TVZ

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Is it my imagination, or can it really be that if
I start my 9N every day, it starts fine; but if I
wait a few days, starting can be tricky? If so,
what specifically causes this? I'm in northern
Michigan and keep it in an unheated outbuilding,
so I imagine she is throroughly cold within a few
hours.
 
No matter what else you do, the battery must be fully charged. A float charger is helpful. If you need to jump it, see tip # 43. Your battery loses 33 percent of its power when the temperature dips below freezing, and over 50 percent of its power when the temperature falls below zero. A fully charged battery will not freeze until -76°F; however, a fully discharged battery can start to freeze at 32°F. So……keep the battery fully charged!

Clean grounds & battery terminals are always important. Don’t forget to loosen the starter from the block (see tip # 36) and polish the block & all starter mating surfaces w/ sandpaper to insure a good electrical ground.

If you can’t remember the last time you replaced the battery cables, it’s time to do it. Just because the terminals are clean doesn’t mean there is no corrosion under the insulation. And, this is another case where size matters (see tip # 41)

A charged battery, clean grounds & new cables aren’t going to mean much if the tractor needs a tune-up. At a minimum, every fall, remove the cap, check the points for pitting or burning, re-gap them & put a dab of lube on the cam. (BTW…..if you’ve wondered why some folks get years of use out of a set of points…….this is one of the reasons).

Things that aren’t all that important in warm weather become serious when it gets cold…like timing. A few degrees of timing either way at 60 or 70* isn’t likely to result in a “no-start” situation. Well, it can at 10 or 20*. Check the timing!

Distributor gaskets are important on a sidemount & critical on a frontmount. As is the gasket under the coil. Just like with the battery cables….if you can’t remember when you replaced the gaskets, do it this year.

Push the clutch in when you start the engine (tip # 29)

Pull the air cleaner cup & check for ice.

This tip won’t make it start easier, but it will make it run better: turn the main jet out ½ to 1 full turn for cold weather operating. Cold air is denser so you need a richer mixture.

Try this starting sequence: At least ½ open throttle, key on & gas on 2 full turns (no more, no less); keep your hands off the choke until the engine is turning over! If you think an N floods easy in the summer, just wait until it’s 20*. This is a gravity fuel system on a low compression engine; it is easily flooded by too much choke.

If you flood it, the plugs are fouled & it will be it next to impossible to start. Replace the plugs. You don't need to toss them; heat the tips for a few seconds w/ a propane torch to burn off the invisible spark-robbing deposits from today's additive filled gasoline........or wash them in lacquer thinner.

Folks who live in places a lot colder than I do here in VA will argue about battery blankets or magnetic oil pan heaters as compared to lower radiator hose heaters or dipstick heaters. I can’t offer a personal observation; the only thing I’ve ever used to heat an engine was a 100w light bulb laid against the intake manifold. Freeze plug heaters are difficult to find for N’s because of the limited space in the water jacket. Magnetic oil pan heaters on the intake manifold will help as well.

While water in gas today is unusual because of all the ethanol, it’s not unheard of. The problem stems from what’s called ‘phase separation’ in the gasoline. The alcohol binds to the water & it settles in the bottom of your tank. The way to mitigate that is to keep the tank FULL. Less air means less moisture in the tank for the alcohol to absorb. If you’re lucky enough to live in a state where you can buy ethanol free gas (and it does not require a bank loan to do it) then add alcohol to the gasoline. (e.g., “HEET”) Otherwise, the 10% ethanol in the gas is more than enough to deal w/ the water.
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(quoted from post at 11:30:40 12/26/14) Is it my imagination, or can it really be that if
I start my 9N every day, it starts fine; but if I
wait a few days, starting can be tricky? If so,
what specifically causes this? I'm in northern
Michigan and keep it in an unheated outbuilding,
so I imagine she is throroughly cold within a few
hours.

I worked for 35 years on large helicopters and I found that the more a machine is ran, the better it runs. No different with my n's. I find if i let my late 50 sit, the points corrode and I have to clean them before it will start. Mine are undercover but no side walls on three sides. Here in Oregon I get a lot of condensation on them. The one hat has a magneto on it always starts right up if the impulse coupling don't stick. then a tap or two on magneto is required. My JD mc is the same. quite often i have to clean the points before it will start.
If I had a choice I would have mine in a heated building, but that is not to be!
 
Any machine ran regularly will run better and more reliably.
That said, if your N won't start after one or two days, it needs help.

Mine are kept in an unheated outbuilding here in central MI and
outside of an occasional points cleaning or battery charging,
they can set for months and still start right up.

I don't expect perfect performance from them after setting all
winter with the same gas in them, but I do expect them to start.
 
Think of it this way. If you walk a mile every day it is east do but if you do it once a week it is harder to do. Same works out with an engine if you start it once a day it starts easier then f you let it sit a week
 
The carb float has always had a slight leak in my Jubilee, so if I don't close the tank valve it will flood and make it very hard to start after a day or so. Once when I replaced that tank valve I had the same problem because that valve had a slow leak, so that could be your situation.
 
What have you done to analyze the hard starting so far?
Have you checked the spark?
Do you shut the fuel off each time you use it and possibly the float bowl leaks dry after a few days?
Does it run good, have plenty of power after it finally does start and gets warmed up?
Will it restart good when warm?
 
