problems with my H

[hank woll]

hello-i have an H that has been rebuilt and is generally in good shape and runs well in warmer weather but in the last few months it has been hard to start and the battery needs to be charged if sitting for a few days-it's a 6-volt system-also i have been getting water in the oil-none in radiator and when settled to drain it's clear and plentiful-my exhaust pipe that connects muffler to manifold has been loose and i think the threads n the manifold are shot-any ideas or suggestions-do i need a new exhaust manifold-thanks for any help-hank

 

[Steven f/AZ]

If the pipe going into the manifold is loose, water runs down the muffler and exhaust pipe directly into your engine - that could be part of the cause of hard starting.

There are two ways to go about fixing that - buy a new manifold for around $150 or so plus shipping. OR you can unscrew the pipe, get a 2" pipe thread tap and run down the manifold (vacuum out the shavings!) and a new 2" pipe to screw into it with some high-temp thread sealer. The second solution is cheaper if you have enough left of your threads to repair...

Losing the battery could be a short or bad regulator or switch... I'm not real bright on the electrical so someone else will need to jump in with suggestions...

 

[Andrew Z]

how old is the the battery?, is it a mag, or distributor? could be a bad switch. Second if you have a loose exhaust pipe water will run in there like crazy, it hits the muffler and runs right down in there. I would cover that up before you get more in there. You can tap the manifold out and just buy a new niple to but in there, if the manifold is not completly shot.


Andrew

 

[Janicholson]

Andrew and Steven Have the water answer.
The battery is in need of the following check.
After running it for an hour or so (assuming it charges while running) shut it off and disconnect the battery (either cable). Place a light 6volt light bulb between the battery post and the terminal you took off of it. Touch the side of the bulb to the terminal, and the point contact to the post. If the tractor is shut off, and the lights are off, the bulb should not even glow. If it does, it has a battery drain.
If it does not, the battery needs to be fully charged, then tested at Electrical/battery shop. The battery may still be self discharging, and if left unhooked, it should not go dead. John T (in the archives -- search for--) has detail diagnostic procedure. JimN

 

[John T]

Hank, As often the case Im thinkin along the same lines as Jim there, either a minor short causing a trickle discharge or else the battery is simply bad and self discharges. The shops will give the battery a look n see n give it a load test at no cost, may as well go for that. See if theres electrolyte above all the battery plates and that no cells have a gray or milky look indicative of a bad cell. Or remove a battery cable when you park her n see if she still disacharges meaning a baddddddd battery, but if not then were back to a minor trickle dischage short. As far as a short, if youre there when its on the dark side if you remove a battery cable (like the ground cable where it attaches to frame) and then sort of scratch n bump n rub it up against a clean (no rust or paint but clean shiny metal) place where it attaches, if theres a short lil sparkies will take place indicating a curent draw. Jim has ya covered as far as rigging up a test light to look for a shorting ground path also.

John T

 

[hank woll]

thanks i'll try that-battery is almost new-she also takes a while when started to start charging-it seems as if running her around a bit might shake something up and it will show a charge-any ideas?-maybe bad ammeter or regulator?

 

[hank woll]

hello-thank you-i'll try that-it does seem to take a while to start charging when i first start up-needs to warm up and move before starting to show a charge-any thoughts on that problem?-thanks

 

[hank woll]

hello-the battery is fairly new-another fellow gave me a way to check for a drain/short i'll try=i was thinking that was the water problem because the nipple has threads and i think the manifold has worn down threads so i probably need to get a new one and replace it-the water is clear and there is no oil in antifreeze and i didn't think condensation would get that much water in there-thanks for the help

 

[hank woll]

hi-thanks for that idea i'll check on the manifold and see -i probably need a new one and gasket etc-i also have a real stuck throttle in cold weather until she warms up really well-could that be grease in the linkage that i can't see that's keeping it from revving up?-thanks for the help

 

[hank woll]

thanks for the help-happy holidays