611B Gremlin. Long Post.

[L.Fure]

I'm beginning to think that this thing is jinxed. This morning I was cleaning up yesterdays snow. I had the driveway cleaned up enough for my wife to head to work, then I started cleaning up in front of the mail box. Wouldn't you know it, I got stuck. I run the front wheels over a hump and couldn't back the tractor up. I walked to the house for a scoop shovel to dig the front wheels out. Got that done and tried to get the tractor moving again. The engine started to sputter and backfire then quit. I cranked on the starter trying to get it started again and started to run the battery down, so I went and got the truck and jumper cables to help the battery along. In the meantime the county snow plow comes down the road and me right in the way. He stopped to see if I needed any help. I told him I would after I got the tractor running again. He told me he'd check on me on his return trip. After the battery recovered some, with the help of the jumper cables, I started cranking on the starter again. Couldn't get it to run, but it was popping out of the exhaust like rifle shots. I got to thinking this over a bit while it was happening and figured I better look at the distributor cap. Sure enough there was some moisture in the cap. I wiped it out with a glove and went back to cranking the starter. Sure enough, it started right up. Now how in the world did it get moisture in there when it's only 6 degrees out. I figured it had to have gotten some of the light snow in it that was blowing around, but how did it get into the cap? I've been pushing snow around here for over thirty years, and never saw snow get into a distributor cap. Anyone have any ideas? BTW, the snow plow man did pull the tractor out for me. Thank God for that.

 

[Adirondack case guy]

CONDENSATION----cold temp on outside of distributor, and warmth from engine on inside.

 

[L.Fure]

(quoted from post at 23:19:11 02/05/21) CONDENSATION----cold temp on outside of distributor, and warmth from engine on inside.

You seem pretty sure of your answer. Tell me why it has never happened to any of my other Case tractors in the past thirty five years?

 

[Adirondack case guy]

How is the felt seal in the intermediate cover over the points?? That gets warn and
hard and some blowby can come up by the shaft which is warm and moisture laden.-----
Loren

 

[Joe (Wa)]

(quoted from post at 22:18:52 02/06/21) How is the felt seal in the intermediate cover over the points?? That gets warn and
hard and some blowby can come up by the shaft which is warm and moisture laden.-----
Loren

Good one Loren. Considering the low ambient temp any moisture in the engine is going to rise and attracted to a cold surface will condense as the engine cools down. That's especially noted inside valve covers.

Joe

 

[Case Nutty 1660]

I Very very seldom use WD-40 for anything,, but it does work well for removing moisture and rust,, think it still lists it right on the can for this problem if not it used to

 

[L.Fure]

(quoted from post at 16:12:44 02/07/21) I Very very seldom use WD-40 for anything,, but it does work well for removing moisture and rust,, think it still lists it right on the can for this problem if not it used to

Thanks, if this happens again I'll give WD-40 a try.