Massey ferguson 135 4 cylinder continental

Hey guys, im new to the site and tractor game but i just recently was passed down a massey ferguson 135 that needed a little work to get her going. ( or so i thought) all she would do was turn over so i started at the easiest point and started to work, so far ive replaced: point ( gapped at .022) condenser, rotary button, distributor cap, coil, battery, fuel filter and bowl assembly, plugs( gapped at.025) and cleaned out the carberauter, she has fuel to the carb, spark to the plugs, good compression, and air intake, but she wont bust off, can anyone please tell me if i did something wrong? Any help is appreciated.

(quoted from post at 17:39:48 01/07/21) Hey guys, im new to the site and tractor game but i just recently was passed down a massey ferguson 135 that needed a little work to get her going. ( or so i thought) all she would do was turn over so i started at the easiest point and started to work, so far ive replaced: point ( gapped at .022) condenser, rotary button, distributor cap, coil, battery, fuel filter and bowl assembly, plugs( gapped at.025) and cleaned out the carberauter, she has fuel to the carb, spark to the plugs, good compression, and air intake, but she wont bust off, can anyone please tell me if i did something wrong? Any help is appreciated.

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Fuel, spark, air, timing.

Check your fuel flow to the carb. Make sure youve got a good stream. Make sure the float isnt stuck.

Make sure your spark is hot, makes a good *snap* when it jumps, is blueish like the color of lightning.

Make sure your air filter is not plugged up. Ive seen some nasty ones!

Timing- make sure its in time and that youve got the plugs wired properly from the distributor.

Fuel, spark, air, timing.

Check your fuel flow to the carb. Make sure youve got a good stream. Make sure the float isnt stuck.

Make sure your spark is hot, makes a good *snap* when it jumps, is blueish like the color of lightning.

Make sure your air filter is not plugged up. Ive seen some nasty ones!

Timing- make sure its in time and that youve got the plugs wired properly from the distributor.[/quote]




I checked the wiring from distributor and its correct, i have good spark, filter is unhooked from carb as weve been trying starting fluid with no results and wece took apart the carb and cleaned it and made sure we are getting good flow, it is however flowing out the neck of the carb every now and then though

Rebel_patriot,

Just to clarify a few things.

How long had it been since it ran prior to you getting it?

Fresh gas?

You say you cleaned the carb. Did you use tip cleaners or such to clear all the ports in it? Did you use any spray carb cleaner and compressed air to blow it out after? Did you put a basic kit in it or just put back together what you had? Are you sure it is together properly?

Have you actually checked timing by making sure # 1 cylinder is on TDC compression stroke, checking the timing marks, and the position of the rotor in relationship to the # 1 cap terminal?

"Good compression". Is that verified with a compression check or is it what it seems like? Have you checked for a stuck valve?

Is the battery up to snuff and spinning it over well?

Just trying to cover some basics that have caused people issues in the past and maybe find a clue to the issue..

(reply to post at 14:22:10 01/08/21)

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Jim.ME,

Its been at least a year that i know of since its last run. The gas is a little old, however still good and 100% clean and usable. While cleaning the carb, i used a can of carburator cleaner, a rag, and compressed air and made sure everything was in working order and seated properly.i didnoy install a kit or qnything because it didnt look as if it needed one, it was just a little buildup of ethanol from sitting ao i ckeared it out. When checking timing, i assumed it was still in good order because it ran before being parked so i didnt believe there was a problem with it. I will lroceed to check to be sure, compression is average across all 4 cylinders. I did not use a compression tester. I pulled the plug and used my finger and my massey 65 as a comparison to check. All valves seem to be in working order.Battery is a few months old but spins it over as needed.

It really does not matter that it ran a year ago, it does not run now, so take nothing for granted just because it did run. We all miss something or slip up at times so there is nothing wrong with checking and double checking our work. You have done a number of things already and actually doing other things that get suggested does not take long and may find a problem. If nothing else it gives a valid answer of I did that and it did not help, instead of it looked ok to me.

The price of a few gallons of gas is small, and it will be used if you are going to run the tractor in the future. So drain the old gas and start with fresh gas, the old gas can go back in after it is running.

If there were sediments in the bowl you cleaned out, there can be sediments in the passages of the carburetor body that spray cleaner and air will not clear unless it is disturbed by physical cleaning. Then use the spray carburetor cleaner and compressed air to blow each passage out. During assembly adjust the float per spec and check operation of the needle valve. After doing the basic carb rebuild, do the flow check through the carburetor bowl drain, only takes a few minutes to eliminate a possible issue.

Even with spark at the plugs, I would double check the point gap, static check the timing and confirm the locations of the plug wires in the distributor cap (distributor rotates Counterclockwise) by firing order. Do you have a good blue/white spark that will jump at least a quarter inch?

Check valve lash with feeler gauges. Did you actually remove the valve cover and check the valves?

Compression test with all plugs removed and a gauge. Doing that you may find a squirt of oil in the plug holes will help an engine that has been setting.

What is the voltage at the starter when it is cranking?

If you are using starting fluid and its not trying to fire you have electrical issues. You bypassing the gas flow from tank to the jets in
the carb when your spraying straight into the carb. Look at the distributor again make sure you rotor button and points are all working make
sure the ballast resistor is hooked up correctly to the distributor. Sounds like when key is in cranking position your loosing fire .You cant
have 12 volts straight to the points it will burn them up hints why the ballast resistor knocks it down to around 6 volts.

(reply to post at 20:08:07 01/26/21)

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I resurrected a TO-35 this past summer but I had a tough go in getting the darn thing to fire up. I measured the voltage at the coil many times ... always a full 12 volts. I knew I had to be making an assumption that just wasn't so but what was it?? On a whim, I jumpered the battery directly to the coil -- success!

It turns out the tractor had a new ignition switch installed just before the tractor was abandoned as a non-runner. The "mechanic" had connected the coil wire to the ACC lug on the switch, giving the coil power EXCEPT when cranking in the start position. All better now.

(The new coil has an internal ballast resistor.)