To30

My Ferguson to30 was running a little Rich I think,it was shuddering but if I gave more throttle it pick up but then it lost spark, I replaced coil it started running but ,forgot to say plugs were black changed them ,it run OK for few minutes back firing heavy black smoke at heart throttle bad scared me i shut off I'm not very experienced at older farm tractor,, any help be appreciated

(quoted from post at 10:00:59 08/02/22) My Ferguson to30 was running a little Rich I think,it was shuddering but if I gave more throttle it pick up but then it lost spark, I replaced coil it started running but ,forgot to say plugs were black changed them ,it run OK for few minutes back firing heavy black smoke at heart throttle bad scared me i shut off I'm not very experienced at older farm tractor,, any help be appreciated

Click to expand...

Start with changing points and condenser, clean and reset carb, new plugs and that would be where I d start.

Sounds like it is running extremely rich. If adjusting the main jet doesn't change anything, I would check for a plugged up air cleaner, or that the carb float hasn't collapsed or has a hole and sank.

Did you check the points gap and condition? Exhaust back fire is usually bad points causing intermittent/erratic spark. Also check the distributor shaft for side play. A worn distributor will not hold the point setting and cause many problems. Be sure the centrifugal advance is working and free. The rotor should turn a few degrees and spring back when released.

Try a test run with the air cleaner disconnected from the carb. Could be the wire mesh inside the air cleaner is clogged. It is often overlooked, over time it packs with dirt and has to be washed out. In severe cases it has to be replaced. Not an easy job!

It would be unusual for a carb's high speed adjustment to change on it's own. Possibly a flooding carb would cause the rich mixture, but there would be other evidence like fuel dripping from the carb and rich idle.

If you do adjust the carb, do that last after correcting all other problems.
To adjust the high speed mixture, idle the engine down, then give it sudden throttle and listen to the response. It should take sudden throttle without stumbling. Start turning the main adjust in 1/4 turn at a time, repeating the test until it stumbles, then back it out 1/4 turn until it responds without hesitation. A puff of black smoke is normal.

Save the old condenser. New one out of the box might be bad.

I agree with Steve, start at carb 7/8 turn open small screw and about 1-1/4 on the large one. Either clean or put in new plugs see how she goes.

Keep us posted

Tom

That carb is internally vented so a partially clogged air filter will not affect the fuel/air mixture ratio. It will, however, affect power output. Make sure the timing is correct, the advance works, the float level is not too high, and the power jet is adjusted correctly.