Questions on Unstyled B

treeman53

Member
What do you use for fuel? Unleaded ethanol with lead substitute? Ethanol Free with lead substitute? Also, how does the radiator relive pressure? I don't see a vent on my cap.
 
Two cylinders run fine on today's regular gas. E10 is fine. Keep it fresh. Somebody in green magazine a few years ago had done quite a lot of two cylinder operation with E85. That had made some small carb adjustments, and posted some fuel economy findings.

Don't waste ANY time or money on lead or lead substitutes. Somewhere in the past 70 years, your B probably got hardened valve seats. Even if it didn't, those engines run at a lot slower speeds than say a V8.
 
Run what ever the cheapest gas you can find and NO lead snake oil stuff needed. These old Bs where made to run on the cheapest poorly refined fuel that there was at the time. If your worried about it then start it on gas and then switch it over to a 50/50 mix of diesel and gas. I found for the best pulling my 1935 JD-B pull better with that mix
 
Its likely the tractor is used for light duty work NOT 24 hrs per day at full load extreme high temperatures and high RPM or high compression. THEREFORE I use regular out of the pump 87 octane unleaded fuel in my pictured Unstyled B and don't use any snake oil or lead additives or other octane boosters etc. etc. etc. HOWEVER if stored long periods I might add Sta Bil gas stabilizer and I might add a bit of low ash two cycle motor oil (like Mercury Quicksilver) to the gas for long term storage periods.

NOTE I'm talkin low compression low RPM not hard or long used old tractor engines here NOT high performance high compression high RPM racing !!!!!!!!!!!!

NOTE sure some so called lead additives and other chemical additives might possibly reduce valve recession to some degree in non hardened valve seat engines butttttttttt for low use light duty low RPM low compression old tractor engines I choose to NOT use many additives.

Subject to a persons use which can vary widely as far as RPM and time and load is concerned, some sort of additives (be it to reduce valve recession or other functions) may or may not be ECONOMICALY feasible, but hey its their money and their tractor and their choice so I'm NOT gonna tell them to use it or not, its NOT MY CHOICE

Asking what if any snake oil or additives or what brand of oil or spark plugs to use opens a can of worms AND A TON OF OPINIONS (some maybe technically accurate some maybe not) lol and different gents may well have different experiences, do what you like its your choice.

John T Engineer but NOT a chemist or metallurgist or materials or engine expert so no warranty
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Thanks guys! I just got her the other day, and it doesn't run too good at the moment. Lots of backfiring. Ordered new plug wires and plugs. The old plugs were really sooty, looks like it was running very rich. Wondered about the radiator, since the cap has no vent and SHOULD have a sealing gasket and baffle, which were nonexistent on this one. Plug boots were also melted on the plugs. I have to pull the carb off, so I can find numbers for a rebuild kit. Found kits online, but they only say, "for unstyled A, B, ect." Did they all use the same carb?
 
Thanks, that was several years ago right after restoration, its still nice but not quite as shiny nowadays lol. Were downsizing and selling the farm and I'm gonna sell the old girl but still go to tractor shows and look at other peoples tractors now.

John T
 

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