8N shutting off unexpectedly

reddogge · Oct 29, 2014

My friends' hunting 8N tractor has been doing this for the last year. It starts very quickly, runs great but coming out of the woods at night it coughs, sputters and stops. Leave it sit a minute and fires right up and runs well until the next trip out. Definitely a gas starvation problem to me. Sometimes you can catch it with the choke and keep it running. Very unnerving coming out of a marsh in the pitch black dark.

We cleaned the elbow screen, checked the flow (good), and the bowl screen. I'm thinking it's the screen that goes into the gas tank.

What are your thoughts?

jobob · Oct 29, 2014

Probably is. Drain gas tank,remove shut off assembly and check screen. You may have to remove tank and clean.

maxwell99 · Oct 29, 2014

When it stops can you take the fuel line loose from carb or take carb bowel drain plug out, see if you have gas flow, if no gas then it's a problem in the tank.

If you have gas, then you may have a carb problem.

I installed a metal inline fuel filter, helped with dirt from tank.

Dune Country · Oct 29, 2014

gas tank vent? try loosening the gas cap

lha · Oct 29, 2014

To lessen the occurrence of rust inside the tank,I add some ATF to the gas and keep it full of gas during the winter. This keeps the formation of water down,and the ATF lines the tank. I use a clear filter so I can see that it's not plugged. lha

JKW1959 · Oct 31, 2014

It could be the screen in the tank or the vent hole clogged at the top of the tank (where you can't get to it without pulling the tank). Take the gas line loose at the carb and let the gas run unto a bucket. Based on your problem, it should stop running or slow to a drip after a few minutes. When it does, take the gas cap off. If it starts running again it;s the vent. If not, it's probably the screen. If you don't want to pull the tank, you can buy a vented cap. Don't get one with the "ears" on top because it will interfere with the hood door closing. Good luck.

R Geiger · Oct 31, 2014

The float needle could be sticking closed also. when it dies remove the drain plug in bottom of carb and see what you get. should be a good flow!

reddogge · Nov 1, 2014

Thanks for all the suggestions. Those that involve disconnecting lines and things when it stops are not practical since we are a couple of miles into a marsh in the pitch dark and cold anc we want to get it started right away and get the heck out of there. It's a deer hunting tractor you see.

I may try the simplest solution first by cracking the filler cap. Then work to more involved things like taking the bowl assembly out, etc.

jon · Nov 1, 2014

I may try the simplest solution first by cracking the filler cap. Then work to more involved things like taking the bowl assembly out, etc.

Check for fire first thing. I've had 2 different tractors act up lately & both had a bad key switch.
Sometimes it's the simple things.

showcrop · Nov 2, 2014

I agree with fuel starvation. I think that I would try to find an opportunity during daylight hours to make it run at least at very high idle for awhile. Another thing to try is siphoning gas out of the tank. you can clean a lot of crud out without having to remove the tank.

8N shutting off unexpectedly

reddogge

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jobob

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maxwell99

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Dune Country

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lha

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JKW1959

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R Geiger

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reddogge

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jon

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showcrop

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