early 8n

[Anonymous-0]

I have an early 8n that i have that has'nt ran in 3 or 4yrs. I need to get it running,it ran good when i bought it.
Tractor has been converted to to an alternator, it had a coil added,when i took the front coil off coil had been taken out and was a coppled up mess, i replaced the front mount coil with a new 12v front mount coil. The alternator has a bat connection and a connection going to the switch mounted on the dash then going to the amp gauge, i'am replacing the battery and need to know if i should hook the battery up to the original positive grd. also it does not have a ballast resistor and by reading other sounds like a resistor should be added?
I'am new to the forum, certainly would appreciate any help and would like to thank you.

 

[Bruce(VA)]

" need to know if i should hook the battery up to the original positive grd. "

You won't do that but once.

99.5% of all alternators in the US are negative ground. Reverse the polarity & you will let the smoke out of it.

" it does not have a ballast resistor and by reading other sounds like a resistor should be added?"

Yes.

If you are using the 12v frontcoil, it still needs the OEM ballast resistor.

But before you do any of that........

Do not attempt to turn the engine over. You could break the rings if they are rusted to the cylinder walls. Pull all plugs, add a tablespoon or so of ATF or MMO in each cylinder. Pull both valve covers & soak everything w/ MMO or ATF. Remove the 15/16 hex nut to the right of the water pump. This is where your oil gallery is for the valves/lifters is. Don't lose the little spring under the nut. Use an oil squirt can to put about a cup of oil in here. Replace the spring & nut. Then, start looking for mouse/hornet nests in places like the tail pipe & carb breather hose. Wait at least 2 or 3 days before you do anything, then try & hand crank the engine. (w/o spark plugs) If it does not turn by hand, repeat everything you just did, ie, more MMO or ATF. If it still won’t turn by hand, remove the starter (see tip # 36) and use a BF screwdriver or jack handle on the ring gear teeth to try & turn it over. Once you get it to turn by hand, then change all the fluids (check tips 3 & 4 at the link below for info on the tranny/pump/rear end fluid change) Fluids include oil & filter, oil in the air cleaner, and 50/50 water & antifreeze. Grease all fittings. Replace the points, plugs, condenser, rotor & cap. If the wires are cracked & frayed, replace them as well, or you will spend days trying to find that one short. Clean all connections bright & shiny. Put a couple of tablespoons of oil in each cylinder to help lubricate the cylinder walls & increase start-up compression. Before you put the valve covers back on, coat everything again w/ oil & re-prime the pump. Clean the fuel screens in the carb & sediment bowl. Spray the carb good w/ carb cleaner. (Some people can get a carb to work like this after setting for years. Some people win the lottery. I have never got away w/ an old carb working; plan on a rebuild). Drain the gas or whatever is in the tank. Add at least two gallons of fresh gas & make sure you have a good flow by removing the bolt at the bottom of the carb. Keep some starting fluid or propane handy. You will need that new battery; it needs a good battery to power the ignition as well as turn over the starter. Spin the starter over (key off) & make sure you have oil pressure showing on the gauge. Remember, you filled the cylinders w/ oil, so it will smoke a lot when it gets going. Once you get it running, just let it idle for a few minutes while you check closely for leaks (oil, water, gas) & make sure it has good oil pressure. Then, it should be run at variable RPM. Internal parts that would normally have a film of oil have gotten dry. Run the engine up to around 1500 RPM and back down, put it in gear and make a few laps around the yard at various speeds. This will quickly get some heat into the oil and splash oil everywhere it needs to be inside the engine. Continue to watch for leaks, smoke or other problems (like no brakes).

Good luck & check back!
50 Tips

 

[old]

Well I was going to add a couple things but if you do as Bruce says to do you got it pretty much covered. As he said hook up the battery + ground and it will cost you a new alternator because it takes a nano 2nd to let the smoke out. Also ATF is cheaper then MMO. Me I fill the cylinders so as to get the ATF on every moving part of the engine

 

[grhouse]

The only thing I might add to what has already been said is that if you do not have something to hand crank it with you can GENTLY rock it back and forth with it in gear (and the plugs out) to see if the fan moves. When I say gently, I mean very little force beyond what it would normally take to push it anyway. Usually you can just grab the rear tire and rock it back and forth a little. If the fan moves you are OK, if not, put some more ATF in there.

 

[jackinok]

before you do ANYTHING,do a search for "hobos conversion" sounds to me like that could be what you have.If so your tractor runs on REAL 12v.If so you may need to do more than just change the coil even with a 12volt coil. Coils normaly dont go bad sitting,points may get corroded,rats may eat all the wires,but coils dont generaly get bad on their own.when you say cobbled up mess,what EXACTLY was messed up with it?DO NOT hook it up positive ground,do not CHANGE ANY WIRING PERIOD!!!! it was working,leave it alone,if you dont understand what you have. when you hook up your new battery simply replace it DONT rewire it! do you do this on your car? as for the ballast resistor ,yes you probably need one now,since you converted the conversion! heres the thing,and Im not being mean here,theres about a dozen different ways of converting one to 12 volts,all work ,BUT without knowing what you have,some type of wiring diagram to go by,theres not one single person here who can help you.SO what you do,is if its working leave it alone!replace a part with that exact part,and NOTHING else.return every thing back to the way it was ,clean your points and you most likely wont have any problems that werent there before. MY opinion,for what its worth,is that when you started changing things you sort of shot yourself in the foot,and you need to go back and start over.