Help!! Ford 801 Won t stay running after carb cleaning.

[Tzerambo]

I just recently purchased this ford 801 with the 2.8 gas engine. I put new points and condenser, spark plug wires and spark plugs. I drained the tank and put a new fuel settlement bowl on. I also just rebuild this carb throughly and it is spotless on the inside. The tractor will start and run on starter fluid but won t start by it s self. I have drained the bowl and it is filling up with fuel so I know the needle isn t stuck. Also if you cover the intake with your hand and let go it will start for a second. I have adjusted the needle screw on the carb and it doesn t do squat. What s next because I m kinda running out of places to turn other than buying a new old stock carb and I d rather not spend the $400.

 

[old]

When you hold your hand over the or intake of the carb do you get a good strong suction and gas on your hand?? Weak suction can be a gasket leak or bad manifold either one will cause the problem you have

 

[Tzerambo]

(quoted from post at 18:46:19 08/30/22) When you hold your hand over the or intake of the carb do you get a good strong suction and gas on your hand?? Weak suction can be a gasket leak or bad manifold either one will cause the problem you have

No it gets a really good suction and it will pull some gas out.

 

[old]

If that is the case you did not clean the carb as well as needed. One needs to soak a carb over night in a good cleaner. Blow it out spray it out with carb cleaner spray and poke out all the passageways with wire or as I do I use a torch tip cleaner tool. You need to do the last 3 steps a number of times

 

[SDE]

Why did you do all of this? Had the tractor sat somewhere for an extended period of time?

 

[SDE]

If it runs when you spray starter fluid in to the intake, the electrical part is working and therefor it is a fuel delivery problem. Disconnect the fuel line from the gas tank and use a gravity feed tank from a lawn mower or a old windshield wiper tank and attach it to the fuel line with a hose. No shut off or fuel filter in the system and see if it starts and runs. If it does, the carb isn't the problem. If it still will not run, then it must be in the carb.

 

[MarkB_MI]

Most likely the idle passage is blocked. Soaking in carburetor cleaner won't clear blocked passages. You need to take the carburetor apart and make sure you can run a fine wire or torch tip cleaner through every passage, particularly the idle and main jet passages.

Years ago, a friend of mine couldn't get his car to run right after he tried to readjust the idle screws. It turned out he had tightened one of the screws so much the screw tip had broken off and was stuck in the carb. After knocking out the broken idle screw tip and replacing the screw, it ran fine.

 

[Steve@Advance]

Remove the drain plug in the bottom of the bowl. With the gas turned on there should be a steady stream of fuel. If there is a fuel pump, it should flow gas out while cranking.

Check the main jet. Possibly the tip of the adjusting screw is broken off in the jet.

 

[Jthomas1970]

Don't discount the inlet needle and seat being stuck. Just because the bowl fills up doesn't mean he float and needle are working properly. Either that, or the main jet is stopped up. It is obvious
something is blocked and it is not getting fuel.

 

[TedinNE]

On some carbs it is possible to put the venturi in upside down. Will not start or run well. Just something to check.

 

[Hlmillus]

This past week my daughter and I looked
at a 65 Ford 4000 gas. It would fire but
not keep running. After many attempts
with starting fluid it started and ran
good. We bought it and tried to drive it
the 9 miles to her house but it died
barely out of the seller's driveway. We
towed it the rest of the way and by the
time we got there it had come to me where
the problem was. It was a faulty ignition
switch which would power the coil for
spark in the start position but not power
the coil in the on position. Therefore it
would start but lose spark as if it were
shut off as soon as you released the key
back to the on position. The 2 or 3 times
we did get it to run were because the
switch did sometimes energize in the on
mode. As soon as we got to her house I
hot wired the coil and she ran perfectly.
We did not change any parts or male any
adjustments. I am not saying that is your
problem but it sure sounds familiar. All the starting fluid we were adding and the choking was just confusing the engine and making it worse. We have run the Woods rotary cutter in heavy grass and it powers right through it.

 

[Tzerambo]

Found the problem the main fuel screw was screwed all the way in. Runs great now!

 

[Tzerambo]

Fixed the problem the main jet screw in the bottom of the carb was screwed all the way in. Turned it out a few turns and now it runs like a top.