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1939 Farmall A hanging up while cranking

M

mbrady.glide

Member
I am trying to resurrect in 1939 Farmall A, but when I hand crank it over the engine hangs up. I can get it freed up by pulling it in fourth gear backwards. It has cranked several revolutions past where it hangs up a few times but continues to catch. Any ideas as to what might be catching in the motor? Could it be the timing gears? Its strictly a hand cranking job as it has no starter or any other electrical components beside the magneto.

This was one of those "Oh it ought to fire right up with some fresh gas" kind of deals from the guy selling it. It allegedly ran when parked. But whatever trouble it is is worth it: it was the first tractor my greatgrandparents bought.
 
It could be a lot of things, but my first thought is that there may be something on top of a piston preventing it from getting to the top?
Did you have the head off of it? Can you take the spark plugs out and shine a light in and look in the cylinders, maybe you can see something?

Is everything in the valve train free and lubricated?
Have you tried blocking the clutch down and try it without the transmission input shaft turning?

Just a few things off the top of my head.
 
Valve cover is off. Have pulled all the spark plugs. There is some rust and scale that I have been vacuuming out of the cylinders. It had the exhaust valve on cylinder four stuck open and the pushrod was loose of the rocker arm. Possibly a stuck lifter? Or bad cam gear?
 
Sounds like one of the many I buy. Ran when parked but been parked for years. On those fil the cylinders with ATF and put the plugs back in then pour as much ATF down the exhaust pipe and let it sit a week. The pull the plugs out and spin it over to clear the cylinders. I bet once you do that it will spin over nicely and maybe the valves will work better also. BTDT many many many times and the ATF will clean up the rust and free up sticking rings and sticking valves
 
had a cub, that started becoming hard to turn and then quit turning, at a point. i had added coolant and # 2 cylinder was leaking and cylinder walls were rusting.
 
Done a good many and some where locked up and out of over 30 only 1 or 2 did not free up and go back to work with out a lot of other work
 
Probably catching on the rust on the sides of the sleeves. IF you can get it run, its most likely going to smoke, since there are, more than likely, pits in the sleeve walls.
 
Had the same thing happen over 40yrs ago. Take the gearbox top off to see if the pin wich holds the reverse gear in place has worked loose and is jamming the gears. MJ
 
The engine turned over freely when I started working on it. Oil was dirty, but no water showing in it. I hand cranked it over several dozen times before it hung up. At either place it hangs up one cylinder is at approximately TDC.
 
If it has sat for a long time as in maybe years with out being turned over as your messing with it now things tend to free up so you may have rings that where sticking but now free and catching on any rust in the cylinders and causing the problem you have. That is why i say fill the cylinder with ATF and pour it down the exhaust so the rust gets dissolved
 
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