63 Ford 4000

grayrider

Well-known Member
Have got my old 4000 running now but is not firing on 3 and 4 plugs, have put new plugs, cap, wires, points, condenser and rotor on and no fire coming from the plug wires to 3 and 4, reckon the coil is weak? Got new electronic ignition ordered that should be here tomorrow and plan on replacing the old coil at that time. Don't have a good hot spark on the points....
 
Wires are in correct order, have not done a compression check, don't have a gauge to check compression.
 
So you think the coil I good enough for cyl 1/2 but bad for 3/4?

Keep looking.

Points clean and gapped. Power wire to coo and switch good, including battery and grounds?
 
Points are brand new and gapped correctly, have already cleaned grounds. What switch are you talking about, the ignition switch?
 
Come on Chris.
Re-read your response.

Points; battery ground and or power wire work on 1 and 2 but not on 3 and 4?

If it is firing on 1 and 2 and not on 3 and 4; and he checked it at the plug wire that rules out pretty much anything in the primary circuit and compression.
For it to fire on 2 cylinders and not the other 2 cylinders when checking fire at the plug wires it has to be............
Point lobes on distributor shaft;
wobble in distributor shaft;
Rotor cap contact;
or bad wires on 3 and 4.

If he is checking the spark by holding the wire to the spark plug instead of a good ground we could add broken spark plugs.
 
I can rule out plug wires and rotor contact, I will recheck the points tomorrow with contact on the lobe of shaft, if that turns out to be my problem then I won't have any worries as new electronic ignition will be in the mail around noon tomorrow, thanks....
 
Maybe I am wrong but lets discuss it.

He said "no fire coming from the plug wires to 3 and 4"

I could understand your question if he only said 3 and 4 were missing.
Also if he is checking for spark by removing and then touching the wire to the spark plug; back and forth listening for a change in engine RPM.
Could be a head gasket causing no power from 3 and 4.

But if I am checking for spark at the plug wire and/or coil wire I am having a hard time understanding how compression is gona effect if the wire fires. That's like saying the clutch slips so now the tractor will not fire on 3 or 4.

So my thinking is as long as the electrical system is in tack; and I am checking spark by holding the plug wire to a good ground; you could take the carburetor off and all the pistons out and there will still be spark at the wire.
 
correct, which is why I wasn't saying anything about compression.

as for the lobes being suddenly shaved off.. that is highly unlikely.. it presumably was working, then not working.. that means lobes for 3/4 subbenly had to shave off.

How many distribuitors have we see here on this board with lobes so worn down they wont work?

darn few.

how many have we seen where one lobe suddenly wears down after you turn the key off, and before you try it again.

I'm going out on a limb here and saying.. none..

If anything.. I'd be looking at a dizzy cap failure, including carbon tracking.
 
I'm at work now until 4:00 pm CST, i will post back later this evening when i get home and can do some more investigating, i am not a mechanic by no means but can usually repair most anything with good info to fall back on, all i know about the tractor is that it belonged to my deceased neighbor and i have stored it in my barn for 9 months until estate was settled and then bought it in non running condition, another neighbor drove it to my place when it was stored away 9 months ago
 
Maybe I read it wrong.
I read can not be coil so keep looking.
Could be points not clean; battery ground; power wire to coil.
Sorry I miss understood you.

Also he said.......
Have got my old 4000 running now but is not firing on 3 and 4 plugs

This tells me it could be anything since he did not just shut it off and try to restart it.
For all we know it was parked because 3 and 4 would not fire.
But yes worn lobes; while possible; is a stretch because it seldom happens.
Worn shaft bushing show the same signs and is more likely.

I'm thinking; but did not want to say it;
He has bought a new cap and rotor so he is ruling those out;
And his new China cap and rotor are the problem.
 
I agree. I am leaning toward cap alone almost.

if he's testing spark at the wire , then it should not be the coil.

if he's testing it by looking at a plug firing.. then it COULD be electrical being marginal. ( which is why I mentioned power at the coil, grounds, etc... IE.. 2 cyls with low compression might fire, while 2 with more compression might not ). I know he said wire.. but he might have tested at the plug, in the cyl.. etc. hard to say.

With no background on if this was a junkyard engine, or one that had been running.. hard to say.

if it was bushings, it should hav ethe same play on every lobe, since the shaft spins, and the worn area doesn't. play on one lonbe will be seen on each.. so I'm not looking at it being solely a bushing wear.

I'm not real keen on it being shaft wear, as we have seen so little evidence of uneven shaft wear.

I do have a red tiger with some thousandths missing on lobes.. but it's missing on all lobes... not 2 high, 2 low.. that would strike me as very very odd to see.
 
Original post reads "is not firing on 3 and 4 plugs."

I read this as cylinders 3 and 4 are not firing, i.e., missing.

If the spark is good to other cylinders as implied (new parts, etc.) sounds like compression, e.g., head gasket between 3 and 4. I would certainly do a compression test at this point.

Dean
 
(quoted from post at 23:10:38 08/26/15) Original post reads "is not firing on 3 and 4 plugs."

I read this as cylinders 3 and 4 are not firing, i.e., missing.

If the spark is good to other cylinders as implied (new parts, etc.) sounds like compression, e.g., head gasket between 3 and 4. I would certainly do a compression test at this point.

Dean

Dean - The original post goes on to say "no fire coming from the plug wires to 3 and 4," which to me means that he actually checked for spark, although he hasn't said exactly how he checked for spark. If there is no spark, then compression shouldn't be a suspect... yet.


grayrider - How exactly are you checking for spark? Or did I misunderstand, and if you did not check for actual spark, how did you determine that there is "no fire coming from the plug wires to 3 and 4,"?
 

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