BigTone is it running and Charging???

How goes it with the Charging and running? Jim

I went to start it last night, turned the gas on, and it began to pour out of the carb just like it did a few months ago. Im sure that the float is stuck again so that was the end of my night. Im a teacher so my time is limited to the weekends so I plan to take care of that on saturday and start it up.

now, I did what you said and pulled the wire on the side of the distributor and put the light on the wire and I had power. i hooked it back up and I still had power so i began to turn it the way you said and the light never went off. My buddy came over and said I should just get the rotor pointing to #1 (which it is) and then adjust it as it is running until it sounds like its running good, does that sound like a good idea? thanks Jim. ~Anthony

> Im sure that the float is stuck again so that
> was the end of my night.

I had that problem with my 8N last week. Solved it by going over the inside of the bowl with a grinder on the Dremel. That added a few thousandths clearance and also made the casting smoother so that the float would be less likely to stick.

When I did the engine overhaul I removed the manifold with the carb attached and when I put the carb on the NEW manifold the pin that holds the float slips out and the float wont close. the thing is, I told myself that i needed to pull the bowl off the carb and check the float before I started but my buddy came over and got me all pumped to start it before I was really ready, ill get it this weekend though i hope.

John Hasler - Now THERE'S a good idea. Wish I'd done that.

Two things need to be evaluated.
If the light never came on with the coil attached and the ignition on, the engine will never run. The timing might be OK, but the points are doing nothing. The rotor and inner dust cover (which just gently pries off) must be removed to access the points, there is a problem. The points are nothing but a switch that opens every time the coil is to fire. It is buffered and helped by a condenser (capacitor), which is mounted so it is across the open points, and shorted by the points when they are closed. Right now one of the following is happening: The points are not opening at all (set wrong), or the point"s connection to the pass through terminal is shorted to ground, or the pass through terminal is shorted to ground, or the condenser is bad.
If the points are not opening, the terminal remains grounded (as it is when the light stays off). To fix it, the engine must be turned enough that the breaker cam (4 switch moving bumps that move the points located on the same shaft as the rotor) is located with a "cam bump" positioned to open the points. The points must be clean and properly adjusted. The gap is adjusted by loosening a point mounting screw and moving the fixed point closer to or farther away from the movable point contact. The measurement is .020", and must be close to this with a good feeler gauge "feel" (a light pull with no movement toward closed when removed.)
If the points are opening, as it is with no changes, then the system is shorted to the case at the pass through, or the metal of the condenser/points system is touching the case.
There are fiber washers that allow the pass through to remain insulated from the distributor case. From outside to inside there is a nut, a lock washer, the coil lead. On the inside the stack continues with a special fiber washer/bushing that fits in the case hole and insulates the stud. then a flat washer, then a nut, then another flat washer, then the flat spring and conductor of the points, then the wire connector of the condenser, then a flat washer, then the inside nut.
I know this from repetition.
If the condenser is bad (as in shorted) the points will open normally, but do nothing because the condenser is effectively shorting them out.
If the ign switch is turned on, the points (when open) will spark if a screw driver is used to bridge across them. this will also make a high voltage spark. If it will not do tha it is still wrong. Best of luck with that.
The reason the float is sticking open may be that the float drop tab is not set correctly, and the float is dropping into contact with the bowl as it drops, or there is a bit of trash under the needle keeping it open. (equal probability) a carb manual will help with that. Jim