Need Help With My 2N

I'm having a problem with starting my 2N. It is really pronounced when it is cold out. It seems to want to start, almost sounds like a weak hit and miss engine when I try to start it. I try with and without the choke. Try pulling the choke in and out and different positions on the throttle. Sometimes it will finally start and take off, other times I'm forced to revert to starting fluid, sometime with the same type of results. It will finally catch and once it does it runs fine. No lack or power or hesitation if I go from idle to full throttle. Once I've got it started and warmed up I can shut it off and restart it with no problem. It may even start okay the next day. Gas flow seems to be good and plugs, Autolite 437 are new this year. The tractor dosen't get used very often. Very little use during the warm weather, mainly drive way maintenance. During the winter I only use it when I need to repositing sonw banks from my plowing. Use a 4x4 with plow to plow the snow. Any and all help and suggestions are appreciated.
Thanks,
Bikk

Hi Wsmm, My first question for you is, how old is the battery? Measure the voltage with a digital volt meter before trying to start. It should be at least 6.4 volts give or take. If the battery is weak, the starter draws more amps then normal, which leaves less for the spark. It could also be dirty or loose battery connections. Make sure they are bright and tight on both ends and both ends of the cable that goes from the starter switch to the starter. If all that is good, it just might be the starter is getting tired and is drawing too much current. You could take it to a good auto electric shop and have it tested. But don't just start throwing parts at it. That can get expensive.

There are 2 likely culprits in causing your problem: a weak spark and old fuel. And, a few other possibilities that I'll get to in a minute.

No matter what else you do, the battery must be fully charged *. A float charger is helpful; not a trickle charger, but a float charger. (I use Battery Tenders on all my tractors; ** see below) Are you using a float charger? If not, check the specific gravity in your battery; it could be discharged.

Clean grounds & battery terminals are always important. Don?t forget to loosen the starter from the block (see tip # 36) and polish the block & all starter mating surfaces w/ sandpaper to insure a good electrical ground.

If you can?t remember the last time you replaced the battery cables, it?s time to do it. Just because the terminals are clean doesn?t mean there is no corrosion under the insulation. And, this is another case where size matters (see tip # 41)

A charged battery, clean grounds & new cables aren?t going to mean much if the tractor needs a tune-up. At a minimum, every fall, remove the cap, check bushing wear , check the points for pitting or burning, re-gap them & put a dab of lube on the cam. (BTW?..if you?ve wondered why some folks get years of use out of a set of points??.this is one of the reasons).

While water in gas today is unusual because of all the ethanol, it?s not unheard of. The problem stems from what?s called ?phase separation? in the gasoline. The alcohol binds to the water & it settles in the bottom of your tank. The way to mitigate that is to keep the tank FULL, use the full 10 gallons in 30 days, or add a fuel stabilizer. Less air means less moisture in the tank for the alcohol to absorb. If you?re lucky enough to live in a state where you can buy ethanol free gas (and it does not require a bank loan to do it) then add alcohol to the gasoline. (e.g., ?HEET?) Otherwise, the 10% ethanol in the gas is more than enough to deal w/ the water. But, it's more likely that you have summer gas in it. The refineries change the blends in the Spring & Fall.


Things that aren?t all that important in warm weather become serious when it gets cold?like timing. A few degrees of timing either way at 60 or 70* isn?t likely to result in a ?no-start? situation. Well, it can at 10 or 20*. Check the timing! (yes, you can set the timing on a front distributor)

Distributor gaskets are important on a sidemount & critical on a frontmount. As is the gasket under the coil. Just like with the battery cables?.if you can?t remember when you replaced the gaskets, do it this year.

Push the clutch in when you start the engine (tip # 29)

Oil viscosity can make a difference. If the tractor is going to be consistently operated below 20* F, switch to SAE 10w30; at 0* go to SAE 5w30.

Pull the air cleaner cup & check for water which will turn to ice.

This tip won?t make it start easier, but it will make it run better: turn the main jet out ? to 1 full turn for cold weather operating. Cold air is denser so you need a richer mixture.

While each N has its own starting sequence, none of them will start well by just yanking out the choke rod & holding it out for 5 or 10 seconds while the engine cranks. This is a gravity fuel system on a low compression engine; it is easily flooded by too much choke.

Try this:

Key on, gas on 2 full turns, clutch in, 3/4 throttle, press the starter button. Let it crank for at least 3 - 4 seconds before you pull the choke rod. Then, don't hold it out for more than 2 or 3 seconds.

If you find out it will not start w/o excessive choking, you have problems.
* Your battery loses 33 percent of its power when the temperature dips below freezing, and over 50 percent of its power when the temperature falls below zero. A fully charged battery will not freeze until -76?F; however, a fully discharged battery can start to freeze at 32?F. So??keep the battery fully charged!



**Battery Tender at Walmart:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Battery-Tender-Junior-High-Efficiency-12V-Charger
/36007111?wmlspartner=wmtlabs&adid=22222222222024671621&wmlspartner=wmtlabs&
wl0=e&wl1=o&wl2=c&wl3=10359583927&wl4=kwd-1103060408167&wl12=36007111_0&wl14
=battery%20tender%20walmart&veh=sem
75 Tips

Are you meaning 1/2 to 1 turn out from the closed position, or 1/2 to 1 turn more than it currently is.

from where it is now.

