Cold weather stalling of 8N

RJZAMISKA

Member
Ladies and gentlemen, I have a 1949, 8N. The issue is when I start it in cold weather the tractor starts fine. Letting it warm up the unit
moves freely. Problem is when I lower a rear blade to plow snow, if the tractor engine loads up slightly it will stall. If I can close the
choke fast enough I can keep it running, if not it quickly stalls, I use ethanol free gas in the tank . There is a slight miss while
warming up but this goes away. The carburetor has been rebuilt and I have tried to make some slight adjustments with no result. The other
thing the tractor can only be restarted when the throttle is in an idle position. Hope the readers can give me some idea as to what might
be going on. Regards Ray. Zamiska
 
Cold air is more dense. Meaning, more air goes into the combustion chamber with every intake stroke. More air with the same amount of fuel means you are running lean on your air/fuel ratio. This is the most common cause of N Series tractors that want to die under a load in cold weather (because most initial carb settings are done and fiddled with when the temps are warm, rather than in a shivering cold garage during Winter).

Luckily - the solution is simple - turn the big main fuel adjusting screw on the back end of your carb out 1/2 to 1 full turn. Don't forget to turn it back when Summer comes or you will be blowing thick black smoke out the tailpipe.

Now, it "could" be several other things from clogged jets, gas line freezing, to intake leaks - but this is the most common and easy to do.
75 Tips
 
Thank you so much for the info, a fantastic list. Learned something from each item. Again Thank You. Ray Zamiska
 
Just as a reaffirmation of Bruce’s excellent advice, my ‘49 8N needs a modest carb adjustment every winter or it gives me trouble, which must then be reversed every spring as it warms back up. I forget every year, have to play the “choke dance,” and then remember to turn the main screw after some swearing and it resolves my issue.
 

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