Fordson Major will not start

My 1957 Major has not run for about eight years. There was crud in the fuel. Cleaned fuel tank, replaced both filters, blew air through all lines and have bled it three times.
I did get her to run for a half hour and I did a bit of slashing but since then I cant get her to restart.
I get lots of white smoke but she will not start without using Aerostar and then she stops as soon as the spray stops.
I have checked the marks on flywheel at 23 degrees and the photos below show the fuel pump marks.
Are these marks out of line????

You have a silent run pump drive coupling so the marks will not line up with the one on the pump. If it ran OK earlier it is very unlikely that your problem is timing unless you have had the pump off.

I would suspect fuel blockage in either the tank filter in the fuel tap, the gauze filter in the fuel lift pump or the main fuel filter.

One thing in your picture that does look slightly suspect, if you are on Number one cylinder with the timing set at 23 degrees, the coupling clamp bolt should be to the bottom of the drive shaft.

Thanks Majorman.
Can you expand on what you mean by if you are on Number one cylinder with the timing set at 23 degrees, the coupling clamp bolt should be to the bottom of the drive shaft. I am having trouble getting my head around this timing issue.
How can I know this by looking at the rocker arms?

The clamp bolt should be as shown in the picture, you do not need to look at the valves. It is an old Fordson mechanics trick. If the clamp bolt is above the shaft it is on Number 4 when the flywheel mark shows in the window. The flywheel mark appears in the window twice. The pump turns at half engine speed.

If you go by the valves, both valves should be closed on Number 1 and the valves on Number 4 should be on the rock, exhaust closing inlet opening.

Major's never give timing problems unless something has been taken off and replaced incorrectly. That is why I said if it was running OK it should still run OK. There are two areas that could give a problem and I have seen both happen on the early Majors prior to 1961.

1. The three bolts holding the drive gears to the cam shaft can break. After 1961 the cam shaft was modified to a single bolt fixing, holding the gears on and the problem eliminated. At the same time the pump drive shaft was modified to a larger shaft and a bigger key and keyway on both the gear and the pump coupling end. There was also a different oil pump drive gear to match the new drive shaft.

2. The key on the pump coupling to drive shaft could shear, that would explain why your clamp bolt is in the position it is.

White smoke is an indication of unburnt fuel or water in the cylinders from a failed head gasket. It could be due to low compression as well as engine out of time. It could be water in your diesel fuel but you say you have checked all the usual culprits, filters etc.

I would set the engine at 23 degrees looking through the sump inspection hole. If the clamp bolt is above the drive shaft, turn one complete turn back to 23 degrees again. If the clamp bolt ends up in the position it is in now, in your picture, suspect the key is sheared in the pump drive.

In pic 1, arms 2,3,4 & 8 are rocking.
In other pic arms 1,3,5,6,7 are rocking.
Flywheel is at 23 degrees.

Oops. Here are the pics

The only ones you need to rock are 7 and 8. Rocking means when one is closing, the other is opening, on the same cylinder. it is the change over from the exhaust stroke to the intake stroke.

In both your pictures the clamp bolt is in totally the wrong place indicating you are not on Number 1 cylinder. It should be as it is in the picture I posted. If you are, and you can confirm it with valves number 7 and 8 moving as I have said, then your problem will be the key or keyway in the pump drive.

This post was edited by Majorman on 02/06/2022 at 01:28 am.