Today is the first time I've had a chance to get on here since my post night before last asking the oddest, most improbable thing any of ya'll had seen happen to a machine to keep it from running. I've seen some really strange/improbable things happen over the years myself and was looking forward to reading the repliesrelating what ya'll had seen. Being a mechanic by trade I enjoy hearing those kinds of things as they are all 'filed away' for future consideration when I run up on a broken machine exhibiting certain symptoms. All I can do is assume it got POOFED for some reason. Still I can't for the life of me figure out how anyone could have gotten stupid with replies to a simple, straight forward, non-political, non-confrontational, non-anything, straight up tractor related, mechanical question like that..........Oh well, just curious as to what happened. Anyone got any strange but true tales to relate I'd still like to hear them...........
- Thread starter NCWayne
- Start date
Anonymous-0
Well-known Member
Not a tractor, but I had a 1968 Triumph Spitfire convertible in my misspent youth, and it developed a mysterious malady.
It would idle really nicely, but as soon as you tried to raise the rpms it would die. Had me stumped for several days.
It had a points style ignition and vacuum advance. When the rpms went up the vacuum advance would move the plate the points were mounted on and the wire from the points to the low? side of the coil would stretch and break. the insulation was intact and you could not see the break in the wire itself...
It would idle really nicely, but as soon as you tried to raise the rpms it would die. Had me stumped for several days.
It had a points style ignition and vacuum advance. When the rpms went up the vacuum advance would move the plate the points were mounted on and the wire from the points to the low? side of the coil would stretch and break. the insulation was intact and you could not see the break in the wire itself...
rexhellwig
Member
Guess I missed it, too.
Why not start over?
Maybe we'll do better this time.
Why not start over?
Maybe we'll do better this time.
Fordfarmer
Well-known Member
Had the Jubilee parked in the pasture for an hour or so one time, while I was flail chopping loads of clover. Wouldn't start when I went to switch wagons - no spark. Eventually figured out that a cow ate the coil to distributor wire. Take the time to drive it out of the pasture now.
I had a customer bring in a Scout with a 6 cyl AMC engine in it, 4 barrel and split exhaust manifold on it. It was missing and running on two cylinders, here is the kicker, it did not make any difference which plug wires you pulled, it would run on any two plugs. Points ignition and someone forgot to put in the condenser. I was not the first one to work on that Binder, but after that I was the last.(Got all of his work after that)
Neighbor had a new '63 IH pickup truck. About once or twice a week, it would simply quit running. Often as not, it would re-start when the key was turned. Dealership worked on it two or three times with no luck before someone checked the connections on the back of the ammeter. One was loose.
Phil in Pa
Member
My friend had a Farmall H that was running erratic, it would be fine at times and then start to miss and stall and carry on.
They went over everything, could find nothing wrong, then they found the broken choke linkage. The choke butterfly was loose and would flap around.
They went over everything, could find nothing wrong, then they found the broken choke linkage. The choke butterfly was loose and would flap around.
Local parts store put Remanned engine in delivery truck. New bat,wires,hoses, and anything else they thought it might need. Would not start. Offered to employees for three hundred bucks for a four year old Dodge. One man offered 50 dollars and made owner mad. Said anyone with 100 could get it. I overheard and got it for $100. When they pulled out the Motorola radio, found a loose wire. I drove for a year and sold for $1000
Anonymous-0
Well-known Member
Was changing oil in wife 99 Jeep 6 cly. one time. Drain the oil, put new filter on then put drain plug back in. When up to top side, went to remove the oil cap, NO comeing off, just keep sliping in the ratchet type deal! so there I was no oil in the engine and can't get the oil cap off, thought I was going to have to pull off the valve cover. but I pried the plast. center out of the oil cap, put 2 vise grips on steel part of cap put a screw driver between them and got it out.
