[AT] When Lost How do You Find It

drupert at seanet.com drupert at seanet.com
Tue Mar 30 00:40:29 PDT 2010


Up until now the only method I have used to find TDC has been the thumb
over the plug hole routine but - for me anyway - this has always required
a second guy (i.e., one to crank the engine/rotate the engaged PTO with a
big wrench/push on the rear wheels with the tractor in gear/etc).  As this
would only get me close to TDC and I would usually have to rotate the
Distributor back and forth while trying to start the engine to actually
get it started.  Today I combined/mixed several of the suggestions and
presto I came right up out of the Black Hole.

First, I used air in Plug Holes 2 & 3 to drive those pistons down and thus
1 and 4 up.  Next, I inserted a wire (as several have suggested) in Plug
Hole 1 and sure enough felt the top of the piston.  The Fan Belt was tight
enough that with the plugs out I could turn the fan (and thus the Crank
Pulley) with one hand and, with the other hand holding the wire, feel the
piston going down - OK, wrong way.  So, reversed direction and felt the
piston going up and stopped after about a quarter inch of travel when no
more movement occurred.  Marked pulley and Timing Cover.  Now, the 50/50
guess - I guessed that cylinder 4 was the one set to fire meaning that the
valves in cylinder 1 would be open so hitting plug hole 1 with 80# of air
would not move the piston as the air would go right out the valves.  I did
and was right (amazingly).  I adjusted the Rotor, set the Distributor,
snapped the Cap on, hit the Starter and was listening to a smooth running
Continental just as the owner exited the back door of his house after
having left me not more than 15 minutes before to go in and change clothes
and get a bite to eat.  "What did you do to that tractor" he yelled.  "I
thought you said you were going to need me to help you get it started." 
"I would tell you, Mike" I said "but if I did I would have to kill you."

Rarely - but maybe not really never - you get to leave work with a smile
on your' face.  Isn't life great -

Again, thanks, guys, for all the suggestions -

Dudley




> Guys (Charlie, John & Doug) -
>
> Thanks for the suggestions - some good ideas.  They all seem to make sense
> to me ... particulary if it was someone else out on the tractor
> implementing them!! Will let you know how it turns out.
>
>
> Dudley
>




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