Over the past week, I have replaced the cap, rotor, spark plug wires and points in my tractor that was mis-firing horribly(the points ended up being the culprit). I set the points gap at .020" and the tractor works well, but still mis-fires once or twice sometimes when I run up the throttle. I was wondering if anyone knows what the dwell should be on a 291 so I can do some fine tuning.
- Thread starter JMS II
- Start date
Might be the normal throttling up. Tractors do not (generally) have accelerator pumps to give that extra shot of fuel when you gun it.
if it runs ok under load and wide open you might not have any problems.
wouldn't hurt to do a wiggle test on the distributor shaft though, any slop means your adjustments will be in vain.
karl f
if it runs ok under load and wide open you might not have any problems.
wouldn't hurt to do a wiggle test on the distributor shaft though, any slop means your adjustments will be in vain.
karl f
the tractor vet
Well-known Member
Did you check your timing ???? it is most critical and are you running 93 octane fuel???? here again most critical . Is the heat riser working ???
I did check the timing and it matched the book, but I have been using the regular gas. After replacing all the parts I listed, it now works better than it has since I got it last summer. After finding the new found power, I started wondering just how much the beast is capable of.
Thanks for the advice. I'll get some premium gas and see what that does.
Thanks for the advice. I'll get some premium gas and see what that does.
the tractor vet
Well-known Member
Oh and one more thing check and make sure that all the manifold bolts are tight as they do work loose .
also after all this fussing, have you ever changed the air filter?
it should be a very capable tractor. We had a 656 gas, with the C263 engine. Used to chop corn with it--Barge boxes and a 1 row JD chopper, later a 718 NH 1 row (both not quite the size of rigs compared to today's machines). Plowed in 3rd gear with an IH 3-18 auto reset in mostly clay type soils. Today it still runs strong. It will pull a 9'6" Discbine (rated for 80hp minimum) up through 3rd gear in grass. It's always used 4 gallons (US) per hour of gas under full load, and much much less doing light work.
also, change the hydraulic filter, clean the screen and drain *all* the hydraulic oil, inspecting for signs of shavings or broken parts. wouldn't hurt to send the hyd oil in for analysis if you want to know all about it
-karl f
it should be a very capable tractor. We had a 656 gas, with the C263 engine. Used to chop corn with it--Barge boxes and a 1 row JD chopper, later a 718 NH 1 row (both not quite the size of rigs compared to today's machines). Plowed in 3rd gear with an IH 3-18 auto reset in mostly clay type soils. Today it still runs strong. It will pull a 9'6" Discbine (rated for 80hp minimum) up through 3rd gear in grass. It's always used 4 gallons (US) per hour of gas under full load, and much much less doing light work.
also, change the hydraulic filter, clean the screen and drain *all* the hydraulic oil, inspecting for signs of shavings or broken parts. wouldn't hurt to send the hyd oil in for analysis if you want to know all about it
-karl f
Thanks for the input, Karl. As soon as I got the tractor last summer, I changed the engine and transaxle oil, replaced the air, oil and hydraulic filters, changed the spark plugs and rebuilt the carb. I didn't notice any parts or shavings in the oil, but there was probably a pint of water in the transaxle. I'm guessing that was from condensation because the whole unit is pretty tight.
It seems like every step I take in fixing up the tractor adds a little more power which has become pretty impressive. After I replaced the points, the tractor had no problem pushing snow until the tires lost traction. I haven't tried plowing yet, but I might give that a try in the spring. Up 'til now, I've been pretty much a "replace the part" mechanic and started think about how much more I get out of the tractor if I knew how to tune it.
It seems like every step I take in fixing up the tractor adds a little more power which has become pretty impressive. After I replaced the points, the tractor had no problem pushing snow until the tires lost traction. I haven't tried plowing yet, but I might give that a try in the spring. Up 'til now, I've been pretty much a "replace the part" mechanic and started think about how much more I get out of the tractor if I knew how to tune it.
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