Farmall M Turns Over Fast

My M was running great, let it set for a month or so, went to start, it back fire and now all it will do is turn over fast. Can that be timing? Any help or how to fix. Many Thanks

Bet the timing gear broke.

Allan

Check Compression.

Cam or cam gear broke or valves are stuck open. Pull the valve cover & spin it over.

you can also just take the distributor cap off. If the rotor isn't spinning, you have a busted cam gear

ditto on some of the other ideas.

check rotor spinning.. and thumb test plug holes.

when that happened on my ford 4000 4 cyl.. thumb test told me i had stuk intakes and bent push rods.

Check the easy things to fix first. Could condensation inside the distributor cap be shorting out the spark? Check for cracks and carbon arcs under the distributor cap.

Many Thanks to All for your response. I checked the rotor and it spins. That's one down, so got to check all the others. Again Thanks.

If you mean it turns over as fast as normal and just won't start, then clean the points with a 300 or finer paper then wipe with a folded corner of a dollar bill.
We may have made the mistake of believing your engine was spinning with no compression like the spark plugs were out. If the rotor is turning, it does not mean that there is no broken cam gear. It could still turn, but be turning on the cam shaft or other damage. First question is it turning abnormally fast? Jim

Well guys this is what I found. Have some stuck valves and one bent rod. There was a lot of moisture under the valve cover does that mean new engine time. Thanks to all for your input has been real helpful.

If there is coolant in the oil, there are issues to address for leaking gaskets or cracked parts.
If the "rod" is a pushrod for the valve train, no it is not fatal yet.
Sticking valves can bend the pushrods easily.
If the valve train is moving, I suggest the following:
Use a good penetrating oil Kroil, PB Blaster, or Auto trans fluid, and put it on the valve stem inside the spring where the guide and valve stem meet. Use a plastic faced hammer and tap on the valves that are stuck. They will either drive down farther, or start to come back up. Do not drive them like a nail, tap tap tap. If they move down more than a eighth of an inch, use flat bars and or big screw drivers to pry them back up. Keep at it till they all stay up. Put the pushrods back where they belong, and adjust the valves. Condensation in cold to then moist air can create the "dew" you found. With good oil in it, and safety in mind, if it seems free in the valve area, start it. Jim

Many Thanks Jim for the information. Hoping I can get it running. Again Thanks.

After you get the stuck valves freed up, the push rod straightened (yes they can be straightened in some cases), and the valve lash adjusted: Consider adding a touch of Marvel Mystery oil, cheap 2 stroke oil, ATF, kerosene, diesel, or even 303 hydraulic oil to your gas from now on into the future.

This modern gas along with tractors that are not used as much as they were used in the past seems to see more stuck valves and bent pushrods.

I add a touch of whatever I have handy at the timefor some extra valve train lubricant.

I like your idea of a little extra lube in the fuel but how much is a touch for a normal mid-size tractor fuel tank of 12 - 18 gallons or so in size, Hal?

(quoted from post at 14:09:57 05/13/14) I like your idea of a little extra lube in the fuel but how much is a touch for a normal mid-size tractor fuel tank of 12 - 18 gallons or so in size, Hal?

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Marvel Mystery Oil does have recommendations on their cans I do believe, but I rarely use the Marvel as it is kinda pricey.

Typically, I use Cheap 2 stroke oil, ATF, or even 303 hydraulic oil if it is all I have at the time. I have no science to back it up, but older 2 stroke engines traditionally used 32 oz of cheap 2 stroke oil to 5 gallon of gas. This would be too rich and cause excessive smoking and carbon build up in a 4 cycle engine at that high of mixture. So I typically use about 10 oz of whatever oil per 5 gallon of gas.

Now if I add kerosene or diesel to the gas then I will up that to 1/2 gallon diesel to 5 gallon of gas. Or 3/4 gallon Kersene to 5 gallon of gas.

Thanks for the information as this is just what I wanted to know as I just didn't know what a touch might be, Hal.

Just my opinion here, but doctoring up your gas really only serves to separate cash from your wallet.

What exactly are you expecting that tiny bit of oil in the gas to lube on an overhead valve 4-stroke engine?

On a 2-stroke engine it makes sense because the fuel has to go through the crankcase and past the bearings to get to the cylinder.

On an overhead valve 4-stroke, the only place this tiny bit of lube will touch is the protruding section of valve stem on the intake. A fraction of an inch. How much good do you really think that is doing?

The oil burns during combustion, so nothing gets to the exhaust valves.

If you think it's doing something for you, by all means continue, but like someone else said earlier, there is no science to back it up.

(quoted from post at 15:27:38 05/14/14) Just my opinion here, but doctoring up your gas really only serves to separate cash from your wallet.

What exactly are you expecting that tiny bit of oil in the gas to lube on an overhead valve 4-stroke engine?

On a 2-stroke engine it makes sense because the fuel has to go through the crankcase and past the bearings to get to the cylinder.

On an overhead valve 4-stroke, the only place this tiny bit of lube will touch is the protruding section of valve stem on the intake. A fraction of an inch. How much good do you really think that is doing?

The oil burns during combustion, so nothing gets to the exhaust valves.

If you think it's doing something for you, by all means continue, but like someone else said earlier, there is no science to back it up.

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It was me who said that there is no science behind it yet I am the one also recommending to do it.

As for the benefit: You already answered your own question. The intake valves seem to be the ones more prone to sticking on this new gas on tractors that sit around and rarely get worked much or worked hard. Hopefully, the OP will respond back and confirm it was intake valves that stuck open. A little oil on the intake stem is exactly what I hope to accomplish with my mixture. Plus for whatever reason my ole JD model A seems to run a bit better with some Kerosene mixed in the gas.

As for the cost: Whoopey do on the 10 gallon or so a year that I might put through one of my ole clunkers tractors that does more sitting around than running. Guess I wasted $2 bucks or so a year if I had some type of cheap oil to my gas. Frankly, If I add diesel or Kersoene to the gas then the cost of whatever I add is close enough in price as the equivalent amount of gas - so basically no added cost at all if using diesel or Kero.

If you remember using gas from a few decades ago for use as a poor man's greasey parts cleaner and compare it to trying to do the same with modern gas. Well the modern gas really dries out your hands real quick like where the older stuff was more oiley and much more like a solvent.

Again, I admittingly have no science behind what I am doing, but in my case real cheap peace of mind that is not costing me anything substantial to do.

(quoted from post at 19:34:16 05/12/14) After you get the stuck valves freed up, the push rod straightened (yes they can be straightened in some cases), and the valve lash adjusted: Consider adding a touch of Marvel Mystery oil, cheap 2 stroke oil, ATF, kerosene, diesel, or even 303 hydraulic oil to your gas from now on into the future.

This modern gas along with tractors that are not used as much as they were used in the past seems to see more stuck valves and bent pushrods.

I add a touch of whatever I have handy at the timefor some extra valve train lubricant.

Click to expand...

plus one on adding some oil-lube to the gas.
In the fuel it then atomizes right with the gas and gets on everything in the combustion path.
And when oil makes contact with metal, it tends to 'creep' which is a good thing in this case.
I don't measure, just dump a little in every time I gas up.
(or measure it into my gas cans, so all tractors get some)
too much? won't hurt nothing, it'll just smoke til the next fill and the ratio gets better.

need proof it works? pull apart an old 'oil burner' engine.(bad rings, etc)
Oil is EVERYWHERE.