero degrees. Have you ever had the carb cleaned? They are simple to clean and readjust. Have cleaned mine so many times think I could do it blindfolded. When it gets zero or less in Minnesota and in an unheated garage I plug in the hose heater for about an hour or two and it solves a lot of problems. HTH
Mr. T. Minnesota

 

[Anonymous-0]

I had been having a similar problem. I had cleaned my carb a number of times, though never rebuilt it, just pulled everything and used a lot of carb cleaner. Tried to clean my sediment bowl, put it all back together, put fresh gas in it and it would start run for a bit then stall. Then it wouldn't start at all... use a little starting fluid and it would kick but not stay.
So I drained the tank, got a good look in there......rust and gunk. Tried to clean it but then decided with the baffled tank that was hopeless. I replaced the whole fuel system new tank, new sediment bowl, new carb, new fuel line....
Runs like new. Starts in almost any kind of weather. I also try and keep a little Seafoam on hand and I have gone to using fuel with no ethanol, but I have read that most people don't have issue with the type of fuel.
There are a few other things that could still be wrong with your fuel delivery. The float....make sure there is no hole in it or it could be out of alignment. They can get a little bent and then not let the needle do its part. Or the needle can just get stuck and not function properly. The sediment bowl has a screen on top that sticks up in the tank, that could easily get choked with crud, there is also a screen inside the sediment bowl. And if you have an original style carb they have little screen at the end of the fuel line just inside the carb.
Good luck

 

[Animal]

I had it running this afternoon, one it starts it runs good.

 

[Animal]

I went through the carb two years ago after I overhauled the motor. This tractor sits for months at a time, and it would always start until lately, do you suppose our high dollar wonderful fuel has it plugged a bit?

 

[chuck41]

Hi, Just remember it is about 72 yrs old-my age.
Chuck

 

[George1048]

I had the same problem with my '49 8N until i checked the air cleaner and found it almost completely plugged with crud! I cleaned both the cup and the mesh, reassembled with fresh oil, and it starts on the second or third rev. Also, check to make sure your battery is fully charged (use a hydrometer). I started mine at 7 degrees about a week ago.

 

[old]

All my tractors like to be 3/4 open on the throttle to start nothing less. My Oliver S88 most of the time you hit the starter button at 3/4 throttle and you can not get your hand off fast enough

 

[Anonymous-0]

Ya I was hoping to meet ya last fall at the Oliver show in Platte City. I did meet up with Larry, he's a real nice guy.

 

[Mark-Ia]

I've found, once the plugs are fouled and wet with gas, they won't fire under compression. You might try new plugs. Sometimes no throttle or very little throttle helps also.

 

[Joe Scribner]

My 52 8N was a bear to start too. Found that I had to hit the starter and then with engine spinning just blip the choke until it fired. Then feather the choke to get it up to speed. If I started cranking with the choke on full it would flood every time.

 

[Animal]

I wish you had followed him to my place, we had a fun time, and he is a great guy.

 

[W_B]

When I was having trouble with my Ns starting I'd cleaned the carbs, which worked for awhile. Had to rebuild them to get consistant starting, it works wonders. I've also found that starting fluid never did help anything, I've stopped using it and gone right to fixing the underlying problem. As Bruce and others here have suggested time and time again, work through all the systems, get 'm right and she'll go.

 

[tracman]

Is your tractor a 12 volt conversion with a second resistor added to the ignition coil? My 2N and 8n 12volt conversion were always rascals to start when cold, so I rigged a by-pass contact across the second series resistor from a relay during the starting. Now it starts every time.

 

[Woodchuck]

I'm in upstate NY, Albany area (1500 feet higher elev). 8 degrees this morning. Turned on the gas, pushed in the clutch, turned on the key, pulled the choke and pushed the starter button. Cought on the 4 turn.