8n issues

I had a 8n that I picked up for pretty cheap. Granted, it needed some work but after the needed repairs were done I had a relatively reliable tractor. I only used a back blade, bush hog and a woods finish mower. The old Ford did its job well with little downtime. Fast foreword- the time came where I no longer had any use for the old gal and decided to pass her and her implements along to a family member. Since I knew that tractor well, I agreed that anytime there was a problem that I would make any repairs to help them out. I drove her to my cousins house, no problems and parked it. 2 weeks later, they call and ask me to come by. Now the old gal is almost impossible to get to idle, it's not a fuel problem, she has a new distributor new points new coil new condenser new plugs. I can not figure out what is going on. I've tried everything I can think of multiple times and still no luck.
ANY IDEAS??

What it do with the air cleaner tube unhooked?? If it runs as it should that way then the air cleaner needs some TLC

A little description of how you came to the conclusion that you can confidently say ..it is not a fuel problem..? So in other words what have you done to the carb etc. Manifold gaskets leaking vacuum is an item that can throw you a curve. Check with spray carb cleaner or an unlit propane torch.

First, 6V or 12V? Front Mount Distributor or Angle (Side) Mount Distributor? What do you mean by ...almost impossible to get to idle...? So, engine starts now? Late 8N had a Proofmeter, so what dos RPM show? Next, just throwing new parts willy nilly at a machine is a rookies' 1st mistake. True root cause problem solving is the logical approach to any problem - i.e. troubleshoot/test to determine if old part is defective or not, then rebuilding the OEM part is always the way to go. Don't guess! New parts are mostly junky Cheena made junk and nothing is tested or set to specs and never just expect it to be good out of the box. Next, do you have the ESSENTIAL MANUALS? You should have invested in them when you first bought your 8N. Additionally, there is a lot more to maintaining your 8N. Is it an early model with the front mount distributor or a later model with the angle (side) mount distributor? Is your electrical system the OEM 6V/POS GRN setup or has it ben switched out 12V? Know that just because you have a 6V battery or a 12V battery does NOT mean your wiring is all correct for that system. 99.98% of all non-starting issues are due to incorrect wiring. Did you do the Fuel Flow Test? Yes? Pass? Move on to electrical. Fail? Correct fuel system first. Pulling and rebuilding the carb is the last item to do when all other causes of no fuel have been eliminated. If you have a front mount distributor, new or rebuilt, did you mount it correctly on the engine? There is only one correct way; get it wrong and you destroy the unit at power up. What does the AMMETER show at idle? Does your GEN/ALT have a belt tensioner attached? Did you test the battery at a shop under load on their machine? You see there is much to know about your machine and simply yanking parts off and putting new ones on isn't logical. Hope you kept your old OEM parts. Send them to me and I will rebuild to OEM specs. My email is open if you need more help and some diagrams and manuals.


FORD 8N TRACTOR ESSENTIAL OWNER/OPERATOR/PARTS/SERVICE MANUALS:

Tim Daley(MI)

They didnt fill it up with diesel fuel because its a tractor did they?

Won't idle as in dies when the RPM get low?

Or will not idle down, runs too fast at idle?

Dying and rough idle can be low compression, points out of adjustment, fouled plug or misfiring cylinder for any reason, or clogged idle circuit in the carb.

Refusing to idle down can be carb linkage adjustment, loose throttle plate screws, or vacuum leak.