[AT] Ford N

[Mike Sloane]

I am not saying anyone is right or wrong, but when I pulled the pistons 
out of my 2N, what little was left of the rings were broken, and the 
grooves were twice the width they are supposed to be. In addition, two 
of the valve seats were badly hammered. I could have done all that you 
suggest, and it wouldn't have put the rings or pistons back together again.

That's why I asked Dick if he ad done a "wet vs. dry" compression test - 
if the compression comes up nicely when you add some oil to the 
cylinders before testing, that usually means badly worn rings. If there 
is no difference, then you likely have valve problems. But with the low 
compression readings that he related, I am going to guess that his 
engine is worn in a number of places. My guess is that, eventually, he 
is going to have look at the pistons, sleeves, bearings, oil pump, water 
pump, and maybe even the cam (they were somewhat soft in the Ford N's). 
Another problem that I ran into with my N was a lot of crud in the water 
jacket (especially at the back, where it tends to run hotter), and the 
only way to get that out properly is to have the block professionally 
"boiled out".

Tearing down and pulling a Ford N engine isn't all that difficult, or I 
wouldn't suggest it - it is pretty much a basic engine with very few 
special tricks to sneak up on you. I had a heck of a time getting the 
sleeves out of mine, as someone had replaced them previously (when they 
ground the crankshaft but re-used the old pistons!). It is such an easy 
engine to work on that it really is fun, especially if you have an 
engine stand and can just turn it over to work on the underside. I also 
have an engine crane that made pulling it and putting it back on very easy.

Mike

charliehill wrote:
> Mike,  I agree with what you are saying but if it was mine, before I pulled 
> the motor,  I'd get the engine good and hot by pulling some sort of 
> implement and then dribble a little water into the carb.  Either that or 
> some marvel mystery oil.  Then I'd run it hard doing something for a couple 
> of hours.   When I say hard I mean wide open throttle with enough load to be 
> against the governer.
> 
> I'm betting it will clear up, settle down and run right.
> 
> Charlie
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Mike Sloane" <mikesloane at verizon.net>
> To: "Antique tractor email discussion group" <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
> Sent: Tuesday, April 27, 2010 8:05 AM
> Subject: Re: [AT] Ford N
> 
> 
>> Doing the valves on an 8N is not a bad job (compared to doing the same
>> thing with a 9N/2N with those split guides). If you take the engine out
>> and bring it to the shop, it will be a lot cheaper than bringing them
>> the whole tractor. It would depend on what has to be done - "bad valves"
>> covers a wide range of sins from burned heads to damaged seats to just a
>> little carbon stuck under the lip. Plus, you might find a wide range of
>> prices that are related to the experience of different shops.
>>
>> If it were me, I would pull the head and side covers and take a closer
>> look before going any farther. Have you done a dry vs. wet compression
>> check? - your valves could be OK and have really bad rings. Here is what
>> I discovered when I popped a piston out of my 2N when it had similar
>> compression readings:
>> <http://public.fotki.com/mikesloane/1946_ford_2n/2n_no2_piston_sm1.html>.
>>
>> As it happened, the valves weren't all that great either, so I took the
>> engine down to the local machine shop and had the valves done (two bad
>> seats). Fortunately, that engine is not as heavy as it looks (if you
>> take the crankshaft out first!). I put it in the trunk of my little
>> Subaru easily; taking it out was a little more work...
>>
>> Mike
>>
>> Richard Fink Sr wrote:
>>> Hi people what would be a fair prise to do a valve job on a 8 n
>>> flathead. Has at least two bad valves   comp. 1-55 2-25 3-75 4-75
>>>
>>> R Fink