Farmall c wont start

[farmallmitch]

Hey all, I recently purchased a farmall c at an auction that has a magnito and I cant seem to get it to fire (my first farmall with a mag). I put a new starter in it and it just smoked a little so I took the carb off, cleaned it and still had the same problem. I ended up taking the carb back off and swapping it with a carb that came off of a running farmall c. I also drained/ replaced the gas and put new auto lite 3116 plugs in and checked all plugs for spark which they had. Once I put the different carb on it, it would started smoking a lot more but it would just pop and shoot flames out of the carb (with the throttle up). A lot of the time it wouldnt make any firing noise or backfire until I put the throttle up. It has clean fuel and good flow into/ out of the carb when I unscrew the drain plug. The spark plug wires are in the correct sequence going clockwise. The only thing that I noticed is that the 1 stamped on the distributor cap is at about 3-4 oclock which I thought was odd so I loosened the distributor to adjust it but I only have about 1/2-3/4 of turn counterclockwise before the bottom part of the distributor hits the hydraulic pump manifold where the hydraulic lines go into it. Any advice?

 

[farmallmitch]

I should have said it gets about 1/2 inch - 3/4inch of turn on the distributor. Also wont even fire with a shot of either

 

[SDE]

Pull the number one spark plug and put the piston at Top Dead Center and then look to see if the rotor is pointed at the number one terminal of the cap.

 

[caterpillar guy]

Sounds like you are about 180 out. I'd not worry about the number one lining up with the 1 on the cap. I'd just check like SDE said then adjust for timing and go. It will probably then run fine. For the smoking if blue oil if white water/coolant if not much I would run it on a job that will work ig hard for a few days like a plow would and it might even clear up.

 

[used red MN]

Important information to add to SDEs instructions is that the number one cylinder needs to be at TDC of the COMPRESSION stroke to get it timed correctly. So you need to feel for pressure coming out of the plug hole, some use a cotton ball in the hole for this. After pressure is pushed then bring it up to the timing mark.

 

[Jim Becker]

My first thought on your original problem is that it may have sticking valves. You might do a compression test to check that.

From the picture, it looks like the top of the magneto leans way out relative to the bolt holes of the mounting flange. The proper H-4 magneto stands upright relative to the flage. If this magneto leans out, it is for the Continental power unit engine. The lag angle is way wrong for the tractor. I'm not sure if you can even get the static timing right with that magneto. If you can, it won't hurt the starting but the timing will be wrong after it starts. In any case, now that you have been rotating the magneto, you need to go back and do a proper static timing so it has a chance of starting. Instructions are in the Owner's Manual. If you don't have the manual, you should be able to search past posts for the instructions.

 

[gene bender]

that mag angle will not keep it from firing if the rotor is in time and
points to the tower when it impulses because the mag is the same as if the
mount was stock because it works on the engine it came from rotor in #1
compression is the same.

 

[gene bender]

you are wrong the rotor must line up with the tower when it impulses

 

[gene bender]

the mags are the same just the front flange is rotated 90 deg i have rebolted
the flange so it stood up put it on the tractor and it runs just fine

 

[560Dennis]

Looks like a magneto off a continental t50 baler to engine . Clocked at 45 degrees flange. Not sure what you got going there.

Anyway find number one top dead center and go rotor and see if its at number one ,if not get there .

 

[gene bender]

IS the rotor pointing to the #1 tower on compreszion? remove the valve cover to see if both valves are closed and removing the plug you can see if the piston is up. IT has to be like that for the engine to fire you have the wire at #1 tower so check to make sure you are on compression with rotor pointed at that tower and dont worry about moving the mag i have over 60 pluss yrs with mags on the I-H. Has the engine ran in the past or is it unknown possible the mag gear is off thuss valve timing could be off if the dots on the mag gear arent lined up with the cam dots

 

[Jim Becker]

(quoted from post at 21:11:47 10/01/22). . . and dont worry about moving the mag . . .

He has already moved the mag, said so in his first post. He needs to straighten out whatever problem he may have created.

Back to the original problem, removing the valve cover gives a chance to check the valves and make sure none of them are stuck

 

[gene bender]

looking again at your pic #1 wire is going to #2 plug and #4 tower wire is going to #3 plug get those wires going to the rite plug