Stumped in MO

[HCooke]

Last week I was splitting wood and using my 2N to move the wood on a util trailer. With no warning the tractor quit running. Thought I was low on fuel so I added a couple of gal. Tractor would not start unless I had it at about 1/2 throttle and the choke all the way out. Would quickly die and I could not find a spot where the choke would keep it running. Nursed it back to the shed and get another worker to cont my wood moving. Today was a great day in MO - 75 degrees. Shorts and tee shirt. Spent about 3 hours on the 2N. Checked spark - good blue snappy jumps 3/16". check fuel flow thru the carb. Seems good: no water in gas. Removed air hose. Good suction. Tractor will start at mid throttle and run less than 3 sec before it dies. There is spark on all 4 cylinders when it quits. There is fuel in the carb when it quits. I removed the carb and replaced it with one from a running tractor. Same symptoms. I removed the dist cap and checked the rotor. Looked good. I ran out of daylight and will cont tomorrow but don't know where to start. Plan on doing a comp test and swapping the dist with one from a runner. Any other ideas. Sorry for the long post. Thanks for your ideas.

 

[Bob Harvey]

Maybe coil, maybe condenser, maybe just points have closed up. I'd look at those things first. HTH

 

[HCooke]

Planning on replacing the whole dist coil assembly from a runner tomorrow. Didn't do today because the spark looks great! Will continue tomorrow and post back.

 

[Mr. T. Minnesota]

HC,
Stumped! Been there??
Turn off the gas and disconnect the fuel line from carb and reopen the valve. Check for flow.
If good, completely clean the old carb. Can not figure out why the other carb would not work except that it would have to be a perfect match. Had a 33 carb on an 8N that would not get up and go. Replaced it with a 241 with the correct jets and it worked like a charm. Just a thought.
Mr. T. Minnesota

 

[old]

You might also jumper around the ignition switch and resister as in a hot wire and see what happens at least that way you would know if it was forward of back wards of the distributor if that area and not an odd manifold type problem

 

[HCooke]

Old, Thanks. I would have done that but the spark is great even when it stops and I mash down on the starter immediately. I am really embarrassed, I pride myself on being able to start any internal combustion engine if it has good compression.

 

[old]

Don't feel to bad I had a9N/2N mutt I had built and had starting problems and I traded it off for another tractor and the guy I traded it to got it running with little to no problems. I guess it didn't like me turning it into a mutt

 

[Royse]

When it quit, was the tractor just setting still or working?
It may be a long shot, but I am wondering if the manifold developed a
leak so that it is now sucking air. Not as likely setting still.
Since you've covered all the normal, I'm thinking of the not-so-normal.
You pretty much ruled out the carb, and spark sounds good.
What's left? Compression, timing and leaks?
I would be really interested in knowing what you find.
Best of luck!

 

[Jock(OR)]

Tomorrow have a helper check the exhaust pipe outlet when you start it. If you don't have a good flow of exhaust out the muffler, it may have become clogged. I have seen this problem before when mice nested in a muffler. In order for combustion to happen there has to be flow into and out of the cylinders!

 

[HCooke]

Something I had not thought of. Will check tomorrow.

 

[dande man]

your problem is flue remove the flue line at the carb and remove the the connection there is a filter on it CLEAN it if you have good flow on the line it will run IF NOT then remove shut off bowel unscrew it from tank likely trash inside but it will be flue

 

[trouttman]

(quoted from post at 16:22:21 12/02/12) Last week I was splitting wood and using my 2N to move the wood on a util trailer. With no warning the tractor quit running. Thought I was low on fuel so I added a couple of gal. Tractor would not start unless I had it at about 1/2 throttle and the choke all the way out. Would quickly die and I could not find a spot where the choke would keep it running. Nursed it back to the shed and get another worker to cont my wood moving. Today was a great day in MO - 75 degrees. Shorts and tee shirt. Spent about 3 hours on the 2N. Checked spark - good blue snappy jumps 3/16". check fuel flow thru the carb. Seems good: no water in gas. Removed air hose. Good suction. Tractor will start at mid throttle and run less than 3 sec before it dies. There is spark on all 4 cylinders when it quits. There is fuel in the carb when it quits. I removed the carb and replaced it with one from a running tractor. Same symptoms. I removed the dist cap and checked the rotor. Looked good. I ran out of daylight and will cont tomorrow but don't know where to start. Plan on doing a comp test and swapping the dist with one from a runner. Any other ideas. Sorry for the long post. Thanks for your ideas.

HC, as Jock posted I have had 2 cars that the mufflers collapsed and would not run.
But most of the time when the tractor has stopped as you posted it has been a loose or broken wire. The 2 most recent was the terminals on the resistor where the wires fasten to were loose.
The most recent, the stud on the resistor block broke loose and would short out on the dash.

trouttman

 

[tracman]

(quoted from post at 16:22:21 12/02/12) Last week I was splitting wood and using my 2N to move the wood on a util trailer. With no warning the tractor quit running. Thought I was low on fuel so I added a couple of gal. Tractor would not start unless I had it at about 1/2 throttle and the choke all the way out. Would quickly die and I could not find a spot where the choke would keep it running. Nursed it back to the shed and get another worker to cont my wood moving. Today was a great day in MO - 75 degrees. Shorts and tee shirt. Spent about 3 hours on the 2N. Checked spark - good blue snappy jumps 3/16". check fuel flow thru the carb. Seems good: no water in gas. Removed air hose. Good suction. Tractor will start at mid throttle and run less than 3 sec before it dies. There is spark on all 4 cylinders when it quits. There is fuel in the carb when it quits. I removed the carb and replaced it with one from a running tractor. Same symptoms. I removed the dist cap and checked the rotor. Looked good. I ran out of daylight and will cont tomorrow but don't know where to start. Plan on doing a comp test and swapping the dist with one from a runner. Any other ideas. Sorry for the long post. Thanks for your ideas.

Did you get it running yet? It sounds like a manifold gasket has failed and you have large vacuum leak.