1940 JD H Starting Problems

Here's hoping you had success over the weekend. It would appear that from the chronicle of responses, you have very much good advice. Two pointers not well mentioned, however, is the condition of the idle needle & the proper float setting. (1) Remove the idle needle & closely inspect for ANY wear. If your naked eye can detect anything but a perfectly formed graduated point on the end, the needle is worn out & should be replaced. (2) The manuals I have seen regarding the proper float setting for the DLTX-26/46 carb's are incorrect. As the float gently closes the float needle valve, there is to be 3/8" between the float and the top of the fuel bowl.

One of your respondents indicated sort of a rough indicator for the float adj. Shut off fuel & then drain the carb -- fuel, says he, should run for 30 seconds. A better measure here is the amount of fuel that should run out is right at 1/2 cup! And it ran out in some 16 seconds with the drain vlavle wide open.

Now, whereas the tractor WAS running and there wasn't any damage or change in the igniton system, I would be very hesitent to make any changes there other than a fresh pair of Champion D21 plugs gapped at 0.030"

If further grief arrises, shoot me a note at [email protected] and we can step through the issues. (PatB)

John T

Still as a preliminary step, if the plugs are not new or appear oiled up or carboned or burned or black or sooty, TRY NEW ONES FIRST as once gas fouled they can make starting very difficult: Likewise, check the mags point for proper gap and replace them if they are burned or pitted or carboned up or all black looking!!

Those 2 simple inexpensive easy to cure problems may be all you need !!!!!

GENERAL TROUBLESHOOTIGN FOR NON RUNNING TRACTOR

(A) FUEL RELATED

1) You gotta have fresh clean water free fuel!!! Make sure the air cleaner bowl is free of water,,,,, turn on the gas,then open the carb bowls lower drain cock/plug and see that gas approx. 1/16 inch diameter runs a steady stream a minute or 2????? /

2) Next make sure the choke butterfly plate is tight on its shaft and opens n closes fully and stays there relative to where its set. Are you gettign any smoke or vapor out the stack?? If not she may need a tad more choking!!! BIT DONT OVERCHOKE N FLOOD OR WET FOUL THE PLUGS

3) Have you tried adjuisting the carbs top load n idle needles??? The initial rough in settings are closed down then 3/4 to 1 1/4 or so out on the load needle and around 2 on the idle needle, try that???

4) If she getting gas, you ought to get a lil smoke and/or vapor out the stack.

(B) IGNITION RELATED:

1) If you remove the plugs but have their sides grounded and wires attached and you crank her over, DO BOTH PLUGSPRODUCE A GOOD VISIBLE BLUE (NOT a fiant thin wimpy yellow) SPARK?????

2) If not, remove the plug wires and place their ends to within 1/8 inch or so away from the tractors steel, turn her on n crank her over, and see if BOTH produce that good visible BLUE spark??

3) IF NOT at either, DOES THE MAG MAKE A GOOD LOUD SHARP SNAP SOUND as you crank the engine???? If not and theres no or a weak spark, the mags wind n trip spring or assembly may be a problem or its just a weak spring. If the sprign weak, you may be able to pull start her!! Maybe try that.

4) If theres no or a weak spark but shes snapping good,,,,, ,, check the points for proper gap and replace them if burned or pitted or carboned up badly !!!!! !!!

5) You need good wire core plug wires, NOT the carbon core suppressor types !!!!

6) If the sparks weak, post back your mag n we will proceed form there as/if needed.

(C) ENGINE RELATED PROBLEMS;

1) Have you ran a compression check??? in case shes low on compression form ring n cylinder wear, it can help the ring seal if you remove the plugs n squirt some oil into the cylinders. If that helps, she may have worn rings.

2) If the valves are leaky or sticking/hanging, you may be able to bring her up on compression and listen for hissing like in the carb (leaky intake valve),,,,, out the exhaust (leaky exhaust valve),,,,, ,or in the crankcase (leakign past rings)

SUMARY: Check the plugs n try new ones,,,,, check points,,,,, ,,,have fresh clean water free gas,,,,, ,,,check the choke operation,,,,, ,check the carbs fuel flow,,,,, ,check for smoke or vapor out the stack,,,,, ,, check the mag for snapping and for that good blue visible spark,,,,, ,,adjust the carb,,,,, ,,try a lil oil down the plug holes,,,,, ,,,try different choke setitgns and DO NOT FLOOD OR WET FOUL THE PLUGS,,,,, ,,,let us know what you find and any more questions.

