51 Cub sort of runs... a beginner needs help!

hanzalam

New member
Hi everyone. I have a 1951 cub that I purchased over the summer and it is now giving me issues and will not run. Here is what I have diagnosed so far and what I have done. The cub had fuel leaking out of its throttle shaft on the carb so I rebuilt it using a kit from Steiner Tractor. Put the carb back on the tractor and it still would not run. So the current items that have been replaced: spark plugs, plug wires, rotor button, condenser and points. The tractor will try to run with the choke all the way closed but as soon as I let off the starter it will not continue to run. It also will pour fuel out of the weep hole (potentially the actual carb inlet) when the choke is all the way shut. The tractor ran great over the summer, I used it to cut banks using a sickle bar mower and tow some things around the yard. So it is unusual that it just won't anymore. I appreciate any insight more experienced cub owners can give me on this matter
 
Welcome aboard! I'd suggest a compression test, dry then wet to see what shape the engine is it. If you haven't adjusted the valves yet, that's something else I would recommend. If the engine won't draw the fuel mixture into the cylinders (which sounds like the issue to me) it's likely due to the compression being to low or a stuck valve (or two) which could be causing low compression numbers. Check those things out before you throw more money in parts at it.
 
Welcome aboard! I'd suggest a compression test, dry then wet to see what shape the engine is it. If you haven't adjusted the valves yet, that's something else I would recommend. If the engine won't draw the fuel mixture into the cylinders (which sounds like the issue to me) it's likely due to the compression being to low or a stuck valve (or two) which could be causing low compression numbers. Check those things out before you throw more money in parts at it.
Appreciate the response! I purchased it from the PO and it worked great. Definitely would suck if I just got a bad draw on this purchase. It honestly started to have issues when I gave it an oil change. Pure coincidence? Or could I have messed something up during an oil change?
 
It's kind of hard to screw things up doing an oil change, providing you add oil after you drain the old out. A compression test will give you a glimpse into the health of the engine. An engine needs compression, spark at the correct time and the correct fuel mixture to run. If the tractor has set for a period of time, these the possibility that a valve or two have stuck open. It happens sometimes. A compression test is a quick and easy way to see if there is a problem in that area. A compression tester can be borrowed from most auto parts stores if you don't have one.

Pull all of the spark plugs out, open the throttle wide open and check the compression of each cylinder and record them. Hopefully they will read around 100 psi, more or less. If low squirt about a teaspoon of oil into each cylinder and repeat the test, recording numbers as you go. If the compression numbers go up substantially, compression is leaking past the rings. If it doesn't change a lot, compression is likely leaking past the valves.

Did the condition present itself before you changed the points/condenser, plug wires etc.?
 
Check the position of the choke disc in the carb to see if it is open when you think it is open. Sometimes the operating lever will get loose and slip on the shaft. JMHO Stan
 
Hi,
If the Cub is a 1951, it probably has a Battery Ignition unit, not a magneto, but I don't know which it has.
I would test the power of the spark the Battery Ignition unit is making.
Be sure the Cub doesn't roll while doing the spark test.

Remove the ignition wire from the center post on the distributor cap, and hold the wire by the insulation, with the metal end about 1/4" from bare metal of the engine block.
Be sure the transmission is in neutral, turn the ignition switch to on, and run the starter.
The spark should jump the 1/4" gap, and be blue or white. A yellow spark is weak, and needs improving.
The engine may not run, or run right, with a yellow spark.
Do the test in a building, or not in bright light, so you can see the spark well.
The battery should be fully charged for the spark test. Charge the battery if necessary.
A low output charger is better, it may take several hours to charge it.

You said you replaced the points, so there should not be corrosion that can happen with old points.
They have said on here that some new points come with a clear coating on them, to prevent corrosion I guess. Power won't go through the clear coating, it has to be filed off using a point file.
Clean off all filings with a clean rag.
There are pictures of the points and condenser, inside the Battery Ignition unit in the Cub operator's manual. The points need the right gap also, .020" for a Battery Ignition unit.
The condenser or coil may have quit.
It is sort of common for the old original Cub coils to quit. Some of them work when cold, then quit when warm, then work again when the engine is cold.
The ignition timing should be checked with a timing light, the Cub service manual says. Then you know it is right.

The tractor will try to run with the choke all the way closed but as soon as I let off the starter it will not continue to run.
The main jet on the IH carburetor may need cleaning.
The main jet is low on the side of the carburetor, it is the 6 sided brass colored part.
To clean it, shut off the gas, unscrew it from the carb, wash it in solvent, or carb cleaner, then use a small wire in the hole in the end of it, and be sure the hole is open and clean.
Don't use a wire bigger than the hole, or force a wire in it, the hole has to be a certain size.
Wash it after using the wire. It should have a gasket on it.
Don't tighten the jet hard, they can break.
If the gasket is old, it may leak if you reuse it.
TM Tractor Parts has a new gasket for the main jet. They are near the bottom of the Forums page.
Below is a picture of cleaning the main jet.
The 2nd picture, from TM Tractor Parts, shows the engine side of the IH carb, the choke arm should be in this position when the choke valve is fully open, and it has the original length choke rod. Be sure it is tight on the shaft. :)
 

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One quick way to isolate what is wrong, does it run on starting fluid? If yes then you know it’s fuel or carb related. If no then you know it’s ignition related. It could be as simple as dirty points.
 
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