got a call on a 4010 propane that would run about 45 minutes and then quit.foung at some time the advance springs had broke and the weights had cut the distributer in half.someone put it back together with J B weld..when the distributer would get hot the metal would seperate and the point plate would loose ground..put a ground wire from top half of dist.to the lower half.still running
Not a tractor, but anyhoos, had a customer, traveling with wife, son and daughter in law come in and complain about a buzzing/vibration when turning sharply. I checked everything, no issues. Took for a test drive. Could not duplicate. They went to the diner while I rechecked and rechecked. Then took another test drive. When turning around on two lane road, as front tire went slightly into the ditch, the van pitched and I heard and felt a vibration. Back at the station I inspected the floorpan area under passenger seat. Nothing. Looked under seat in compartment. Found adult toy which when rolling back and forth, and hitting just right, would put pressure on 'on' switch until pressure was released. Repacked toy and when customers returned I, obviously, just told them I couldn't find a problem, no charge and have a nice trip. What else could I say?
Not a tractor, but anyhoos, had a customer, traveling with wife, son and daughter in law come in and complain about a buzzing/vibration when turning sharply. I checked everything, no issues. Took for a test drive. Could not duplicate. They went to the diner while I rechecked and rechecked. Then took another test drive. When turning around on two lane road, as front tire went slightly into the ditch, the van pitched and I heard and felt a vibration. Back at the station I inspected the floorpan area under passenger seat. Nothing. Looked under seat in compartment. Found adult toy which when rolling back and forth, and hitting just right, would put pressure on 'on' switch until pressure was released. Repacked toy and when customers returned I, obviously, just told them I couldn't find a problem, no charge and have a nice trip. What else could I say?
60 acre hillside
Member
Had "B" farmall with Zenith carburetor and would leak gas out carburetor.Replaced needle and seat as well as new gasket betwen the two halves. Leak stopped, Tractor started and ran well, Shut off and leak started. Fretted with it for a period of over a year. Always worked right until started again and then leak.After 5th taking apart and putting back together I found that a small vent hole was not in the gasket I had bought at the time of replacing the needle and seat. Without the vent being open the gas would siphon out.
Had an uncle that was harvesting flax with the old MM U and G4 pull type combine. His wife brought dinner out to the field, so he shut down when she arrived. The combines grain tank was heaping full of flax, and the combines exhaust pipe was down wind to the grain tank with a stiff breeze.
After dinner he tried to fire the combines engine, but it was locked solid.
after much head scratching and time wasted, he removed the sparkplugs and found one cylinder full of flax seed.
The wind had blown flax seed over the exhaust pipe and enough flax fell into a cylinder with an open exhaust valve to lock the engine.
After dinner he tried to fire the combines engine, but it was locked solid.
after much head scratching and time wasted, he removed the sparkplugs and found one cylinder full of flax seed.
The wind had blown flax seed over the exhaust pipe and enough flax fell into a cylinder with an open exhaust valve to lock the engine.
Gasoline powered irrigation pump would shut down occasionally all on it"s own. Would start up right away when we"d go down to restart. Finally found a piece of scotch tape in the fuel tank. Would float down, blocking off the fuel intake. When it would shut down tape would float free, allowing engine to start, run again. Since it was a run-unattendend unit, with auto shut down for several failure modes, like oil pressure, coolant temp, etc, trouble shooting was pretty extensive. before we found that one.
IOWA NORTHEAST
Member
Off the basic topic, but we had just put in a new two hundred amp service, and alot of new wirring in a older ladies house. She said she got a shock every now and then from her kitchen faucet..I sent my brother down to check it out, and told him that someone had put in a new sand point well, and probably missed a ground connection.
He finaly turned off the two hundred amp service, and still had sparkie once in a while, but not all the time. Turned out the neighbors sand point was shorting out, and found its best path through the little old laddies sand point, then to her kitchen sink.
Yes, he did cuss me out for sending him on a real simple mission.
