8N bogs down

[AHamilton]

Sounds exactly like mine! Dang!

 

[soaked]

 

[AHamilton]

Not much of an update...
I swapped 3 and 4 and it seemed to make a difference until the engine got hot, then back to the same nonsense!
plugs look a bit wet, so not firing well. Maybe the battery is getting a bit low???
I've removed the distributer and re-adjusted the points, the gap was WAY too big! The new points that I bought didn't close up enough so I had to file the slots to get the 0015 gap.
I'll probably put in a new capacitor.

Away for a week and then back at it.
Thank you for all the knowledge so far.

Have a great weekend!

 

[AHamilton]

Update!

I removed and reset the points and condenser. Made sure the leads are correct.
Tractor starts well and runs well on flat ground.
However!!! as soon as I tried to go up a gentle incline, it struggles again. I haven't tried reversing up an incline to see if it's the floats, I will leave that to a day that I have rescue...

I'm also having trouble keeping the idle steady - it keeps moving and hunting the more I drive.
I was wondering if I need to run the old gal for a while to reset the rings, etc.?

Thanks again for all the comments and advise!

 

[Jimmydog]

Update!

I removed and reset the points and condenser. Made sure the leads are correct.
Tractor starts well and runs well on flat ground.
However!!! as soon as I tried to go up a gentle incline, it struggles again. I haven't tried reversing up an incline to see if it's the floats, I will leave that to a day that I have rescue...

I'm also having trouble keeping the idle steady - it keeps moving and hunting the more I drive.
I was wondering if I need to run the old gal for a while to reset the rings, etc.?

Thanks again for all the comments and advise!

If it's running okay at idle it doesn't sound like stuck rings but probably doesn't hurt to run it. It's the heating and cooling heating and cooling that frees them up. Sitting level and idling giving it throttle it should raise engine RPM smoothly. Have you cleaned the gas tank? sludge rolling around in the bottom of the tank can sometimes impede fuel flow. I've seen where the tin foil that is used to seal fuel additive bottles have gotten into the tank and caused similar problems. I know you said you cleaned the intake surface, but take a propane torch turn it on but don't light it. With the tractor running probe around the manifold with the gas coming out of the torch and see if there is any change in engine RPM.

A cheap compression gauge is a handy thing to have in your tool box. If you're not likely to use one often, then you could probably find an auto parts store that has loaner tools and borrow one. If low on compression you could have several problems three likely culprits being stuck rings, scored cylinder walls or bad valves. A cracked head or piston will manifest it self by water in the oil or oil and or pressure in the cooling system. Since you've been able to run it check those. Water in crank case will turn the oil milky in appearance. I see you can get cheap borescopes that fit on these new fangled cameras; another thing that comes in handy, and not just for engine work either. Thanx for the update. Don't get discourage just plug away at your own pace if it ain't fun and you get frustrated just walk away come back at it later. Also remember you'll feel great when it's all said and done with.

 

[AHamilton]

Thanks for the words of encouragement, sometimes I just want to light it on fire!

 

[a49deere]

I'd definitely start with a compression test before I lite it on fire! It simply may be worn out and causing your problems

 

[used red MN]

You say you replaced the carb. That would be my primary concern. There are oodles of aftermarket carbs available for N's, and very (very, very) few are any good. Especially the Amazon type ones that are less than $100. There are loads of threads on the N sub-forum below about the problems with these aftermarket carbs. Often they're ported wrong, very often they're missing some of the idle circuit passages, and almoat always the main needle is machined at a ridiculously blunt angle that's impossible to set to meter properly. They cause the tractors to run terribly.

As a general rule, you're far better off to rebuild the original carb. It will be far better quality and better and metering the fuel. And those single barrel M/S carbs are ridiculously simple and easy to rebuild. Great starter carbs for someone new to rebuilding them.

When you first posted this I attempted to search out the threads that reported on the problems with aftermarket carbs particularly not operating on an incline. Essentially a passage is not drilled through to allow the main needle to pull fuel out of the bottom on the bowl. The fuel has to come into the main jet from about half way up on the bowl sidewall on the front of the carb. When you head up an incline the fuel level in the front of the carb drops down below the inlet that is to high an and it goes kerput. If I have time later I try to find the threads. Pull the carb bowl off and post some pictures of the inside of it.

 

[Mark-Ia]

If it's hunting, clean the carb.

