[AT] Ford 4000 Quitting Afer Running a While

Sun Jul 14 12:32:10 PDT 2013

I often considered taking the engine out of the car, Charlie!
	Dave

On Jul 14, 2013, at 1:01 PM, Charlie V 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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