He finaly turned off the two hundred amp service, and still had sparkie once in a while, but not all the time. Turned out the neighbors sand point was shorting out, and found its best path through the little old laddies sand point, then to her kitchen sink.
Yes, he did cuss me out for sending him on a real simple mission.
Aaron Ford
Well-known Member
I bought a non running car for $100 bucks and found in the front floorboard a bag containg an old distributor cap, an old rotor button, and a new rotor button. Drove it for a year or so before I sold it.
Aaron
Aaron
In the mid eighties I used to drive reefers for a food distributor. We has some old crappy IH Loadstars and Cargostars. I was driving a Cargostar in Dayton one time, it had a 5 and 2 tranny and it started losing gears. I couldn't get it into first, then fifth, then second then fourth. I finally ended up with only third gear. The company told me to get it to a shop on the north side of town, of course I was on the south side. So i nursed it across town on snowy roads with only third high and low. I got it to the shop and they pulled it in to look at it, but had to wait about a half hour for some of the slush to melt off. Turns out the shifter was mounted to the top of the radiator bracket, which had lost all the mounting screws, leaving only the hoses holding it in place. Every time I was trying to shift, I was moving the whole radiator.
Goose
Well-known Member
Not a tractor, but when I was with GM, a lady bought a new minivan. A week later, she came back. Livid is the only way to describe her. There was a rattle in the floor on the right side of the front passenger compartment.
This gal cussed the van, cussed the salesman who sold it to her, cussed the dealership, and cussed everything else within earshot.
We found a jar of pickles rolling around under the front passenger seat.
This gal cussed the van, cussed the salesman who sold it to her, cussed the dealership, and cussed everything else within earshot.
We found a jar of pickles rolling around under the front passenger seat.
RandyB(MI)
Well-known Member
Varmints!!! Mice build nests in catylitic converters , run a while then quit or no power. Mice nests in air filter box , bad fuel mileage if even will run. Chipmunks carry green pine cones up on and around engine , when they dry out they expand , tearing off vacuum lines etc and wedging in linkeages so you can't get them out. Mice peeing on the adhesive magnets inside small engine flywheels and the resulting rust forces the magnets loose so the catch and get out of place and won't make spark at right time.
I had a new 1991 Chev 1500 pickup. I was working in Dubuque at a machine shop on third shift and farming during the day. The truck would die while I was going to work. The funny thing was it would die within a few hundred feet of the same spot each time. It was dead and would not restart until you replaced the ignition module each time. It would run for months before it would do it again. After this happening four times we though about it and it would only do it after a heavy rain. One GM tech worked on it for two days the last time.
The cause?? There was a leak in the dash. It would let water pool in the dash cowling. When I would go up the steep hill going to work it would short the ignition module out. The water would evaporate out if you ran the truck for a longer period on flatter ground. Took silicone and resealed the windshield. Lasted for the ten years I owned it.
The cause?? There was a leak in the dash. It would let water pool in the dash cowling. When I would go up the steep hill going to work it would short the ignition module out. The water would evaporate out if you ran the truck for a longer period on flatter ground. Took silicone and resealed the windshield. Lasted for the ten years I owned it.
Goose
Well-known Member
Another one.
A brother-in-law of mine, who lives 50 miles from me, brought a full size Chevy conversion van to my shop. Something was draining the battery and he'd had it to two different shops in his hometown and nobody could figure out why.
As I'm sure most of ya'll are aware, on a conversion van you have no clue as to how they might be wired. I confirmed with a meter that there was about a two amp constant draw on the battery. Checked all the light switches I could find. Nada. Finally started pulling fuses. When I pulled the fuse for the circuit the horn was on, the draw went away.
I checked the horns, and found the wires unplugged off of them. Touched one of the wires to the horn and the horn tooted. I began thinking maybe I hadn't heard the entire story. I pulled the steering wheel and found the horn button broken and shorting.
What had happened was the horns had stuck and my BIL unplugged them. That shut the horns up, but didn't de-energize the horn relay, which was what the draw on the battery was. Once I fixed the horn button, all was hunky dory.
