Farmall 656 - Regular Gas - Trouble starting in Temps bel...

Good afternoon,

My Farmall 656 regular gas has trouble starting in temps below 35 degrees. I keep a block heater on it, one of the magnet style ones. It has worked in the past but lately no luck. It's possible my battery is kicking the bucket
since it dies very quickly while trying to start it, but it does work in warmer temperatures. Assuming it's not that, anything else that may cause it not to start?
 
Is that something that only helps in extreme cold? Would it matter if I charged it indoors, then brought it out and immediately used it?
 
cold weather always brings out the problems in machines. a good battery is a must. i dont consider 35 degrees to be cold or think of plugging in a tractor. the ignition system like plugs and points must be kept up to snuff along with timing and carb. by your post appears as you have checked nothing. my 606 gas is one of the easiest starting tractors i have. pull choke and 2-3 revolutions and its running.have no idea on your engine wether its worn out with no compression or in good condition as it all makes a difference. minus 30 f here this morning, now thats cool.
 
i think you need to buy a new battery. get a load test done on the old battery as that will tell you wether its good or not. any place that sells battery's should be able to check it.
a warm battery definitly has more oomph than a cold one meaning like -10 or -20 for example but your talking 35 degrees so warming it up at that temperature would hardly make any difference . time for a new one.
 
According to diagrams I have of a 656, your tractor came from factory with a 6 volt or 12 volt--external resistor required coil. The wire from ignition switch to input of coil had either a resistor or resistance wire--should measure about 1 1/2 ohms through wire and about 1 1/2 ohms across + and - posts of coil. The resistor/resistance wire drops current and voltage so 6 volt coil will not overheat when fed by 12 volt battery.

There is another wire from an R or I terminal on start solenoid to + post on the coil. When the starter solenoid activates starter, it sends full 12 volts to + on the coil to allow for hotter spark when the starter is cranking the engine.

Check to see if you still have the original setup, or if someone has changed to a direct 12 volt--no resistor required coil. This will nullify spark boost when cranking. Also check that the wire from starter solenoid to coil is intact and making good connection.

If tractor is negative ground, the -- post on coil should go to side of distributor
 
The obvious, immediate problem is that the battery isn't cranking the engine over. Before you start messing with the coil or anything else, resolve that problem. Time to pry open the wallet and buy a new battery.
 
(quoted from post at 15:45:57 12/26/17) Good afternoon,

My Farmall 656 regular gas has trouble starting in temps below 35 degrees. I keep a block heater on it, one of the magnet style ones. It has worked in the past but lately no luck. It's possible my battery is kicking the bucket
since it dies very quickly while trying to start it, but it does work in warmer temperatures. Assuming it's not that, anything else that may cause it not to start?
Cold weather is definitely harder on a battery 1. Cold temperatures slows the chemical action to produces less electricity, 2. A cold engine and other components are a lot harder to turn over. and maybe it takes more power to generate a spark? Warming a battery certainly increase it's power output. Do you know it your battery is fully charged? Check that before you do anything else.
 
Sounds like a current starvation issue.

If below 35 degrees, it is tough to start try this experiment:

Turn the ignition on, and set everything in the "run" position. Jump start the tractor from another vehicle, positive to the starter lug, and negative to the frame (starter will immediately start turning.

Doing this test, you will be using the heavy current from the other vehicle to turn the motor, but use the tractors system to fire the ignition. If the tractor fires right up started this way, your current electrical system is starving the ignition and not getting a hot spark.

Discovered this test on my Jubilee when it was on 6 volt. Twas always difficult to start, but when started as described above, fired right up. Conversion to 12 volt made that tractor start instantly, even at -10F !

Good luck....
 

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