JD 60 I need help Timing maybe??

Jallyh

New User
I have a 60 from an estate, hasn't ran for a few years, supposedly drove in the lean to and shut it off. I drained the old gas from tank, sediment bowl and carb. Added new plugs, wires, dist cap, points, and condenser. Turns over and will occasionally do an explosion of a backfire. I've come to think the timing is off. Do these jump timing on their own? Distributer doesn't appear to ever have been tampered with from the coating of caked on very old grease.



But I did note that the distributor is pointing up with the coil wire pointing at about 2 o'clock or so. Which according to others I have seen seems odd.



Pulled the valve cover, both valves on the flywheel side are shut (pushrods will spin) and the TDC is visible through the hole in the flywheel shround and here is where the rotor is pointing.



I think it should be pointing up to fire on the top spark plug wire and would just change it except for my thinking the distributer has never been moved and it was at one time running this way. Am I missing something or looking at something wrong? I would greatly appreciate any ideas or help. If this was a small block Chevy it would be easy :)
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I understand what your say'en, it hasn't moved.
Are you really sure you didn't mix up the wires from the plugs?

I know none of my 60's would ever start with the distributor at that angle.
ALL of mine/ours the poles are horizontal. If it runs at that type of angle
I think something is off a couple teeth on the govener shaft to cam.
 
Where is that bottom spark plug wire going. I beleave that wire should go to the flywheel side and if not it will fire up in the exhaust
 
According to information I have found the top wire on the dist cap should go to the flywheel side. And yes the rotor is pointing to actually below where it would go to the clutch side plug. Somehow it must have jumped timing?
 
Ok I went out and pulled the dist. Heres the tricky part, the lug that drives the dist (its a hydraulic pump for the Behlen) has nearly a 1/4 turn worth of slop. Surely there must be something wrong back there? It couldn't run with slop in it like that could it?
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From the top picture counterclockwise to the bottom picture.

Going back out to pull the hyd pump. Its not looking good to me...
 
I beleave that its 180 off If you switch the wires it will run. That is why the cap is pointting that way is to take up the play in the pump has.The best way to time these old tractors is to turn it over slowly with the plugs out and when one side starts to push air out because of compression when it quits the rotor needs to b pointting to that lug on the cap.Then when its running you will have to turn the housing to make it run smooth.I have never had a john deere like the 60 jump time. Think about it if it ran it the shed it should run now. Take the pump off is work you dont need to do.
 
Apparently (according to your source) it ran. So .....................? I still say the plug warrz are bakkudds.
 
Thanks. I have owned/operated a '60 since 1971. Farmed it for a year before I found out 1 exhaust valve had a pie shaped (3/16" at the outside)'burn out'. Resides in a heated shop now.
 
Get back to the basics to check timing. When all was new and original when the left piston is at TDC, the open female drive slot in the governor shaft end should be flat horizontal fore and aft, the points should just be breaking open, the rotor tip should be lined up with a cap tower that has a plug wire to the left cylinder (that was top tower originally)

That being said, if the governor to cam timing is off (it can happen), she can still work if the distributor is rotated enough and you see some tractors where the distributor is far from the original horizontal. Originally top tower was to left piston.

To get it timed in cases where governor to cam is off you still bring left piston to TDC,,,,,,,,rotate distributor to where points are just starting to break open,,,,,,,rotor tip must then be pointed to and lined up with a cap tower which has a wire to the left cylinder. That's not perfect but it gets you going so a timing light can be used etc

NOOOOOOOOO 1/4 turn is too much slop

John T
 
Pulled off the hydraulic pump. The lug was loose on the shaft on the input side. Lug coming out of the governor was tight. Pulled the pump off to the side and bolted the dist up to the governor, set the dist by turning the ignition switch on and turning the dist backward until a wire from the top plug sparked (found that little trick on the internet), snugged down the dist popped the plug wire back in and two spins over and it was running.

Looks like the input lug on the hydraulic pump just has a roll pin all the way through it but for some reason I'm not able to beat it out of there, the roll pin went down in 3/16 of an inch or so and wedged tight. The other side of it never moved. Seems tight on the shaft now. Have half a notion to bolt it back on.

Tractor has other issues I need to look into, looks like the water pump is locked up....
 
Figured I'd better change the oil before I went too much farther. Supposedly it has sat since 1999. Dang these things hold alot of oil. Overflowed my drain pan and made a heckuva mess.
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You are going to want to put that pump back on,it gives you live hyd power to run plows or snow blades. It works good on my a and will lift alot weight.
 
Thats right, as I noted at the left pistons TDC the rotor tip must be lined up with a pickup that has a plug wire leading to the left cylinder, if it instead leads to the right cylinder (but all else is right) a wire swap can cure the problem.

John T
 
On the stuck valves just grab the end of the valve stem with a pair of vice grips or water pump pliers (channel lock) and twist the valve stem and it may pop free. I have done this on several tractors with stuck valves. good luck.
 

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