Bruce means to set Main Jet out from closed position and leave it, don't be monkeying with the carb if it ain't running. Using a Battery Tender (float charger) is a smart investment. The worse thing for a battery is the constant discharging and recharging. That will diminish its life expectancy more than anything else. If the tractor does not get started and ran every 21-31 days or so, like in your case, the battery will begin to lose its charge and cold weather will affect a battery even more. A float charger will maintain a full charge so you have sufficient power when you need it. Is your tractor stored outside? Sometimes in cases like this you will want to remove the battery altogether and put it in a garage, barn, or tractor shed, in a safe place then attach the float charger. It's a good idea to check on it at least once a week to ensure cats, skunks, coons, or nnalert haven't mucked with it. The Battery Tender brand has an automatic shut-off feature so if it loses a connection, instant shut down prevents any damage or fire hazard. It is a good idea to do PM when it is a bit warmer out -before the cold sets in -especially if the tractor isn't stored in a heated environment or outside. If stored outside, keep it tarped well so water can't get into systems. Rain, snow, and ice storms coupled with high winds can allow water to get into the distributor and cause issues. AS Bruce also advised, keeping the front mount distributor tuned and with all the correct gaskets on it will help prevent most if not all that. One thing you did not mention is if you have a 6V/POS GRN setup or a 12V/NEG GRN setup. Either way, having the wiring all correct is imperative. New plugs are good, but you don't mention if they pass the spark test.

Tim *PloughNman* Daley(MI)

Bruce means to set Main Jet out from closed position and leave it, don't be monkeying with the carb if it ain't running. Using a Battery Tender (float charger) is a smart investment. The worse thing for a battery is the constant discharging and recharging. That will diminish its life expectancy more than anything else. If the tractor does not get started and ran every 21-31 days or so, like in your case, the battery will begin to lose its charge and cold weather will affect a battery even more. A float charger will maintain a full charge so you have sufficient power when you need it. Is your tractor stored outside? Sometimes in cases like this you will want to remove the battery altogether and put it in a garage, barn, or tractor shed, in a safe place then attach the float charger. It's a good idea to check on it at least once a week to ensure cats, skunks, coons, or socialibs haven't mucked with it. The Battery Tender brand has an automatic shut-off feature so if it loses a connection, instant shut down prevents any damage or fire hazard. It is a good idea to do PM when it is a bit warmer out -before the cold sets in -especially if the tractor isn't stored in a heated environment or outside. If stored outside, keep it tarped well so water can't get into systems. Rain, snow, and ice storms coupled with high winds can allow water to get into the distributor and cause issues. AS Bruce also advised, keeping the front mount distributor tuned and with all the correct gaskets on it will help prevent most if not all that. One thing you did not mention is if you have a 6V/POS GRN setup or a 12V/NEG GRN setup. Either way, having the wiring all correct is imperative. New plugs are good, but you don't mention if they pass the spark test.

Tim *PloughNman* Daley(MI)

Mine is similar. Starts like a champ spring summer and fall but winter it struggles. I’ve adjusted the carb and checked spark and got it running pretty good but still hard starting in the cold. So last winter I bought a magnetic block heater that I use whenever the weather says there will be snow. Snow removal with the blade it the only thing I use it for in the winter. If no snow, then I don’t plug in the heater. Using the heater it starts right up.

Tractor is stored in a pole barn during the cold months along with my plow truck. Both have battery maintainers on them. It is a 12 volt negative ground system. Have not done a recent spark test, last one was during the summer and had a good long spark. Gas was fresh this summer/fall. Gas also is treated with Stabil same as all my seldom used equipment, also using regular grade gas. Will put my heavy duty automatic charger and see if it helps. If not I may use the rejuvenation setting on the charger and see if that helps.

UPDATE ON MY NO START, POOR RUN WHEN 1ST STARTED

Checked today fuel tank was full, battery 13.8 volts with engine off. Tried to start it with no choke, no go. Tried to start it with choke, no go. Pulled off the pre-filter with the mason jar and hit it with a little starting fluid, no go. Decided to pull of the bottom portion of the air filter assembly that contains the oil bath. At first glance it looked good, suing 10w-30 oil in it. Took it over to my other pole barn, was going to dump it out and put new oil in, it was just replaced this fall. When I got to the other pole barn I swirled the oil around a bit and then noticed it clouded up a bit. Dumped the oil out and noticed an ice build up in both the inner and outer portion of the cup. Cleaned out the ice and wiped out the inside of the filter. Put it back on the tractor with out oil. Hit the starter with no choke, didn't quite start. Pulled the choke out, hit the start and it started and ran good. Going to run it with out the oil in the bottom filter this winter, no dust around here. Leaving the mason jar pre-filter on and am going to look for an automotive, dry element filter to replace the mason jar pre-filter and run it that way, especially when it is cold out.

Glad to hear you found the problem! Here is a thread on my concerting from oil bath to automotive come filter. Mine is an oiled filter like a K+N but a generic brand from the auto parts store. I did have to use a 90* conduit elbow from Home Depot and a couple of hoses too I think it was 1-1/4...

https://forums.yesterdaystractors.com/viewtopic.php?t=1322690&highlight=air+filter

Hey Bruce, does finding ice in the air filter pot mean that water got in there? Oil doesn't freeze does it?