Ferguson T20 sputters and dies

I have a 53 Ferguson T20 gas model, a while back I had a problem where it would run about 15 or 20 minutes then sputter out and die as if it were out of fuel.

Did some looking and it turned out that was the problem, I pulled the inline filter and while I was at it went ahead and pulled the carb off and cleaned it up a bit. Put it all back together and it ran like a champ for a couple of days.

Put about 6 or 7 hours on it without a problem, now my problem seems to be back. Problem is though now when it starts doing this I pull the fuel line at the carb and sure enough I've got plenty of fuel coming in. Pulled the carb again, checked the float etc... seems to operate correctly. Thought maybe I had water in the fuel, drained it out started over... same thing.

Driving me nuts!! Run for about 15 minutes, die, sit for 15 minutes, run for 10...

Thinking of just replacing the carb altogether but no convinced. Have a set up plugs that I'll put in and see what that does but I'm convinced it's fuel related, and thoughts???

Your problem can also be caused by a bad condenser. They tend to be like that, start and run until warm, then quit. When cold again everything is fine, until it dies again.

+ the things the other fellows mention.

Just a thought.

Bill

If your ignition systems provies a fat bluish white spark after the engine quits, then I'd suspect the fuel delivery system. A lot of these old machines sat out in the weeds for twenty years and the fuel tanks rusted and are full of crap and corruption. If your filter is clogging and you're seeing dirt in the carb, clean up your fuel tank or install an inline fuel filter 'cuz all that's in the carb fuel inlet is a trash screen to get the big chunks. Also check the vent hole in the fuel cap. If it plugs, you'll create a vacuum in the fuel tank and the fuel delivery will stop.
Dell mentioned icing and I experience that quite often but it has never shut me down. I experience ratty running until the manifold gets hot enough to tranfer heat to the cast iron carb and then it clears, usually in 5 minutes or so. A small amount of choking seems to help the running. It's quite eveident when it occurs on my TO-30 as there is frost in the throat region of the carb exterior. You also have to have relatively high humidity and temperatures below 45-50F.
Finally search the archives. What you are experiencing has occured a gazillion times before.
Hope this helps.

After popping the distributor noticed I had quite a bit of carbon and a whole lot of corrosion in the plug receptacles. Made the mistake of trying to clean things up with emery cloth and putting back together and now the thing won't start :(

Anyway, ordered a new coil, distributor cap, plugs and wires. They're all in pretty bad shape so it won't hurt to replace them anyway.

Trying to figure out now how to get the distributor out and replace the points. It's a side mount model.

Thanks,
John

mike

-mike

You say how can that be? The very act of carburetion, (which expands gas vapors) SUCKS HEAT out of the air stream. (its a standard physical effect studied in highschool science class)

Infact light airplanes (Piper Cubs and Cessnas, etc) actually have a lever called carb heat that they pull on approach so they don't loose engine power when they need to make a go-around. Even yer belch-fire V-8 has under the carb automatic exhaust gas heat.

One day in the 50's, I was making "the run" across the New Mexico high desert to Juarez/El Paso for some custom handmade "Double Eagle" cowboy boots (and other teenage pleasures), when my 6-cyl flathead Plymouth stalled out. I coasted to the side of a very empty desert road to find my carburetor was FROSTY WHITE. Scared the heck outta inexperienced teen driver..... ..Dell

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