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Let's talk electronic ignition

grandpa Love

grandpa Love

Well-known Member
Been fooling with this Ford 841. Adjusted valves, ran it until hot. Checked valves, all good. Sitting in the barn at idle it sounds great. But rev it up and drive it around and it sounds like a dirt track race car under caution, you know the rumble and grumble and light popping back firing? I've twisted distributor back and forth, sounds about the same. Wife took carb apart and cleaned it. It was surprisingly clean, lots of new parts in it. We can close the main jet and kill tractor. But can't adjust the smoke out of it. Lift arm is getting sooty bad! Our clothes stink like burnt gas...... Not oil smoke. Went to town, got new plugs and carbon core wires. Maybe the slightest bit better. Ordered a coil and distributor cap, they will be here tomorrow. Any thoughts? Could the electronic ignition be an issue? I know nothing about it. Just for fun I squirted a big shot of Lucas fuel system cleaner in the carb.....poured smoke out exhaust for a couple minutes and didn't seem to help ........ Frustrated.
 
First off what brand plugs?? I used NGK3112 plugs in all my Ford due issues of bad poor made plugs.

Next what does the spark look like?? Needs to be a good blue/white and jump 1/4 inch gap.

Next the advance in the distributor has to work correctly or it can cause problem.

Next how is the air cleaner?? Does it run better with the tube off of the carb??

By the way you never called me today LOL
 
My uncle had a 2000 that ran like crap. It smoked like yours and backfired. Also wouldnt idle. The carburetor had been rebuilt but just wouldnt work right. My brother put a new carburetor on it and it ran perfect. The old one was just worn out.

slim
 
Had champion plugs. Put in new autolite. Doesn't run different with air breather off. Oil is clean and smells like oil.
 
my 860 had issues like that a while back. turned out the void under the points plate in the distributer was packed solid and not letting the distributer points plate advance. it didn't happen all of the time and drove me nuttz until i found it. good luck.
 
If PO has been into the carb lately it is possible that the jets have been changed or drilled out. Have seen it a couple of times.
 
If you messed with distributor, did you use a timing light and put it back where it should be??

My Jubilee was running like crap. It needed new points and condenser.

What's the compression now you got it running?

I would use an IR thermometer and measure the exhaust temp from each cylinder.
My son's 4 cylinder honda was only running on 3 or the 4 cylinders. Measuring exhaust temp told me which cylinder.

If your clothes smelled like gas, one or more cylinders isn't burning the fuel,
either you have a compression problem or a spark problem.

Stop guessing, set the timing, compression test, measure temp at exhaust manifold.

If you had an exhaust manifold leak, cold air hitting a hot exhaust valve could damage valve. Do a leak down test.
 
Kevin, I don't know what the problem is on your tractor.
I does sound like carb issues.
I know that I will never run EI on my old tractors.
As you know, I have 3 tractors with original ignition.
52 Ford 8N, 51 Case VAC, and 41 JD H.
Why change something that has been working that long.
An EMP, which is becoming more likely every day we live in this crazy world, will wipe out the EI systems in a flash.
Richard
 
Geo, compression about 130-150 across the cylinders. Timing set with light. No thermometer, may pick on up.
 
go rent a leak down tester too.

I battled a 20 hp kohler command. One cylinder was 200 degrees cooler, 700 vs 900 degeees F. The spark plug would turn black in 10 hour. The cause of the problem, valves, It had good compression, but not enough to get complete combustion. It passed both compression and leak down tests. I just had to grind the valves.

A leaky head gasket and manifold gasket could also cause problems.

IR thermometers to measure high exhaust temps are cheap at HF.

Good luck. I'm sure you won't give up until you fix it.
 
One time I had a bad intake valve that pushed the air backwards through the carb picking up extra fuel making a rich fuel mix. That could explain why you smell like gas.

Many years ago I had an exhaust gas analyzer that would measure they fuel to air ratio, Don't know if they make them anymore. Your gas smelly clothes is a good clue you have too much unburned fuel in exhaust.
 
Why dont you swap the carb off one of your others and see what it does. I had one of my Cubs doing similar as it was running very rich. Had rebuilt the carb with one of the cheap kits. Changed the main jet back to the old one and fixed it.
 
(quoted from post at 11:17:14 08/23/21) Why dont you swap the carb off one of your others and see what it does. I had one of my Cubs doing similar as it was running very rich. Had rebuilt the carb with one of the cheap kits. Changed the main jet back to the old one and fixed it.
Click to expand...
hat is a good plan & with a bit of innovation, it can be done. I once ran a 600 carb on an 8N for just that kind of testing. Yeah, I know (obviously) the bolt pattern is different.....as said, innovate.
 
I was about to suggest the same thing. Put a good carb on, that will tell if it is a carb issue and make it easier to find if is a different issue.
 
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