Sat too long...how to start?

dahermit

Member
1948 8N, Front mount.
Started great all winter with trouble light sitting against the carb to keep it warm. However been sick, have not started it
since at least the end of March (got cancer, doing chemo)...it is now August 3rd. Now it will not start, just cranks over. I
am going to swap plugs in the event I flooded it. I assume it still is not going to start. So, I need some suggestions. I
have some starting fluid, but I am not sure how to use it...will it work if I spray it into the air intake (that is, will the
fluid make it past the oil bath in the air filter?). Any other advice (other than pull/push it...that is not possible inasmuch
as it is sitting in the barn with a mower attached). Gas gone bad?
 
Check battery first -no doubt it lost it's charge unless you had it on a float charger. Is it 6V/POS GRN or a 12V switchover job? Either way verify wiring is all correct. Don't know how? Search "WIRING PICTOGRAMS BY JMOR" on-line. Gas may be bad but will still start so leave it alone for now. I just got a tractor running that has been setting for a year, gas looked like a urine specimen. The root cause was it wasn't getting spark so the next step is to check for spark. NO SPARK equals no start -simple as that. Problem could be bad points, a bad coil, a bad ignition switch, a bad ballast resistor, bad wiring, or any combination of the above. Having the essential manuals is required reading for all N-Owners. The I&T F-04 Manual, the original 8N Operator's Manual, and the 39-53 MPC are very important tools. Also, get a copy of "75 Tips for N-Owners" by Bruce(VA). Go slow and report back.

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Tim Daley(MI)
 
First thing you need to do is check for spark. My N tractors lose spark after sitting because the points get corroded. Leave the carb alone until you check for spark.
 
What Harold said...??..

Points are likely glazed.

Pull the distributor. With the points closed, you will see no continuity because they are glazed.

Just dress them with brown paper or card stock. If you file or sand them, you will remove the thin metallic coating on the contact surfaces. Then they will glaze in a week.

Put your battery on a charger & check it (see tip # 49) . The number 1 cause of a weak spark is a weak battery.


Re gas.....if you have ethanol in the gas and did not use fuel stabilizer, yes, it's bad.


Remove the breather hose and spray the starting fluid in the carb throat.
75 Tips
 
I agree with HCook.
Always, always check your spark first. Pull a plug wire and ground it to the block. Verify that you have a bright, bluish white spark that will jump at least 5/16".
Short or yellowish spark will not do.
It requires No tools to do this.
My guess is that you need to clean your points
And check the gap.
That will usually do it for you.
If this is a recurring problem you might consider installing electronic ignition.
I have a 3 cylinder Ford 4000 gasser.
I don't use it often. It seems every time I want to use it I have to wipe a piece of brown grocery bag between the points to clean off the "invisible corrosion". Then it starts and runs good till the next time.
Points on a 3 cylinder tractor are a PIA to get to. Almost as bad as a front mount N.
Having had very good results with electronic ignition on another tractor in the past I decided to install EI this tractor.
I recently bought the kit from this site and will install it the next time I go up to my property.
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"Check battery first -no doubt it lost it's charge unless you had it on a float charger. Is it 6V/POS GRN or a 12V switchover job? Either way verify wiring is all correct."
I said in my original post: "...turns over, will not start", so there is no problem with the battery. The wring did not change since it was running this last Winter...unless the wiring gremlin has sneaked into my barn and cross-wired things.
 
Note: I keep the battery on a float charger.

Addendum: I pulled one of the plugs today, and was surprised to find that it was not "wet" as I expected. I then used a stick to check the fuel level. It was only about two inches on the stick. It crossed my mind that, if the plug was not wet after cranking and using the choke, I may not have opened the fuel petcock far enough to get to the reserve and the tank may just be too empty to allow fuel into the carb. I hope that is it, because that would be the easiest thing to fix. I will follow that up later. The problem is that Monday I will be going back in the hospital for five days of continuous I.V.'s, so I don't know if I can get around to messing with the tractor until I am released about on the tenth or so.
 
" "...turns over, will not start", so there is no problem with the battery. "

Really?

You can easily have enough battery to turn the starter over but not enough to get a strong spark.

Does your spark jump 1/4" in open air?

" I pulled one of the plugs today, and was surprised to find that it was not "wet" as I expected."

Plugs are NOT supposed to be wet. If they are wet, you flooded it, the plugs are fouled and it will never start until they dry.

I might not be able to tell you why your tractor isn?t running but I sure can tell you how to figure it out yourself.

You need to answer 2 questions before you do anything else:

With the bolt in the carb bowl removed and the gas on, will the fuel flow fill a pint jar in less than 2 minutes?

Next, get out your adjustable gap spark checker * , open the gap to 1/4", hook it up, turn the key on and crank the engine. Does the spark jump 1/4"? Post back with the answers.

And do not buy a new part for the tractor until you can answer this question: how do I know the part on the tractor is defective?



* Don't own an adjustable gap spark checker? Buy one! Not a test light! Until then, take an old plug, open the gap 1/4" ground it to the head & look for spark. It?s not the color of the spark that counts; it?s the distance it jumps.






https://www.amazon.com/AMPRO-T71240-Energy-Ignition-Tester/dp/B00A8FO87S/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1513273147&sr=8-4-fkmr1&keywords=ampro+spark+checker
75 Tips
 
Non-starting solved. It was Ockham's razor. Symptoms: Low gas on test stick. No gas on spark plug (from past experience, it should have been flooded for the length of time I cranked it over).

I opened the petcock all the way (allowing the reserve to flow this time), and it fired-up instantly...I was "out of gas."

Thanks for the elegant suggestions anyway guys, but Ockham wins this one.
 

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