TO-20 Trouble shooting

RB_Fergie

New User
Gentlemen,

I have run into an issue and I am trying to trouble shoot.

I have a 1952 TO-20 Fergie which was converted to 12V by the previous owner. The previous owner also added an ignition button.

When I bought the tractor it ran just fine but the starter sounded like there was something loose inside. I replaced it with a rebuilt 12V starter bought from this website.
The tractor ran fine again for a while. I decided to clean the carb and change out the points/condenser. At this point I cannot get the tractor started. I suspect it was my changing of the points...

At this point the tractor will attempt to turn over approximately 2 times, and then I get nothing. No movement on the starter, no more attempts to start. The battery is good.

Any suggestions on where to go from here?

Thanks in advance!
 

Poor earth or under sized cable to stated.
Also clean point's surfaces, when new they often have a clear coat that stops conduction.
 
RB_Fergie, I noticed your first problem right away. You do not have a 1952 TO20. The last TO20 was built in 1951. I realize this won't make any difference as to the replies you receive on how to figure out the problem, just wanting you to realize what tractor and model you actually have. If your serial number is 1 through 60000 it is a TO20 if your number is higher it is probably a TO30.
 
Thanks! Its definitely a 20. The serial number is no longer legible. I had not looked up the date ranges... the guy I bought it from told me 1952. Good info, thanks!
 
Check the ground connection. A common problem is where the cable attaches to the sheet metal. Might want to get a longer cable and attach it directly to the engine.

Once the starter is working again, do some basic trouble shooting.

Should get a 1/4" spark to ground from each plug wire at the plug end. If no or weak spark, trace back to the distributor cap, rotor, coil... If weak spark try the old condenser. If no spark check the points, power to the coil.

If that checks out good, check for fuel. Pull the drain plug on the carb, see if fuel in the bowl. Be sure the choke is connected and working, and the throttle linkage/governor link is opening and closing the throttle. Do an initial setting of the idle mixture screw at 1 1/2 turns off seat, and the main screw 2 to 3 turns off seat.

Let us know...
 
Remember clean tight and bright at the battery cables both at the battery and the point they go to. Also if it has a solenoid it could be going bad. If it does have one try jumping across the 2 big post on it. If it spins over that way the solenoid is going bad. Or it could also be a bad starter switch
 
You might actually have two problems. the first one being that starter/battery connection and the second one being the dist.
I say the second one is the dist because it was the last thing you played with. I suspect that the starter problem has been there for some time, but as the tractor used to start, it has been overlooked.
I ran a ground wire on the wife's TO-20 from the battery straight down to one of the starter bolts. I also cleaned the engine block mounting surface and the nose of the starter where it mounts to the engine block. I also wiped down both surfaces with a light coat of oil to prevent possible future corrosion.
Beyond that comes the necessity of ensuring that the battery to cable connections are clean. This requires actually removing and cleaning them, If you are just looking at the terminals and say, "Yes, they are clean." then your wasting everyone's time.
Beyond that are the points and condenser. Condensers can be found bad out of the box and points can be coated with a finish that will not conduct current meaning the points will not fire. You can take a 'points' file to the points and break the glaze and they should work after that. To check the points firing, remove cap and rotor, ground the coil wire and crank the engine over. If the points are working, you should see a spark at the points.
So, clean and tighten the grounds and cables, check for spark at the points, No spark? File the points & re-check.
 
Once you do get it running, consider going back with the original starter switch, or wire the solenoid through the original switch.

That way it will have the neutral start safety feature.
 

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