Good Luck to yo n God Bless

John T in Indiana

Some H�s start great & others not so easy..

I guess you need to start at the beginning & work your way through that tractor to make sure everything is working correctly..

Start with the spark---- Take an old (known good) spark plug,, then open the electrode gap to 3/16� (use a 3/16�) drill bit to set the gap.. Then install the modified plug in one plug wire at a time & lay on the engine block,, then crank the engine.. You need to see a bluish colored spark jump that 3/16� gap.. If it�s yellow, red or, non existent you have an ignition problem..

Then check the fuel & fuel flow---- Open the carb�s bottom drain cock & allow the fuel to flow out for a good long 30 seconds.. You need to see fuel flowing for AT LEAST 30 seconds, if not you have a restriction somewhere.. (make sure the fuel 3 way valve is turned on properly)

Then pull the air inlet pipe & MAKE SURE the choke is closing properly & that the choke plate isn�t bent..

Then re-adjust the carb needles,, set the load needle to 1 turn open from seated & set the idle needle to about 2 turns open from seated (for starting,, then re-set from there once running & hot)..

If the above 2 items check out ok & new spark plugs didn�t help then you are probably fighting with a low starting compression problem.. On those older 2-cylinder tractors, the cylinder walls will wash all the oil off if too much starting is tried without success.. Pull the spark plugs & squirt about 2-3 oz of oil in (with a hand held oil can). In a lot of cases that will restore enough compression to allow hand starting..

If it still won�t start,, give the engine oil a sniff,, when that carb broke it might have allowed the fuel to enter the engine & dilute the engine oil (rather common)..

If still no start you might have to pull start that tractor the first time if it hasn�t been running in a while..

You can try re-setting the carb float but as long as it is getting fuel to & through the carb,, the carb float setting probably has no bearing on your starting problem..

Most H�s I have owned start best with the throttle set so the carb throttle lever is just (about 1/16�-1/8�) off the idle stop,, then full choke for a couple of revolutions,, then open the choke more as you keep trying.. After a few tries go to NO CHOKE & wide open on the throttle. Don�t ever give it wide open throttle with the choke closed or you will flood it�

Just get it started by pulling it,, then once run for a while it will probably start better..

If none of the above helps then you will have to check the mag for being installed correctly & check for other mechanical problems with the engine..

Clooney

The only part of the information I would like to double-check is the number of turns on the idle/load needles. The operators manual (and I'm going from memory here, but I've read and re-read it a lot lately) says about 1 to 3/4 turn on the load and about 3/4 turn on the idle, and both should be a bit less when run on gasoline.

I have experimented all over the board on mine, and it would be way too rich at two turns. Mine is now starting and running pretty well between 5/8 and 3/4 turn on the idle needle and about 3/4 on the load. I know the late "A" I had was more like a turn and a half ot two, but I think an "H" will be much less.

The advice on having the throttle plate ope no more than about 1/8" is right on. That is where I have found mine starts best both cold and hot. It does not like a full gulp of mixture.

Just wanted to check in case I have a problem as well.

Frank

When it�s real cold out (something you can�t relate to down in Florida) I routinely open the carb needles about � turn more for starting on my hand starts....

Clooney

I was just wondering. I think mine might get pretty fouled at two turns, even for a short burst, but I might try that in my starting routine. I just wanted KEGeier to know that he'll likely have to get to that needle pretty fast after it starts to get it leaned. I think mine would fuel foul pretty fast if I didn't.

I have the hard starting thing pretty much licked. The bent pushrod wasn't helping. But I am having a dickens of a time getting the float to keep from hanging up now and then. I have an old float, a new float, old and new needle and seat. Sometimes the Viton needle sticks up in there and it will of course stop, and sometimes it won't seal off and it pours over the bowl lip. Same thing occurs with the old parts. I just can't seem to find where it is hanging up. I'll look at it again this weekend. Otherwise, it is starting much better, and running better the hotter the temp.

Frank

Sounds like a good thing to try! Working from memory, I think the pin is maybe a shade less than a 1/16", so perhaps I can find some small washers to shim it with.

Thanks!

Frank