[AT] Troubleshooting no start

Dudley Rupert drupert at premier1.net
Mon Sep 25 20:13:50 PDT 2006


Dean,

Have you tried squirting a bit of starter fluid in the carb?  Maybe there is
water/crud in the gas and the starter fluid might help you eliminate either
the spark or the gas as being your' problem.  Good luck.

Dudley

-----Original Message-----
From: at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com
[mailto:at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com]On Behalf Of Dean Vinson
Sent: Monday, September 25, 2006 6:49 PM
To: 'Antique tractor email discussion group'; 'Farmall/IHC mailing list'
Subject: [AT] Troubleshooting no start

Dadgummit.  Today was supposed to be the day I got the M Farmall warmed up
and changed the oil, but it won't start.  Not so much as a pop, and by now
I've run the battery down by tweaking various things and then trying to
start it again.

Spark plugs were a bit sooty but I cleaned them all up and put them back in,
then one at a time took # 3 and 4 back out to watch for a spark while
cranking the engine.  Both looked okay, spark was there.  I didn't check # 1
or 2 but don't see why they'd be any different.

Fuel shutoff valve is on and fuel is getting to the carburetor.  Air cleaner
is still a gunky mess but the tractor has always started pretty easily
before (during the month or two I've had it).  I disconnected the air pipe
from the carb and tried again, just to make sure plenty of air was getting
there, but it didn't change anything, still not so much as a sputter.

The tractor last ran a week or two ago.  Since then I've replaced all the
wiring, so my initial thought was that I'd screwed something up.  But I
checked and re-checked it, and it all looks okay.  Good spark at the
generator A terminal when I polarized it.  Lights work and the ammeter shows
discharge when I turn them on.  Plenty of cranking power (at least a couple
of hours ago, before I ran it down). Contacts inside the distributor cap are
somewhat pitted but everything is dry and looks okay, and it ran before, and
the plugs are sparking.

Any suggestions on how to troubleshoot this?  I'm at a loss as to what to
even look for next.

Thanks!

Dean Vinson
Dayton, Ohio
www.vinsonfarm.net



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