aaarrrrggghhh

[award]

Alright folks, got the points changed and yes, set properly. Tractor starts right up and idles great. I let it warm for about 4 minutes or so and lift the blade. Same issue as before with takes a while to restart. Good gas flow, points and rotor are new, cap contacts lightly cleaned up, gas valve open too.

Possibly the condensor? I got a new one but figured why change it?

 

[HCooke]

What tractor? Probably not the condenser. When corroded contact get warm the resistance goes up and your ignition system may not be getting enough electrons. Try jumping around the ignition switch (a weak link in a lot of Fords).

 

[award]

8n.

 

[old]

Yep I agree it could be a bad switch common problem and run time is about right

 

[Bruce (VA)]

No, it's not the condenser.

It might not even be spark.

It could be fuel.

As soon as it stops, check quickly for fuel then spark. When I say quickly, I mean get off the seat, grab the tools & do it right then. Do not wait a minute or two. First, check for fuel. Get a can & put it under the carb. Remove the bolt in the bottom of the carb; as long as the fuel is turned on, you should see gas flowing out of the carb. Let it run for at least 30 seconds. If it’s a dribble, or runs for 5 seconds & stops, or none at all, you have solved half the problem: it’s fuel related. If gas flows well out of the carb & only stops when you turn it off at the sediment bowl, chances are very good it’s not a fuel problem. So, next, turn the key on, crank the engine & look at the ammeter. What is the needle doing? Does it show a constant discharge, no movement at all, or does it move back & forth slightly? Next, get an old plug w/ the gap opened to at least 3/16/", ground it to a rust & paint free spot on the engine, turn the key on & crank the engine. If the spark jumps the 3/16” gap, you probably don’t have a spark problem. If it won’t jump the 3/16” gap, you have a spark problem. If the ammeter needle shows a constant discharge, or doesn’t move at all, that also tells you that you have a spark problem. Jump the ignition switch w/ your jumper wire & see what happens. If it runs, you found the problem. If it doesn’t have spark after you jump the ignition switch, post back for more info on further troubleshooting. (and do not forget to turn the ignition switch off; see tip # 38)

If it does not have gas coming out of the carb at a steady stream w/ the bolt out for at least 30 seconds, you have a fuel problem. First, remove the gas cap. Your vent could be clogged & it vacuum locked. If that doesn’t work, tap the carb bowl w/ a hammer handle in case the float is sticking closed. (don’t whack it w/ the head of the hammer; you can crack the bowl). If you still don’t see gas flowing, the N has three fuel screens; one in the brass elbow, one in the top of the sediment bowl & one on the stem of the sediment bowl in the gas tank. Check the screen in the elbow & the screen in the top of the sediment bowl. (don’t worry about the one in the tank) Both probably need to be cleaned. If you have the fuel knob turned on all the way, & 1 gallon or less in the tank, it may be trying to feed off of the reserve inlet which is probably clogged. Only open it 2 full turns. Put at least 2 gallons in the tank. (and do not forget to turn the gas off; see tip # 9)

There are ways to check for spark & fuel that work & ways that don't. For example, having gas to the carb is nice, but having it past the float is what counts! That’s why removing the 7/16” bolt in the bottom of the carb is the way to check for fuel. And, same thing w/ spark at the plugs. Some folks think that checking for spark means pulling a plug wire off & looking for one. Well, it's the distance the spark jumps at the plug that gives you the info you want. It takes about 17kv to jump a 3/16" gap & 22kv to jump ¼” in the open air. Remember, it’s 14psi outside of the engine & about 90psi at a 6:1 compression ratio in the cylinders & compressed air creates electrical resistance, so you really need the 17-22kv to fire the plugs when the engine is running. A store bought plug checker will work better than an old plug because it won’t shock the snot out of you like an old plug might!
50 Tips

 

[award]

Well I just tried again and same thing. I'll have to wait a while and then go out to the end of the driveway to get it runnin again so I can bring it up to the house. I didn't look at the switch but can i take the leads off the switch and then use a small plastic aligator clip to put them together? How many wires are there? Its dark right now and I am not goin out for a spell.

 

[Bruce (VA)]

" How many wires are there?"

That would depend on the switch.

If it's OEM, it only has two.
50 Tips

 

[award]

The other day, I pulled the bottom carb plug when it was acting up. I got about a pint of gas in a mason jar in about 45 seconds or so. It didn't come out like a garden hose but it definately came out. Carb screen was cleaned also but didn't really need it. So if enough fuel drops from the bottom of the carb then it wouldn't be a needle seat issue...or a float issue. I remember it is a metal float from a few years ago when I cleaned that carb up.

 

[Bruce (VA)]

W/ a good fuel flow like that from the bottom of the carb, there is little chance it's a fuel problem. Move on to spark.
50 Tips

 

[award]

Sounds good bruce. I'm thinking that when at half throttle and under a "little" load...it would have to be something common, which would now exclude anything after the rotor. I'll remove the two wires off the switch and lip them together tomorrow and see if it eliminates the die out. While at idle, i'm reading what normally occurs at idle and that is about 5 amps on the ammeter and half throttle being about 10 amps. The needle seems pretty steady.

 

[award]

What is the amperage requirement for a switch in case i need to go get one?

 

[award]

Sounds good bruce. I'm thinking that when at half throttle and under a "little" load...it would have to be something common, which would now exclude anything after the rotor. I'll remove the two wires off the switch and lip them together tomorrow and see if it eliminates the die out. While at idle, i'm reading what normally occurs at idle and that is about 5 amps on the ammeter and half throttle being about 10 amps. The needle seems pretty steady.

 

[old]

Hot wire it. As in run a wire from the battery ignition side to the ignition side of the coil. If it runs find for a lot longer time you know it is from the coil back if it still dies then you know it is from the coil forward

 

[award]

By that you mean from the hot side of the switch to the coil terminal on top?

 

[DollarBill]

Hot wire = Run a jumper from the battery post to the coil. This eliminates any wiring and switch problems.

 

[Bruce (VA)]

The switch should only have 2 wires. w/ the switch off, only one will be "hot", meaning your meter should show battery voltage.

When you turn the switch on, both sides should be hot. Regardless, either jump the switch or run the jumper wire from the hot side of the switch to the top of the coil.
50 Tips

 

[Bruce (VA)]

Beats me; I'd guess not less than 10a & that's probably overkill.

But, your life will be a lot easier if you just jump the switch (assuming it's bad) until you can get an OEM replacement switch ( 8N 3679C, about $9). Reason being that it will be difficult to find a keyed two pole switch at the local auto store that will fit the hole in the dash. And using a toggle switch is not a good idea, IMHO.
50 Tips

 

[R Geiger]

(quoted from post at 08:08:50 03/05/12) Alright folks, got the points changed and yes, set properly. Tractor starts right up and idles great. I let it warm for about 4 minutes or so and lift the blade. Same issue as before with takes a while to restart. Good gas flow, points and rotor are new, cap contacts lightly cleaned up, gas valve open too.

Possibly the condensor? I got a new one but figured why change it?

If you have a front mount distributor, do not run very long with the hot wire by passing the ballest resistor or you will have more problems than you do now. If it is a side mount then no problems. All you said was that you have an 8n and it could be either.

 

[Britcheflee]

If it dies under a little load could one of the jets be blocked in the carb?