Help troubleshooting 40-S starting problems?

We just bought our landlord's tractor, and now we're having trouble starting it, even though it used to work fine.

Cranking fine, battery seems ok. Last fall it started up pretty well, but now it just doesn't seem to fire. The gas cap was off for a while, but I added water remover ... with no effect. I'm a bit of a mechanical neophyte: what's a good way to test for spark? Or timing? Or gas flow?

Thanks all, I really appreciate the help.
John

1) IGNITION I would remove the coil wire from the distributor cap (leave coil end inside coil) and have that bare end to within 1/8 inch from tractor or engine steel, turn her on and crank her over and see if a spark jumps that gap. If so, (replace the coil wire into cap) I would remove the plugs and have their wires attached but sides grounded and again turn her on n crnak her over n see if both plugs are firing. If the coil wire fired but NOT the plugs, it a cap or rotor or plug wire or a plug problem. If the coil wire is not firing I would remove the cap and check the points gap on high cam and clean/buff/polish the points surfaces which may well be the cause of no fire. If she still dont fire after a points cleaning post back for more troubleshooting. Often for long periods of setting the points will oxide over and need cleaned or replaced. IF IN DOUBT I WOULD TRY NEW PLUGS AND CLEANED OR BETTER YET NEW POINTS AND GAPPED CORRECT

2) FUEL You gotta have fresh clean water free gas gettign to and filling the carb bowl and the carbs needle n seat n float assembly all working. Is there a drain cock or plug in the carbs bottom??? (not familiar with 40 carbs, sorry) If so remove it and insure clean gas flows out. If not insure the sediment bowl assembly or any other types of shut off vlaves are clean n fre cuz you gotta get gas to the carbs bowl. When cranking and if choking the carb are you getting any vapor or smoke out the stack??? If not I wonder if shes gettign gas. If you remove the plugs are they wet with gas (maybe shes flooded) or bone dry (no gas gettign to cylinders)

SUMMARY You gotta have fuel n compression n spark to run. Likely suspects after long idle periods are points oxide coated (clean or replace),,,,, ,,,,, ,,plugs fouled (replace n try new ones),,,,, ,,,,water or stale gas,,,,, ,,,,flush n clean n refill with fresh gas,,,,, ,,,,carbs needle n seat or float not working (clean out with gumout maybe).

Let us know

John T

remove the distributor cap, rotor, and the plate under the rotor. Use an emeryboard, and stroke each side of the points 3 or 4 times.

Put 'er back together, and try to start it. These engines are prone to high point resistance when they are not run regularly

So: I started draining the tank before I got the responses, so I ended up finishing that. Replaced with a gallon of new gas, no difference. Info: yes, when choke is pulled there's a lot of smoke out the stack. And when I pull a plug (after choking) it's wet. I pulled the distributor cap (which is only a year or two old) and emeryboarded the little green gunk on the end of the rotor and the terminals (which seem to be copper, not silver). Now I get spark on a plug (more than before) but not every time the engine cranks, and it's still not starting (though I got one or two bangs). I'm now going to run out and get new plugs, but any other ideas would be great!

Thanks!
John

Well, I got new plugs and the tractor rough-started... but it cut out again as soon as I started going uphill. I'm thinking there might be another issue...

I just made a dumbmass mistake. Noting that the oil could do with another quart, I added it to the other tank on the top of the tractor ... realizing just too late that it was, obviously, the radiator. I'm assuming that the oil filler is the bell thing by the oil pressure gauge?

Anyway, here's the big questions: 1) Could low water in the radiator have been the problem? 2) What on earth do I do now that there's a quart of 15W40 in there? Where is the drain?

Much thanks everyone. This tractor is teaching a rank amateur a darn lot about engines!

John

One quart of oil in the radiator wont hurt nuttin much, its just not as good of a heat conductor as water I dont think but I dont see one quart in a few gallons as hurtin too much assuming thats the ratio of coolant to oil.

If you got her running then she cut out, Im thinking more still of fuel delivery n carburetioin or water in fuel problems versus ignition but cant say fer sure not knowing more.

John T

I got it to run, but poorly. It was only firing half the time, it seemed, irregularly, and every time it was put under any stress it died. I could find specific throttle positions that would allow it to idle OK, but I'd have to try and change the throttle whenever I went up hill or it would die...

This leads me to think it's probably a timing issue... My initial guess, since it seems to have got worse recently, is that by filing the points down a little bit I made it worse ... but I don't know. Does anyone know what the gap should be? Or how I can tell for sure whether the timing is the problem?

Thanks so much! Getting there...
John