John Deere A isn't running right

Miller79

New User
I recently bought my first tractor it's a 47 John Deere a with a wico xb distributor/mag on it. I've done everything that I can think of and I still cant get it to run right. I replaced spark plugs,checked compression, replaced the condenser and points, completely rebuilt the carb and put a new float on, and set the valve lash. The tractor will start and run but it seems like it's leaking air through the carb since I don't have the airfilter attached and fuel is spitting out of the carb also.
 

I completely stripped it down sandblasted the bowl and sandblasted as much of the main body as I could watching the drill holes to not shoot direct sand down in them. Then I ran a piece of welding wire through all the drill passages to make sure they were all clear than I blew shop air through the whole carb and than I put all the new pieces in. The kit I got was a premium carb kit from external link. Once I put the new float in I measured the gab from the top of the float to where the bowl gasket sets and bet it to 1/2" like the instructions said.
 
Worked for a Deere dealer when the A came out with the Wico XB distributor. We had lots of trouble with the brass
post for the ignition points wearing and that made the timing very erratic and would cause all kinds of crazy things
like a loss of power, erratic timing when checked with a timing light, spitting through the carb and sometimes
popping through the muffler. Have you checked that. It makes the points almost impossible to gap correctly.
 
When I took the cap off I saw that the brass points were tarnished so I cleaned them up with some emery paper. I'm in the process of finding a magneto for it because I'm not the biggest fan of the wico distributor and how it has to have a battery to start and run. So when I find a decent mag id like to get one. I just need to get it running good enough to get up on a trailer so I can haul it home in a few weeks.
 
Does it have the #71 carb like it should have? Best way to tell if right carb is if it has the spring loaded choke with the little Quarter sized round choke spring cover. Did you check for sideways play in the throttle shaft / bushings ? Just an FYI on the passages...the one in behind the brass screw in the stem usually cannot be "wired out" with anything less than the correct drill bit and even then takes some time. Not judging what you did or didn't do but just telling what I see when people finally send me their carbs after everything else fails. My e-mail is open when and if you need carb help. Does it run any better if you slowly close the choke about 1/3 way ?
 
(quoted from post at 20:45:16 05/13/17) I am guessing a intake valve is leaking. What was your compression readings ?
I tryed to blow air through all the passages in the carb to make sure they were all clear and it's a dltx 53. The compression reading on the right hand cylinder was 120 and I'll have to check the left side/flywheel side again because I can't remember off the top of my head.
 

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