Ford 601

[Dennis(IA)]

Helping my neighbor with his 601 workmaster. Has new points, distributer cap, rotor, plug wires, spark plugs ( Autolite 437) and coil. Compression- 120, 130 140 125, engine cold. Run engine at High idle turn the load screw in 1/4 turn and it starts to miss. Problem is that it turns the spark plugs black with about half hour of running. He has a ” Bush Hog” mower to cut his field (light load) 3/4 throttle and about 30 minutes and it runs bad. I pull the plugs and they are black with carbon. Take them out and heat them with a MAP gas torch and put them back in and it runs great, for about 1/2 hour.
Need some ideas. This is an old basic system, what am I missing? Dennis

 

[old]

Helping my neighbor with his 601 workmaster. Has new points, distributer cap, rotor, plug wires, spark plugs ( Autolite 437) and coil. Compression- 120, 130 140 125, engine cold. Run engine at High idle turn the load screw in 1/4 turn and it starts to miss. Problem is that it turns the spark plugs black with about half hour of running. He has a ” Bush Hog” mower to cut his field (light load) 3/4 throttle and about 30 minutes and it runs bad. I pull the plugs and they are black with carbon. Take them out and heat them with a MAP gas torch and put them back in and it runs great, for about 1/2 hour.
Need some ideas. This is an old basic system, what am I missing? Dennis

#1 when was the last time the air cleaner was serviced??? If it is full of water/mud it can cause that problem.
#2 are you sure the choke butterfly is fully open??
#3 any more auto lite plugs are junk due to being made in the land of almost right. I use NGK3112 plugs in all my Fords

 

[used red MN]

Run engine at High idle turn the load screw in 1/4 turn and it starts to miss.

Turn it a 1/4 in from what setting? Or are you meaning to indicate by this that the main jet screw is at a near lean position? If what old has told all checks out and isn’t a fix, I would say you need to check the float level and the needle and seat for proper seal. If that is good then I would say the carb needs totally cleaned. Look at the main nozzle in the linked diagram, #24, see the holes in the side of it near the bottom? Air needs to come down and mix into the fuel stream to aerosolize the fuel so it mixes into the air stream properly in the venturi.
Messicks Ford 601 carb diagram

 

[showcrop]

I would try opening the low speed screw a little.

 

[Dennis(IA)]

Th load jet screw setting is when the tractor runs good, then turn in 1/4 turn and the engine starts to die. So I can’t run it much leaner. Also the load screw should be adjusted while under load, like a dynamometer.
I need to check the air cleaner.

I also see that it has SIPCON plug wires ( carbon filament). They were installed by a professional, and the tractor was doing this before they were installed. But don’t know what the old wires were. I have a couple of copper wires that I could put on and try that on two cylinders.
Thanks for the answers.
I will keep working on this.

 

[Dennis(IA)]

I also don’t know about ignition timing and where to look for the timing marks.

 

[used red MN]

I also don’t know about ignition timing and where to look for the timing marks.

Back of engine on the right looking in art the front side of the flywheel. The marks and numbers are on the outer diameter of the flywheel in front of the starter ring gear. See third from last reply in the old linked YT post. Old Ford 601 thread

 

[Geo-TH,In]

The carb on my Farmall C is backwards from what you think,
;If you turn the idle screw CW it makes the fuel mix richer turns plugs black.
Is the carb on the Ford the same?? Turn the idle screw CCW and see if it helps.

 

[used red MN]

The carb on my Farmall C is backwards from what you think,
;If you turn the idle screw CW it makes the fuel mix richer turns plugs black.
Is the carb on the Ford the same?? Turn the idle screw CCW and see if it helps.

Most carburetors are like that. The idle mixture screw adjust the amount of air that mixes into the idle fuel circuit.

 

[JMOR]

The carb on my Farmall C is backwards from what you think,
;If you turn the idle screw CW it makes the fuel mix richer turns plugs black.
Is the carb on the Ford the same?? Turn the idle screw CCW and see if it helps.

Ford TSX carbs are like your Farmall, main (power) adjust controls fuel & CW reduces fuel, leaning the mix. Whereas, Idle adjust controls air & CW reduces air, thus making mix richer.

 

[Geo-TH,In]

Ford TSX carbs are like your Farmall, main (power) adjust controls fuel & CW reduces fuel, leaning the mix. Whereas, Idle adjust controls air & CW reduces air, thus making mix richer.

Jessie.
Like I said it just sounds backwards, turning the screw CW makes the fuel mix richer.
I took the idle screw out of my Farmall C and it ran just fine. Before that Full CW my plugs turned black.
My 1967 Barracuda had a Holley carb.
When I turned the idle screw CW. it leaned the fuel mix.
I can't get my head around why it's backwards, I just know it works.

 

[Dennis(IA)]

The air cleaner is clean and the choke is all the way open. I will turn the idle screw out some and change two plug wires to copper wire. And see what happens.
Dennis

 

[showcrop]

The carb on my Farmall C is backwards from what you think,
;If you turn the idle screw CW it makes the fuel mix richer turns plugs black.
Is the carb on the Ford the same?? Turn the idle screw CCW and see if it helps.

That is not backwards it is normal. The idle mixture screw is an air adjustment not fuel.