Try shutting off the gas & let it run until it stops. Then in a few days , turn it on & see if it starts better. The gas left in the carb may be losing the good part & what is left is more like fuel & hard to ignite. Don't forget to turn off the ign after it stops.
 
--Have replaced the plugs.

--Spark looks good to me on all four.

--Yes, I always shut off the gas tank valve.

--Yes, it runs well after I get it going; and will usually restart well when warm, but sometimes she's a little finicky about that...
 
" --Spark looks good to me on all four."

Will it jump a 1/4" gap on a plug checker?

Checked the point gap lately?

Set the timing?
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Wow--looks like a handy little tool! I never had heard of these. I see a lot of cheap spark plug testers for sale online. Are they all simple spark vs no-spark testers? Or do you know of any that tell you more about the condition of your plugs? Any recommendations on one to get?
THANKS!
 
" Are they all simple spark vs no-spark testers?"

Pretty much. The ones w/ the light are about useless. The only way I ever got anything out of them was to put it on a running tractor & look at the light intensity/color & then put the tester back on the non-running tractor. PITA.

There are ways to check for spark that work & ways that don't. Some folks think that checking for spark means pulling a plug wire off & looking for one. Well, it's the distance the spark jumps at the plug that gives you the info you want. It takes about 17kv to jump a 3/16" gap & 22kv to jump ¼” in the open air. Remember, it’s 14psi outside of the engine & about 90psi at a 6:1 compression ratio in the cylinders & compressed air creates electrical resistance, so you really need the 17-22kv to fire the plugs when the engine is running.

That's why a plug checker w/ an adjustable gap is the way to go.

" Any recommendations on one to get?"

The one in the picture,

The only way to tell the condition of a spark plug is to pull it out & look at it.

(unless you have an oscilloscope & know how to use it)
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Great, thanks Bruce. I've ordered a spark tester like yours. So you mean that I unscrew it until there is a 1/4" gap in the tester, when installed between the spark plug wire and ground? And if I see a spark there, it tells me that the coil and other parts are producing ample voltage to the plugs?
 
" And if I see a spark there, it tells me that the coil and other parts are producing ample voltage to the plugs? "

Yes.

But that doesn't mean it's in time.

Have you checked the timing lately?
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Ok, I admit it, I hate to take the distributor out and fool w/ it. My 12-V generator is in the way, and I'm always afraid I'll never get it all back together right. I thought I'd read that the timing usually doesn't change much once you've got it set. She used to start great. Do they get out of time just by running them?
 
" Ok, I admit it, I hate to take the distributor out and fool w/ it."

It's not that hard to do....especially if you get The Old Hokie's jig.

" Do they get out of time just by running them?"

Yes, they most certainly do.

First, the timing changes whenever you change the point gap.....which occurs as the rubbing block wears down.

The first thing you need to check is bushing wear. If the shaft has any sideways movement AT ALL, the bushings must be replaced.


If you are using quality points and cannot get the gap to pen to .015, chances are you need to replace the bushings.

Get a meter or test light, a 21/64” drill bit (*** see below) & a metal straight edge. Put the distributor face down w/ the condenser on the left & the timing plate lock screw on the bottom. Look at the end of the shaft: it has a narrow side & a wide side. Make sure you can tell the difference. Now, place the drill bit in the bottom mounting hole (this will be your reference point for measuring). Next, place a straight edge on the wide side of the tang on the shaft as shown in fig. FO83 in the picture. Rotate the shaft CCW (as viewed from rotor side OR CW as viewed from back/tang side) until the straight edge is ¼" beyond the outside edge of the drill bit you stuck in the distributor mounting hole. At this distance, the distributor points should start to open (get your meter/light out now & check). If not, loosen the timing plate lock screw and turn to advance or retard the timing (move the plate down to advance timing, up to retard). Remember, each one of those little hash marks represents about 4° of timing. Keep adjusting until you get the proper ¼" setting. (if the plate won’t move, you might need to remove the big C clip to loosen it a bit) As you’re adjusting, eliminate backlash by turning the shaft backwards (CW as viewed from the front) and bring the shaft forward (CCW as viewed from the front) to measure your setting. This ¼" setting will get you static timing at top dead center.

As you can see from the picture, this particular distributor needed to have the timing advanced by about 8° (two hash marks) to achieve the ¼” measurement.

After you set the points & timing, do a continuity check before you put the distributor back on the tractor. Before you start, make sure your meter/light works.

With the distributor still off the tractor, follow these steps:

1. Coil off, cap off, points open. One probe on the brass screw & the other on both sides of the open points. On the side closest to the cam, you should have continuity. Not on the other side! If you do, you will also have continuity everywhere because the points are grounded.

2. Coil off, cap off, points open. One probe on the brass screw & the other anywhere on the body of the distributor. You should have no continuity! Now, rotate the tang on the distributor....as the points open & close, you have continuity (closed) and lose it when they open.

3. Put the coil on the distributor, cap off, points open. One probe on the lead on the top of the coil, the other on the cam side of the open points. You should have continuity!

4. Coil on, cap off, points open. One probe on the lead on the top of the coil, the other anywhere on the body of the distributor. You should have no continuity!


*** Rather than the drill bit, a jig made by Dan Allen (The Old Hokie) will make this task quicker & more accurate. http://mysite.verizon.net/oldhokie/windyridge/id11.html
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