 

[soaked]

When you first posted this I attempted to search out the threads that reported on the problems with aftermarket carbs particularly not operating on an incline. Essentially a passage is not drilled through to allow the main needle to pull fuel out of the bottom on the bowl. The fuel has to come into the main jet from about half way up on the bowl sidewall on the front of the carb. When you head up an incline the fuel level in the front of the carb drops down below the inlet that is to high an and it goes kerput. If I have time later I try to find the threads. Pull the carb bowl off and post some pictures of the inside of it.

Hi Red, this post may have been the first

And this post has more details

R

Thread '9n stalls on hills greater than ~15 degrees'

Jun 14, 2024

I have a 9n that I just replaced the carburetor on. Previously it always needed to be choked a little bit to make it up the hill, but now it stalls going up any hill at an angle greater than about 15 degrees. If I correct the angle and either level out or turn down hill, the engine keeps running. I got stuck headed up hill and couldn't restart it. It would sputter for about 3 seconds and die. If I tried restarting it immediately after, it wouldn't even stutter. I would have to wait 10 or so minutes to try again, and it would stutter and die. I finally towed it up to a level spot...

• robertIL
• Replies: 14
• Forum: Ford 9N, 2N & 8N

 

[AHamilton]

I've ben thinking about rebuilding the old carb. Very interesting about how poorly the new ones are made/missing holes...
You guys have convinced me! At any rate, it will be good practice!!
Look forward to the extra thread, thanks Soaked!

 

[AHamilton]

Has anybody tried a rebuilt carb from Steiner?

 

[Jimmydog]

Dang Soaked, talk about a needle in the hay stack. It's posts like yours that I come here for.

 

[used red MN]

Has anybody tried a rebuilt carb from Steiner?

What difference does it make who or where the carburetor came from? It should be an “originalish” carb for your tractor. However I see their cheaper carb is a cast aluminum so that means it’s a reproduction, an original is cast iron. As I said above you’ll have to open it up to see if it has the problem as has been suggested in these replies. I don’t see where you have said you checked the fuel flow OUT OF THE CARB DRAIN PLUG! before you pull the carb. Pull the plug and give a 5 count and then see if the flow continues or if it slows to a dribble. If only a dribble you need to figure out where the flow is being restricted. The elbow that screws in the carb for the fuel line to attach has a fine screen that can plug. If you have a glass sediment bowl under the tank and it is showing full of gas that means nothing in terms of how much gas is getting to your carb. It is made of glass and transparent for the purpose of monitoring the dirt of water level in it.

 

[Jimmydog]

I'd definitely do what red MN said. He's one of the more reliable sources on here (unlike myself). I forgot about the screen in the carb elbow. There is also a screen in the sediment bowl but since you replaced it it seems unlikely. However if the tank was full of gunk it could have easily plugged up either of these screens. Has the bottom of sediment bowl filled with debris since you put it on? I would give rebuilding the old carb a try first before shelling out the big bucks for a rebuilt one from somebody else. My experience has been hit and miss on rebuilding. Some go easy as pie while I got one sitting on the self that will be there when I'm gone. The problem is the super small passages that require a small wire to clean out and or a good soak in an ultrasound machine; I have neither but you can usually tell if the passages are clear by putting the tube of the aerosol carb cleaner against the holes and watch for it to spray out. Kits come in different configurations from cheap just gaskets to full on every thing. I'd get a middle of the road one with the gaskets, needle and seat, and the brass hardware. If you find your float was water logged you can buy that later when you kick your self. But first pull the plug and check the fuel flow thru carb that's on it now like Red instructed.

 

[DanielW]

The missing port mentioned above is definitely a common problem with new/aftermarket carbs. And can cause exactly the type of issues you describe. But keep in mind that's not the only concern with aftermarket carbs. There are lots of folks on here who have found the main jet orifice was too large or small. And one of my beefs with them is the way the main jet adjusting needle is often machined on the aftermarket ones: On the original carbs the adjustment needle is a very fine point that allows you to really fine-tune it. On the aftermarket ones I've dealt with, the needle has a very blunt, aggressive angle and it makes it nearly impossible to tune well: Two turns on the adjustment on one of the original carbs is about 1/16 of a turn on one of the new carbs. The slightest touch causes a world of difference.

There are lots of reports of aftermarket, cheaper N carbs that have been made to run right. But often only after checking/changing the main jet orifice size and/or drilling out the missing port.

 

[soaked]

From post #23

"Not much of an update...
I swapped 3 and 4 and it seemed to make a difference until the engine got hot, then back to the same nonsense!"

From post #15

From Dell (WA) (RIP)

Need to prove spark, IMHO