504

I have a 504, had a complete overhaul 2 years ago Runs great but it throws off so much heat it will turn the muffler white, and it is very loud even with a brand new muffler. When riding on the tractor it almost gets unbearable with the heat from the muffler and engine.
I am sure if you put a chicken in the tool box mounted on the frame next to the engine it would be cooked in 30 minutes.
The gauge shows it to be running in the middle of Cold/Hot.
The shop that did the overhaul suggested it could be the wrong spark plugs or the timing,is that a possibility? I myself question the plugs but I am not a mechanic.
I have gone to 2 auto parts stores and they come up with 2 different plugs, does anyone know the correct plug?
What could cause the engine to throw off so much heat? Any and all suggestions appreciated.
have a good one guys..
Jay

It's NOT the sparkplugs!

Sparkplugs that are "too hot" will burn away prematurely, and/or cause a "hotspot" in the combustion chamber that will cause precognition of the fuel or "spark knock", but NOT "hot exhaust".


Late ignition timing will make the exhaust hotter, and to a lesser degree, a lean fuel mixture.

HOPEFULLY, the mechanic got the camshaft timed correctly!

Bob, I called the shop that did the overhaul, and asked them to retime the tractor, what I found out is that the distributor is not an IH it is, they thought a Ford. They said they couldn't get an IH distributor so installed one out of a something other than a 544.
Think that could be my problem? I have no idea what is interchangeable make to make..
Thanks Jay

As above, a retarded spark puts heat down the exhaust pipe instead of into the combustion chamber.

But this happens at the expense of power. If you had a distributor that wasn't advancing the engine wouldn't run smoothly.

As above, I think I would be concerned that the cam timing is off and even though the distributor is correctly timed to the crank, the combustion is happening when a valve is open or just opening. However verifying the cam timing is a much more invasive event. I would work on the distributor timing first.

While doing so, you can check the cam somewhat. Best, imo, is to remove the valve cover to view the rocker arm motion. Set crank to TDC, I just remove the #1 spark plug and shine an LED flashlight into the chamber. I have been able to view the piston crown on all of my A,M,Cub this way. There are two times the piston reaches the top of the stroke but only one of these is the appropriate one. Rolling the crank back and forth by hand on either side of the "correct TDC" the rocker arms will be quiet because this is at the division between compression and power. On the incorrect TDC, the exhaust valve will just have closed because the piston is rising to expel already-burned gases.

Once the correct TDC is found, install distributor with center pole pointing directly toward the #1 lug on the cap. Tighten base, reinstall wires in 1-3-4-2 arrangement and attempt to start the tractor.

Afterthought: would be good to verify mechanical advance is working on the distributor and the flyweights are moving smoothly relative to the shaft.

Its my personal opinion that another mfg distributor will probably work OK. None of my tractors run the IH distributor any more and work very well, but that's a story for another day. The advance curve for an overhead valve "torquey tractor motor" of similar displacement can't be that different from one manufacturer to another.

Is it a 504 or a 544? You have used both.

The engines between the two tractors are VERY different. A 504 uses a bored-out version of the Farmall A's engine with a horizontal distributor. A 544 uses a 4-cylinder version of the C301 6-cylinder engine with a vertical distributor.

The 504 engine can use a standard IH 4-cylinder distributor from any letter series tractor on up through the 140, 240, and 340, as long as it has the right advance. It will run with the wrong advance, but it won't run smoothly. There is also the possibility that it could have a Prestolite distributor, or a Delco distributor, both of which were aftermarket options for letter series tractors.

The 544 distributor is a completely different animal, unique to the 544 only, because it was the only tractor to use this engine.

One thing, the muffler is probably not much more than a glorified straight pipe, so it will be LOUD.

I would think if the cam timing was off, even by a tooth, it would run horribly.

Get a timing light on it and see what is going on.

Wi, DANG, somebody's blowing smoke up your posterior when they tell you it's a Ford distributor.

Where are you located, if you could find a crusty old "tractor
buddy" nearby, likely this could be solved for little or nothing.

This old stuff ain't "rocket surgery", but if you bring a high overhead modern shop into it (where no one understand the old stuff), the results ain't gonna be cheap or pretty.

Sounds like you've managed to find one of those.

I am sorry for the confusion typo, I do have a 504, but the issue is with my 544.
What would be the best timing for this? I will get my son over and ask him to check it.
Thanks for all the info