I decided it must have been a good horn relay to remain energized continuously for a couple of months.
A brother-in-law of mine, who lives 50 miles from me, brought a full size Chevy conversion van to my shop. Something was draining the battery and he'd had it to two different shops in his hometown and nobody could figure out why.
As I'm sure most of ya'll are aware, on a conversion van you have no clue as to how they might be wired. I confirmed with a meter that there was about a two amp constant draw on the battery. Checked all the light switches I could find. Nada. Finally started pulling fuses. When I pulled the fuse for the circuit the horn was on, the draw went away.
I checked the horns, and found the wires unplugged off of them. Touched one of the wires to the horn and the horn tooted. I began thinking maybe I hadn't heard the entire story. I pulled the steering wheel and found the horn button broken and shorting.
What had happened was the horns had stuck and my BIL unplugged them. That shut the horns up, but didn't de-energize the horn relay, which was what the draw on the battery was. Once I fixed the horn button, all was hunky dory.
I decided it must have been a good horn relay to remain energized continuously for a couple of months.
Buddy was rebuilding motor in SC case. Sent the head out to be re-surfaced. Put it together and couldn't get any oil up to the rockers. The mice got in and completely filled the oil pan with corn and other junk!! Glad we still had the valve cover off when we started it the first time and caught the problem.
Bill Brackemyer
Member
I used to work in a local shop and one day one of the techs had to replace a starter in a Cadillac. The owner was not the nicest individual to deal with and called me up a couple of days later. Being the service manager I got to hear the full brunt of his rage. Cussed me up one side and down the other because the car wouldn't start, but all of the electronics would come on. I agreed to have the car towed in and to correct the problem. While waiting for the car to get there I made a bet with the general manger as to what the problem was.
When the car arrived I went to retrieve the keys. I then called the gentleman and asked if he had another one. He cussed some more and said his wife had it. Later that afternoon he and his wife walked in and he handed me her key. I got into the car and started it right up.
I won the bet. I held the two keys side by side and showed the owner where the resistor chip was suppose to be.
He stormed out without even apologizing.
When the car arrived I went to retrieve the keys. I then called the gentleman and asked if he had another one. He cussed some more and said his wife had it. Later that afternoon he and his wife walked in and he handed me her key. I got into the car and started it right up.
I won the bet. I held the two keys side by side and showed the owner where the resistor chip was suppose to be.
He stormed out without even apologizing.
Had an old Ford 250 baler, and it started missing bales. Looked at the billhooks, and one had a broken pin so the "bill" wasn't holding the twine. Sunday afternoon, no way to get a part. Rummaged around in the tool box, found 2 very worn billhook assemblies- grooves worn by twine, etc. Figured nothing to lose by trying, so took the broken one out and put the old worn one in.
Baled the rest of the season, and never missed another knot. Next year, figured "if it ain't broke, don't fix it"- missed very few that year, as well- when I quit farming and sold the baler to a neighbor, it still had that old billhook, still working fine.
Baled the rest of the season, and never missed another knot. Next year, figured "if it ain't broke, don't fix it"- missed very few that year, as well- when I quit farming and sold the baler to a neighbor, it still had that old billhook, still working fine.
flying belgian
Well-known Member
"Caught the problem" Oh I get it now.
greenbeanman in Kansas
Well-known Member
On a city tractor--had a set of points on a Ford tractor burn so badly that they would no longer close to create a spark and could not be set to do so.
Needing to finish mowing before a festival and with no parts to be had in town----I wrapped the aluminum foil from a gum wrapper around them which gave just enough extra surface to make contact. I finished mowing with them that way and replaced them on Monday after the new parts arrived.
Needing to finish mowing before a festival and with no parts to be had in town----I wrapped the aluminum foil from a gum wrapper around them which gave just enough extra surface to make contact. I finished mowing with them that way and replaced them on Monday after the new parts arrived.
