[AT] Ford 4000 Quitting Afer Running a While

[Tom Armstrong]

Charlie V <1cdevill at gmail.com> wrote:

>The easiest way to work on that dist., Dave, was to take it off the
>engine.  I knew there was a reason why Ford went to the top distributor in
>1949 with the 8BA block, but I did not know you were that reason.   LOL
>
>Charlie V.
>
>
>On Sun, Jul 14, 2013 at 11:40 AM, Dave Rotigel <rotigel at me.com> wrote:
>
>> Al,
>>         It would take about the same time to replace the plugs, wires,
>> points, condenser, rotor and cap as it will for your AK to cool down after
>> several hours of shooting. I'd be willing to bet none of this has been done
>> for at least several years. The total cost should not be more than the 150
>> rounds you just put through the rifle!
>>         Dave
>> PS, Many of us don'r remember how fast points, plugs, etc. wear out on
>> these older units. I'm still shocked each spring when I "tune up" my 1953
>> MH Pacer! Points, cap and rotor are all burned! When I was a kid you needed
>> to tune up your car every 8-10,000 miles--damn the 1948 Ford V-8
>> distributor was FUN to work on!
>>
>>
>> On Jul 14, 2013, at 9:21 AM, Richard Fink Sr wrote:
>>
>> > Al i would bet on coil or resistor first. Then have the points and
>> condenser
>> > with me and tools to change next time i ran it.
>> > R Fink
>> > PA
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > ----- Original Message -----
>> > From: "Alan Nadeau" <ajnadeau1 at myfairpoint.net>
>> > To: "ATIS" <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
>> > Sent: Saturday, July 13, 2013 2:39 PM
>> > Subject: [AT] Ford 4000 Quitting Afer Running a While
>> >
>> >
>> >> The shooting club I belong to has a Ford 4000 which is having "issues".
>> >> I'm not sure where to start trying to narrow it down.  This is the newer
>> >> version with the 3 cyl. gas engine, not the early one which looks like a
>> >> beefed up N Series.  We use it, with a 6 foot bushhog, to keep the
>> >> weed/brush growth down on several acres of old pasture land around the
>> >> club grounds.  I get along with it as it is the right age, even if it is
>> >> an off brand(Ford was never real popular around here).  Nobody else
>> really
>> >> cares to operate it as it is a bit of a clubfoot and is not a shiny
>> >> compact tractor.
>> >>
>> >> I starts fine and runs good for the first 1-2 hours.  Then it starts to
>> >> stumble and over a few minutes gets worse until it dies completely.
>> >> Sometimes it will restart immediately and run (barely) for a few
>> seconds,
>> >> at other times it won't restart without sitting 30-45 minutes.  After
>> that
>> >> rest period it will again run normally but for a shorter time,
>> continuing
>> >> that sequence until It won't run at all until completely cooled down.
>> >>
>> >> When it starts stumbling I can usually notice the difference in engine
>> >> note.  If I catch it in time I find I can take the load off it, close
>> the
>> >> throttle to barely above idle and, by playing with the choke, manage to
>> >> limp it back to the barn.
>> >>
>> >> It doesn't backfire when it acts up, if it was going lean I would expect
>> >> it to belch and bellow.  If the ignition was cutting out completely,
>> then
>> >> kicking back in I would also expect a horrendous backfire from unburned
>> >> fuel filling the exhaust and then getting lit off.
>> >>
>> >> Since I am always alone when I'm working it I don't have anyone around
>> to
>> >> help in trying to troubleshoot the thing.  Unless I am constantly
>> playing
>> >> with the choke it dies, there is no pulling the choke partway and having
>> >> it continue to run.
>> >>
>> >> One thing that may be relevant or not is that this thing has the
>> >> absolutely harsh exhaust fumes I have ever been exposed to.  Terrible
>> eye
>> >> irritating stuff.  I added some to the stack so it is quite a bit higher
>> >> than my head and I'm still coming home with my eyes so irritated that I
>> >> often have to pull my eyelids part manually when awakening the morning
>> >> after a hogging session.
>> >>
>> >> Anyone have any ideas?  If you want more information ask any questions
>> and
>> >> I'll answer them as fully as I can.
>> >>
>> >> As for taking it to a shop, it is really hard now to find anyone who
>> knows
>> >> diddly about carburetors and spark ignition.  Because it only acts up
>> >> after being worked for a while I'm not sure how viable it would be to
>> get
>> >> it into a shop.  Now that I think about it I may well let it run at high
>> >> idle and see if it craps out without a load.  If it does that would make
>> >> getting it to a shop a bit more practical.
>> >>
>> >> Al Nadeau
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
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