H not wanting to start

[kthomas]

Hello all,

Ok, I know this subject has been posted a million times probably on this forum and others and all seem to have different answers and issues. I also know it's hard to diagnose a problem without seeing the tractor but I thought I'd toss this out and see what replies I get back (Thank you in advance).

I have tinkered with vehicles and tractors for years and I am not a mechanic by any means (novice at best), but I am usually able to work my way around things and figure them out but some things just stump me and I am not normally the person who looks at something and figures out right away what the issue is!

As stated in an earlier post, I got this tractor a few months ago and it didn't run too bad but never just fired right up after sitting. I mean it would crank over a few times, hit, then crank and start.

A couple of months ago, it got to where it wouldn't start and gas was pouring gas out of the carburetor so I gave up on it for the winter, thinking the old carb needed rebuilt. I ended up getting a rebuilt carb (got it yesterday) and installed it yesterday. I could get it to hit a couple of times but not run, and gas was still pouring out of this carb into the intake tube.

So, I am thinking it's not getting fire or spark. I even thought maybe the push/pull kill switch might have gotten bad, allowing it to stay grounded so I checked the continuity on it and it checked out ok.

I then checked the points and gave them a light filing just to ensure they didn't have any junk on them from sitting and still, no luck. I pulled the # 1 spark plug and set it against the tractor and I can see spark when cranking it over so I at least have that, but still no start.

I decided to pull the carb down and check the float level and it was at a 2" drop so I adjusted it to the 1 and 27/32nds, put it back on and still not starting. I have the air cleaner tube off and gas poured out when I cranked it over.

So, just wondering if I can get some advice on what some of you would check next?

Thanks a lot!

KT

[TurboRoadster]

gas obviously shouldnt be pouring out. first thing I would check is make sure the needle and seat are spotless, double check float level and while your there, check the jets to make sure they are clean.

you may be easily flooding it, did you check the plugs to see if they were wet?.
Fix the gas issue and try again.
then you can move on to other issues (spark etc) if they exist, but fix the obvious issue first.

[THolmer]

Also make sure that the float doesn't have a pin hole in it. I have had it where the float gets a hole in it and fills with gas. Shake the float and see if you here any gas in it.

[Rick Spivey]

My H also shoots a load of gas out if you crank it with the choke on. And I hand crank. Not really uncommon on an updraft carburetor. Is the spark good and strong, meaning more whitish-blue, not yellow?

[kthomas]

gas obviously shouldnt be pouring out. first thing I would check is make sure the needle and seat are spotless, double check float level and while your there, check the jets to make sure they are clean.

you may be easily flooding it, did you check the plugs to see if they were wet?.
Fix the gas issue and try again.
then you can move on to other issues (spark etc) if they exist, but fix the obvious issue first.

Thanks TurboRoadster!

Yeah I actually took the newly rebuilt carburetor apart and checked the float level. It was hanging at 2 inches so I adjusted it to 1 and 27/32". Everything in the carb looks new including the needle and seat and jets, and everything is clean as a whistle.

I pulled one of the plugs today and it was wet with gas. I pulled one or 2 later and they weren't so wet at that point.

KT

[kthomas]

My H also shoots a load of gas out if you crank it with the choke on. And I hand crank. Not really uncommon on an updraft carburetor. Is the spark good and strong, meaning more whitish-blue, not yellow?

Thanks for the reply Rick,

Yeah I know you can't choke one too long before it starts running fuel so I tried not to use the choke very much. As for the spark, I could see a fair spark off the plug when I grounded it to the side of the tractor. I believe it was a decent spark.

KT

[kthomas]

Also make sure that the float doesn't have a pin hole in it. I have had it where the float gets a hole in it and fills with gas. Shake the float and see if you here any gas in it.

Thank you for the reply THolmer!

Yeah, I shook the float when I had it off and it was dry.

KT

[Don McCombs]

My H also shoots a load of gas out if you crank it with the choke on. And I hand crank. Not really uncommon on an updraft carburetor. Is the spark good and strong, meaning more whitish-blue, not yellow?

Thanks for the reply Rick,

Yeah I know you can't choke one too long before it starts running fuel so I tried not to use the choke very much. As for the spark, I could see a fair spark off the plug when I grounded it to the side of the tractor. I believe it was a decent spark.

KT

Blue or yellow?

[kthomas]

I also looked at the distributor spindle and pinion to make sure they were timed correctly and they are. My distributor turns clockwise so I made sure the "R" was aligned with the marked tooth on the pinion.

KT

[kthomas]

My H also shoots a load of gas out if you crank it with the choke on. And I hand crank. Not really uncommon on an updraft carburetor. Is the spark good and strong, meaning more whitish-blue, not yellow?

Thanks for the reply Rick,

Yeah I know you can't choke one too long before it starts running fuel so I tried not to use the choke very much. As for the spark, I could see a fair spark off the plug when I grounded it to the side of the tractor. I believe it was a decent spark.

KT

Blue or yellow?

Don,

I think it was blue, but I had my shop door up and it was sunny outside. I will check the specific color tomorrow evening when I get home from work.

KT

[Don McCombs]

As Rick said, blue/white is good, yellow is weak.

[kthomas]

As Rick said, blue/white is good, yellow is weak.

I sure appreciate all the replies! I will definately check that tomorrow and update my post!!

KT

[kthomas]

Good evening!

I checked the spark this evening and made sure the shop was dark. The spark looked blue with some white in it.

KT

[Rodney51Cub]

I checked the spark this evening and made sure the shop was dark. The spark looked blue with some white in it.KT

Did you check all four cylinders. Pull each plug and clean and set gap to .025, or replace plugs.
I use Autolite 3116 plugs, others may recommend a different plug but Autolites work good for me.
Could also check valve adjustment. They are .017.
Yes you will get gas running back out of the carb if it does not start, it is what is drawn into the manifold but did not make it to the cylinder.

Rodney

[kthomas]

Good evening everyone,

I thought I'd better post a reply as to what was wrong but first I just want to say a BIG Thanks! to all who replied and offered their help!

It turns out my H had too weak of spark. So, we by-passed the magneto and installed a 12V coil and resistor. We replaced the push/pull switch with a key and also did a compression test which all 4 had good compression. #2 plug wire was also bad.

Now it fires up and runs great!!

Thanks again to all. I really appreciate the help!!

Kevin