everytime (LONG)

I have this strange problem with my 8N. It seems that nearly everytime I "go hoggin" at least
once during my 2-5 hour escapades the tractor starts "losing power, groaning & attempting to stall" - (it finally does stall) Each time I stop pull over and clean out the fuel line where it attaches to the carb. (I do this by first closing the fuel line and then corking it with my finger and then restarting the flow and letting the backdraft forcibly flood back into the sediment bowl and screen.

This works everytime or perhaps there is something else I am really accomplishing and this is just a catalyst for that event. I have cleaned the sediment bowl and screen at the beginning of this season. WAs easy to take apart but was kinda H@LL to get the seal back on the bowl - kept trying to leak from the top. Is there a replacement gasket for these things?

Bottomline is that my 8N was always well taken care of. The fuel tank has no rust at all around the cap on the inside but something is clogging the works. The fuel flow is always strong and unimpeded (even when I flush fuel back) so that has me thinking that maybe I have a carb/jet problem. I have also noticed that I seem to have less power (seems to take a while for the engine/gov to produce enough power to get the whole hoggin assembly moving - once it is going fine, but seems a little sluggish. Compression is still ok at 115 across all cylinders.

Related?

Let me know what I should be checking. Radiator and shroud are in perfect shape and radiator flow is great. Hmmmmm mm. However this stalling happens nearly ever time I use the tractor for extended cutting.

Thanks for any input.
Andy

I had the same kind of thing happen to me with my 52 8N right after I bought it. Mine stopped over a very active Yellow-Jacket nest once.!!!!

My problem was fuel related.

After I replaced the original fuel shut-off valve, cleaned the gas tank out( rust, plastic wrapper, hay, etc.), cleaned the gas filter at the carb., and installed an inline metal fuel filter, my stalling problems stopped.

You also might want to check the vent hole in the top of the gastank. It's a pin sized hole that needs to be open.

If this filter elbow is stopped up it will give you fits until you take it off and blow out the crud stopping the flow of gas.

Seen it happen many times.

To me, this is a classic ignition problem. I'm torn between suggesting you've got distributor centrifical advance problems (no advance creates low power) or low sparkies brought on by heating up your ignition coil and shorting out some primary turns.

Your piddleing around with the gas line filters allows the ignition coil to cool off enuff so your sparkies comeback.

What is your confidance factor in your N's ignition system?..... ...Dell

the only thing is that only this last time hoggin have I noticed this strange "waiting for the engine to ramp up enough power to get the assembly moving" -- it is like I have to open the throttle much more than usual to get "past the sticking point and get the engine to produce enough power to move the tractor" ---

In the past, the tractor's performance was not indicative of any sluggish problems after the stalls.

My distributor coil, condensor, plugs, wires & points are all new this season. You might recall that I had a faulty 12V this season and upon replacement my problems were rectified. I ran new wires throughout the system this season and I am using a ballast resistor to limit the V levels at the coil. My tractor starts unbelievably strong and in fact to be honest with you it has been starting quicker when cold than ever before. (related?)

What other types of ignition related checks could I make to ensure that this is not the issue?

Thanks!
Andy

found out that my cylinder 1 plug was loose to the touch - it just spun around while I was checking my wires etc. Strange thing though is that all of the plugs have alot of rust around their heads entending all the way to the tip - these are new plugs this season. I have included a pic of the plugs plus the heavy black carbon buildup on the electrode.

Next I had a huge hole in between my muffler and my exhaust manifold. Apparently my clamp had rusted through and broke off completely in one section! (haha)

Next plug wires 1 and 2 were slashed from rubbing against the fan belt --- insulation was damaged pretty deep.

Now would any of these symptoms cause a loss of power and performance? fuel mixture too rich indicated by the plugs?

Please let me know and thanks!

Andy

obviously they are all bad problems that need to be rectified. Would any of these directly be related to the stalling and/or ignition/dist problems you were describing earlier? I have no idea why the plugs are so rusty and why the plug1 was so loose ---- very strange.

Well thanks again.
Andy

Yah, ya bettcha..... .loose spark plug will cause loss of power..... probably had all kinds of sparkies dribbleing out the grinded sparkplug wires..... again, a definate sparkies problem with loss of power.

When you replace your sparkplug wires, make certain that they are real copper core wires, not radio suppression modern carbon thread core wire.

When I replaced my sparkplug wires, I got some "hotrod" high temp, high voltage, right angle boot wires and only used 4 of the 8. Had a #ell of a time convinceing the counter clerk that I didn't care if'n it was for a Pontiac V8.

Sure made a whole lot of difference over the dried out and cracked sparkplug wires that were on my sidemount 8N. No more blue sparkies dancing around the wires when it was dark at night..... ..Dell

Secondly, I had a similar problem. It would start bucking and stall. Turns out our local gas station was pumping more water than gas (we live outside of a small town and the "corner gas station" sells gas at about 10-15cents over prevailing prices.) Drained the gas and got some different and solved problem. Also, my tractor sits in a barn that is prone to condensation (probably not a factor in your part of the country) so water accumulates in the gas.

I also had random stalling at one point which turned out to be the iginition switch.

These are the hardest gremlins to chase, but perserverence will win out.

JU

• Vapor lock fixed

Have you taken the fuel shutoff valve off the tank and checked it? That is where my 48 8N was plugged. New valve was about $16 I think. There is a screen on the valve that over time disintegrates.

You have to drain the tank and then it is easy to take off.

Danny

Let me know!

Thanks
Andy

Good luck, its not really hard, just a little messy.

Danny

YEP!! Been there, done that. TWICE!!!

First time I could not get the last gallon to drain out. Even though I let it set with the valve ALL the way open for TWO weeks!! I sure was FUN catching all that gas as it came out all at once when I unthreaded the valve. :-(

Take a look at the picture linked below, and the next one in that album, and you can see how crudded up the inner screen can get. On the valve that wouldn't drain, the reserve fuel hole was plugged solid with varnish. And it was so hard that I had to dig it out with a scratch-all to open up the hole. In the picture, the top screen is in my (gloved) hand. It was so brittle from all the crud that it snaped off, even though I was being VERY careful in handling it.

Best wishes on finding and fixing your problem,
Larry

• Fuel shut off valve.