[Ford-ferguson] No start 2N

[Mike Sloane]

I restored a '46 2N a couple of years ago, got it running, and then 
parked it in my neighbor's barn. Now that I am retired, I thought I 
might get it out and finish the mechanical part of the restoration; I am 
pretty sure it could use a set of rings and con rod bearings (it pumps a 
fair amount of smoke out the breather, and the oil pressure drops to 
virtually nothing as it warms up). Plus, a local carpenter needs the 
area where I keep my tractors cleared out of her barn so he can make 
some much needed repairs.

Of course, it wouldn't start. So we towed it down to my place this 
morning, and I started checking things out. The recommended method of 
checking the points is to remove the distributor and do it on the bench. 
Nobody ever told me how difficult a job that is - I must have been doing 
something wrong. Maybe next time I will slacken the generator belt 
tension...

The points had a LOT of resistance, so I filed them until they showed .5 
ohms (which is what I get if I touch the two probes together). Putting 
the distributor back on was not easy either, but I managed. I also 
checked resistance with the points open, and it is infinite.

Then I noticed that there was gas dripping from the carburetor. So I 
figured that the float might be sticking a little. So I pulled the 
carburetor off (MUCH easier than removing the distributor) and 
discovered that the float was all but frozen on the shaft, holding the 
float valve open. I got that all cleaned up and flopping nicely and put 
the carburetor back on.

All the while, the battery (brand new when I did the restoration) was on 
the charger. I tried starting a couple of times, but it doesn't turn 
over very fast, nor do I get anything in the way of a pop out of the 
engine. I think I may pull the spark plugs and see what they look like. 
I ran out of steam, left the tractor sitting with the battery charger 
on, and I will try to do something with it tomorrow (Monday).

Any thoughts on this situation? Is there anything special that I should 
be aware of that is different with old Fords than other tractors? It 
seems to me that they are pretty simple engines and should behave the 
same as other similar antiques. (My 6 volt Cubs, which have similar 
engines, fire on the first turn of the starter.)

Image of the tractor at: <http://public.fotki.com/mikesloane/1946_ford_2n/>

Mike
-- 
Mike Sloane
Allamuchy NJ
Email: (msloane at att.net)
Website: <http://www.geocities.com/mikesloane>
Blog: <www.mikesloane.blogspot.com
Tractor images: <www.fotki.com/mikesloane>
Work: none - retired

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