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1950 Ford 8n not starting Original 6v

M

Mark Stewart

New User
It all started when we wanted to start it to load it onto a trailer to move it. It had sat awhile and we couldn't get it to start, All it would do is turn over. It would kick on a cylinder then we would lose it. When we unloaded it we did get it to start up after a long time of cranking but it would want to die if the throttle was low. After we shut it off it didn't start back and the battery seemed deader than dead. We have had the battery charged up but goes right back down when we try to start it. We changed the points and ignition coil at the same time. I'm not sure if not repolarizing it could be a factor. We are just not sure what to do. Will appreciate any comments reguarding a possible issue. The tractor is still the original 6v operating system. God Bless
 
You didn"t say whether you cleaned the cables & terminals . Make all the connections shiny & brite for a good contact . I always smear some dielectric grease on my connections , which preserves the connections . Also remove the ground cable from its contact point , clean everything shiny & brite also (yes, scrape the paint off). Smear the grease on the connection & tighten her up . Be sure the battery"s charged good & retry starting the N . Then post back . HTH ! God bless
 
Make sure the engine is getting gas. Unhook the gas line at the carburetor and see if there's a full stream of gas from the tank. Use a clean container to catch the gas. If there's just a trickle of gas your gas tank is dirty. If there's a full stream of gas, check your carburetor by removing a plug at the carb bowl to see if there's any gas coming out the plug hole . If there's no gas or very little your carb needs to soaked in carb cleaner and all jets blown out with air.

You should also have 00 battery cables on a 6 volt system with soldered lugs. Don't make them any longer than necessary. Pull off a plug wire and have someone try to make a start while you hold the plug wire about 1/4" from the sparkplug. Should see a hot blue spark. Hal
 
batteries that don't hold charge are not good.

still once it starts, if the charge system works, it should stay running.

check points, cable connections and ends.

jump with a car battery to test.

soundguy
 
Mark........enny time you have "starting issues", change yer sparkies. NO ARGUE!!! Recommend AutoLite 437's gapped 0.025". Don't throw yer FLOODED sparkies away, just clean'n'dry 'em, one-atta-time in HOT running engine and save'um fer the next time. (and there will be a next time)

Sounds like you have a dying battery. Batterys don't live fer ebber. re-polarizing is NOT a factor, dead battery is.

While changing points is a good thing on a hard-to-start engine, coils are the LAST thing to suspect and change.

There are 4-common "runtime issues" on the weird 4-nipple frontmount N-Engine.
1) runs fer about 1-min and quits; BAD condenser, NOT yer problem
2) runs fer about 5-mins and quits; restarts innna'bout 10-mins; CLOGGED in-the-tank fuel filter, NOT yer problem as described
3) runs fer about 15-mins and quits; restarts innna'bout 30-min; BAD weaksister ignition switch, could be yer problem
4) runs fer about 1-hr and quits; restarts after 4-hr or overnite cooldown; BAD squarecan ignition coil, NOT yer problem as described but could be
HTH........Dell, yer self-appointed sparkie-meister
 
We got the Autolite 437"s and just rebuilt the carburator. When we get the battery back from napa, will try and see what happens.
 
Make sure all those battery connections are clean and tight. Any cracks in the battery cables replace them. Buy yourself a cheap hydrometer and check each battery cell yourself should read around 1.260 on a fully charged battery. If one cell reads 1.100 replace the battery. You can also check the level of protection of antifreeze with it. Hal
 
Ok, we had the battery tested at Napa and it was toast. When we get a new battery I will try it and let you all know if it worked. We have traced the electrical system down to the ingnition coil. When the ignition switch is on, not cranking, the lead at the top of the coil reads 6.129 volts. And we tested for a spark with the engine cranking, there was none. We even had the battery charged and used 12v on the starter(the proper way) to see if the battery had just enough juice to give a spark, there was none. So my suspection is most likely the battery, or the 6v coil we got in the mail could be a 12v and that would I believe also make no spark. We will keep you informed and thank you for all your comments. Good Luck to you all and God Bless. You will here from me soon.
 
Ok, we got the new battery and still wasn"t starting. We pulled a plug to see if it was getting a spark, there was none. We have traced the top of the coil gets 6 volts. Any ideas as to what the problem may be. Please write back.
 
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