Irish_Jake
Member
Hey all! I've just finished a (long, drawn out) block-up rebuild of my 8n, and I'm running into some problems getting it to start. I wanted to run through the troubleshooting I've done and see if I can get feedback on if I'm on the right track, or suggestions any of you might have.
Tractor details - Front-distributor 8n, was 12v (extra resistor inline with wiring) but I replaced the wiring harness and moved it back to 6v with a new battery. Starter cranks with no problems. I did have a problem where I wasn't getting power to the distributor, but traced that to a bad ballast resistor which I replaced. Confirmed power to the distributor and spark on the #3 plug after that replacement. All parts for full rebuild and rewire were purchased through YT.
Current problems
[list:471d23aaf4]
* Either gas 'weeping' from shutoff / sediment assembly, or condensation. I installed a replacement sediment assembly as part of the rebuild and it turned out to be garbage - leaked from the bowl no matter how I set the rubber seal / tightened it down, and the valve wouldn't fully turn off the fuel flow. Cleaning that up was a mess. I removed the new assembly and put the old assembly back on with the new seal, and it holds. The bowl doesn't fill with fuel without cranking the tractor or removing the carb drain, which is a passed test for the bowl seal. However, it was dripping from weird places - wet around the top (but not around where it screws into the tank) and from the 'knob' (the little round bit you twist) on the fuel shutoff. What's throwing me is that it seemed more watery than fuel-like, and it was incredibly humid here in the midwest yesterday so the whole tractor was covered in moisture inside my garage. Doesn't appear to be leaking from any of the 3 likely points - bowl (definitely not), fuel line attachment point, or tank attachment point. Could I really have that much condensation, or am I more likely looking at a leak from somewhere like the valve handle?
* Spark only at some cylinders. Only discovered this last night when I pulled all my plugs to see if maybe the cylinders were flooded. I had been using cylinder 3 as my 'test plug' and stupidly didn't check the rest. My assumption here is that I probably have an issue with the points, given they sat for a year and a half during this rebuild. That sound correct? I also cleaned the ground strap attachment point last night to make sure I had a good clean connection. My presumptive next step is to pull the distributor and clean / check the points, which isn't thrilling because it means taking the tank off again but oh well. Also checked and confirmed correct spark plug gap on my new plugs.
* Gas from air intake tube. I had fuel in the short rubber hose connecting the air intake tubing to the carb - I'm not sure if that could be there just from the amount of cranking I was doing, or if it means I have a float level issue in the carb. Thoughts?
* The overall problem is that I can't get the tractor to fire - no start, no pop, no backfire. The above issues are all part of troubleshooting that problem.
[/list:u:471d23aaf4]
If there's other questions I need to answer to help diagnose the issue, please let me know![/list][/list]
Tractor details - Front-distributor 8n, was 12v (extra resistor inline with wiring) but I replaced the wiring harness and moved it back to 6v with a new battery. Starter cranks with no problems. I did have a problem where I wasn't getting power to the distributor, but traced that to a bad ballast resistor which I replaced. Confirmed power to the distributor and spark on the #3 plug after that replacement. All parts for full rebuild and rewire were purchased through YT.
Current problems
[list:471d23aaf4]
* Either gas 'weeping' from shutoff / sediment assembly, or condensation. I installed a replacement sediment assembly as part of the rebuild and it turned out to be garbage - leaked from the bowl no matter how I set the rubber seal / tightened it down, and the valve wouldn't fully turn off the fuel flow. Cleaning that up was a mess. I removed the new assembly and put the old assembly back on with the new seal, and it holds. The bowl doesn't fill with fuel without cranking the tractor or removing the carb drain, which is a passed test for the bowl seal. However, it was dripping from weird places - wet around the top (but not around where it screws into the tank) and from the 'knob' (the little round bit you twist) on the fuel shutoff. What's throwing me is that it seemed more watery than fuel-like, and it was incredibly humid here in the midwest yesterday so the whole tractor was covered in moisture inside my garage. Doesn't appear to be leaking from any of the 3 likely points - bowl (definitely not), fuel line attachment point, or tank attachment point. Could I really have that much condensation, or am I more likely looking at a leak from somewhere like the valve handle?
* Spark only at some cylinders. Only discovered this last night when I pulled all my plugs to see if maybe the cylinders were flooded. I had been using cylinder 3 as my 'test plug' and stupidly didn't check the rest. My assumption here is that I probably have an issue with the points, given they sat for a year and a half during this rebuild. That sound correct? I also cleaned the ground strap attachment point last night to make sure I had a good clean connection. My presumptive next step is to pull the distributor and clean / check the points, which isn't thrilling because it means taking the tank off again but oh well. Also checked and confirmed correct spark plug gap on my new plugs.
* Gas from air intake tube. I had fuel in the short rubber hose connecting the air intake tubing to the carb - I'm not sure if that could be there just from the amount of cranking I was doing, or if it means I have a float level issue in the carb. Thoughts?
* The overall problem is that I can't get the tractor to fire - no start, no pop, no backfire. The above issues are all part of troubleshooting that problem.
[/list:u:471d23aaf4]
If there's other questions I need to answer to help diagnose the issue, please let me know![/list][/list]