8N Overheating

stoygop

New User
I recently purchased a 1949 Ford 8N. The previous
owner repaired the hydraulics and converted to
electrical system to 12V with the alternator,
replaced spark plug wires, etc. Before I get to
the overheating, I had problems with it not
starting which I traced back to the coil not
making contact with the distributor. It had a worn
gasket which I replaced with one from this site,
but even with the the new gasket it does not make
good contact. If I want the engine to run, I have
to remove the gasket which I think is a little
dubious. Any suggestions?

On to the main problem. I"ve been trying to mow
some high grass with a 5" Deere bush hog and the
thing keeps overheating. First the block
temperature was getting to about 220 when coolant
would come out of the cap. It seemed the cap was
faulty and I replaced it. The old cap was faulty
as now it gets to a higher temp when it spews
coolant. I have recently installed a thermostat in
the top radiator tube (pointy side toward
radiator). I also have a rhythmic knocking
(sometimes squealing) sound coming from the
crankshaft pulley which wobbles a bit. It seems to
be the original pulley and the edge is warped
toward the engine block. I have read I can pry it
out (which I did after I disassembled everything),
but since I am going to replace the radiator (had
to cut the bolts off) and water pump, I thought
I"d just replace the pulley while I had everything
disassembled. Finally, the belt with the
alternator set up deflects about 1", maybe more.
Definitely more than I think is reasonable, but I
can"t move the alternator farther away to tension.
Is this typical of 12V set ups? Could this be why
the thing is overheating? I have a replacement
belt from this site designed for the alternator
and it seems to be the exact same belt currently
on. The old belt doesn"t seem worn much at all.
The fan and pump definitely spin, but I can"t tell
if it is slipping to some extent. Is there
something else I should be doing? I"m not positive
the water pump is bad - is there a way to
determine this with it off the tractor?

Thanks for any help you can give me. I don't necessarily want to replace everything, but on the other hand I don't want to mow for 5 minutes and then have to keep ripping it apart every weekend to save $30-40.
 
try stretching the coil spring on coil..radiator should have fluid just covering the core..belt might be slipping while working this might be squeeling sound and leading to heating ..phil
 
I"ll try stretching the coil. Seems reasonable. Radiator wasn"t over filled. The engine seemed to be overheating (engine block temp from infrared thermometer was 250 front 255 rear). How do I stop the belt from slipping if I can"t tension it any further?

Thanks,
Matthew
 
24. Doesn't seem to be overfilled. Loose fan belt might be the cause, but I don't know how to tension it further. The fan I have sucks in air, and doesn't blow it out from the engine side. Should I get a different fan? I don't see any way to install the one I have such that it would reverse air flow.

25. Thermostat seems to be installed correctly to my knowledge. Pointy side toward the radiator. I tested it on the stove before I installed it. It opened between 180 and 190.

35. It is there.

Thanks,
Matthew
 
Do you know a good place that I can buy belts of odd sizes? I have the 44 1/8" belt so I was thinking of getting four or five different belts in quarter inch increments to see what will fit best.

Thanks,
Matthew
 
Loosen the tension adjustment & push the alternator all the way in. Then pull it out about 1". Get the wife's fabric measuring tape & measure it. Or use a piece of string. Take the old belt to NAPA, Advance, etc & tell them you want one of that diameter in X inches.
75 Tips
 
(quoted from post at 04:49:08 06/17/13) Loosen the tension adjustment & push the alternator all the way in. Then pull it out about 1". Get the wife's fabric measuring tape & measure it. Or use a piece of string. Take the old belt to NAPA, Advance, etc & tell them you want one of that diameter in X inches.

Little tip on B belts...

B= Add 3" to belt number (Example B88 = 91" Outside Circumference)

A front mt with a alt takes a B42 (45" outside circumference)

So if his is 45" belt he needs a B41 (44" OC) Its a mess but the way they do it...

http://www.vbelts4less.com/How-To-Measure-Belts_ep_46.html

To the original poster coolant absorbs the heat air takes it away...
 
Thanks for the info. I was using a 5L-440 which is the belt sold here for front mount/alternator. I think I will try both the 42 inch and 43 inch belt. I measured but it could go either way. I'll see which is a better fit and return the other.


I found this handy conversion chart between 5L and B belts. It is exactly as you say - B#+3= outside inches
http://crossbelts.com/kevlar/5lvbeltsizes.html (these are obviously for kevlar belts)

I have read that B and 5L are the same dimensions except that B belts are 7/16" thick and 5L are only 3/8" thick.

So three questions:
1. Should I use 5L or B?
2. Should I go with Kevlar or does it offer no benefit?
2. Cogged or smooth?
 
I don'y know the answer to your question so its my opinion

1) I would use the B
2) Kevlar has to do with the cord used to construct the belt its hard to beat over anything else I have ran into...
3) your call I don't remember see'n Kevlar used in a Cogged belt

4) Belt quality chucks ( we are blessed to have some real poor belts from so called name brand suppliers Gates, Dayco ETC) I would try a Kevlar belt I can tell ya they don't STRETCH I use one on a N I have with a Zane live thang it has served me well... I prefer Kevlar on my mower belts...
 
Unless you have sharp bends you probably don't need the cogged belt.
Kevlar belts are expensive. I know, because that's what I use.
On the bright side, you rarely wear one out and as Hobo said,
they don't stretch.
If you don't want to spring for Kevlar, at least buy a quality belt.
The cheap ones just cause you more work and usually some down time.
I also measure mine with a piece of small rope as Bruce suggested.
It's not perfect, but it's pretty darn close.
 

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