Richard from SE AZ
Member
I've posted this before but I think it bears repeating. Back a few years I had a 59 ford V8. Went to give it a tune up and started with the drivers side sp. plugs. When I got to #8 I could not get the new plug threaded in. It was a bear to get to cuz it was under the heater unit. I used all the tricks,ford tool, rubber hose etc. It would not thread in.(Ever seen a grown man cry?)After about 3 hours of off and on cussin and strugglin, I was sitting on the ground with the spark plug in my hand, looking at it. I suddenly realized... It had no threads!!!
I had an AC B tractor that would start up and run along nicely for about 5 minutes. It would then start straining and the engine would die. Just prior to the engine stopping it would spit the oil dipstick out into the air. Turns out that the oil filter was clogged, which created a back pressure. New oil filter and it ran fine.
A friend who built an auto repair garage with a partner told me this one.A mechanic in the next town called him asking for help.He had just rebuilt a flat head Ford V8 and could not get it to start.Wilbur went over to look at it.He looked in the carberator to see the ac cellerator pump was putting out a good stream of gas.It was but Wilbur asked for a flash light.The fellow had made a new carburator gasket and forgot to cut out the throttle bore holes,Some years later he bought a 9n Ford tractor.He got it cheap,they told him it had a bad clutch.They rolled it off a car hauler.Wilbur asked me to look at it.I didnt think it was a bad clutch.No oil in it so I pulled a housing off and found the ring and pinion missing.
I bought a Miller welder/generator at consignment auction- battery start, no battery, so couldn't check compression. Oil looked normal, though. Got it home, piston and rod were missing, underside of head all chewed up. They had gone to the trouble of putting it back together with a gasket, and filling to proper level with used oil.
Anonymous-0
Well-known Member
Got fed up with 24 volt system on 4020 deer , Bought the deer retrofit 12 volt system and asked my eletrical , mechanical Neighbor to install by deer specs ,, which he diid,, all was well til we had avery humid wet week , that deere was statri g itself, Unattended . 1st time, i foundit idling , i thought perhaps i had not shut it off when jumnped to another tractor , 2nd time it was 3 am , woke up to hear it idlin and hoped someone was notstealing it,, reported it to neighbor ,, he stopped by , 4020 started while we were right behind it working on planter ,, neighbor tinkered a while and figured out why the 4020 was a sleep walker ....
Buddy worked in a shop when a minivan was towed in not running. Lady said it ran fine and when getting ready to go on a trip she told the boy to fill the engine with oil, well he did! clear to the top of the fill cap. I just bought a 1921 Chevy 490 touring car with only 15K miles on it,that had sat for about 5 years and had been driven into the hanger where it was stored. Owner had passed and while still alive he had a certified aircraft mechanic work in his cars to keep them running. I bought the car without hearing it run and when I got home with it I looked at the battery which was old. It was hooked up positive ground. Not good I thought and with the new battery It wouldn't fire up. I finally got around to looking at the points and they were so far out of adjustment there was a 1/32 inch gap at all times. There was no way it would fire like that. Adjusted the points so they would make contact at the low spot and break contact at the high spot, it fired right up, purred like a kitten and the charge showed a discharge when running! The original gauge had discharge on the right of the dial and the gauge that the mechanic had put in had discharge at the left of the dial. I got the right amp gauge for it, hooked it up right and all was fine. The aircraft mechanic had bragged about how good his work was when I bought it. I don't think I want to fly in his plane now! The 21 Chevy 490 on the other hand runs like a top, and drives like a dream! This car came from the desert southwest since it was new and not one speck of rust and even has the original muffler still in good shape!
tomstractorsandtoys1
Member
Had a jd 110 lawn mower do that once. It was in the middle of the night in very hot and humid weather.I was 21 andhad just got married (First time living away from home and our farm was next to a state prison) There were two newlyweds scared to death for awhile.LOL
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