ferguson stalls under load

[barry318]

i"ve recently acquired a 1950 to20 (#24946). it has a z129 (to30 engine w/external oil filter). i don"t seem to have the requisite hot spark & the battery is hooked up as a negative ground, which i undertand is incorrect. it has a generator, not alternator, & the wire to the distributor runs from the positive side of the coil. my question is should i reverse the battery cables & is there anything else i should do or check? Thanks for any help.

 

[Bob (Aust)]

If your battery is negative to ground and your coil is positive to the distributor, the coil is incorrectly connected and will result in a poor spark.

Swap the coil leads - negative to the distributor, positive to the ignition switch - and it should be OK.

The tractor was originally positive ground. You could leave the coil connections as they are and reverse the battery leads (back to positive to ground) but you will then also need to reverse the generator polarity.

Check the battery earth cable, make sure it is clean and bright and connected to the engine block near the starter motor - not the back of the dash panel.

Bob in Oz
'53 TEA20

 

[John (UK)]

Make sure that the battery is connected positive to ground and that the ground lead is attached to a bolt close to the starter. That the points are set to .022", plugs should be AC86 or Champion 8 OR their equivalents set to .025" not one that is near enough as they won't work properly. Ignition timing should be set to 7deg BTDC. make sure that there is oil in the distributor reservoir (remove plug at the bottom on the side and fill with 20W engine oil)Turn the rotor shaft back and forward it should snap back to the neutral position, if it doest check the linkage below for lubrication or springs damaged or worn. The feed wire from the ignition switch should go to the terminal on the coil marked +......John

 

[John (UK)]

Make sure that the battery is connected positive to ground and that the ground lead is attached to a bolt close to the starter. That the points are set to .022", plugs should be AC86 or Champion 8 OR their equivalents set to .025" not one that is near enough as they won't work properly. Ignition timing should be set to 7deg BTDC. make sure that there is oil in the distributor reservoir (remove plug at the bottom on the side and fill with 20W engine oil)Turn the rotor shaft back and forward it should snap back to the neutral position, if it doesn't check the linkage below for lubrication or springs damaged or worn. The feed wire from the ignition switch should go to the terminal on the coil marked +......John

 

[John (UK)]

It could also be the Engine Governor requires resetting as well as the electrical side. To check, open the throttle to about half way and put the tractor in top gear and let the clutch in slowly, you should see the arm at the back of the generator move towards the Carburettor, this will speed the engine up, if it doesn't move then it needs resetting. If you email me I will send you the info you need to do this (use the "send email" tab at the bottom of this mail.If the Governor arm does move but it still doesn't speed up then the carburettor may require resetting as it is possibly running weak. Email me again and I will give you the info for that as well.....John

 

[barry318]

Wow! Thanks for the rapid reply! I think I"d like to put it back to positive ground. Can you tell me what"s involved in repolarizing the generator? Thanks again!