Governor Link Rod

My 8N used to run just fine with ample power, speed, etc. Now moving the throttle lever to the last quadrant produces no more speed or power than at the first quadrant, and the governor struggles to work when bush-hogging.

I RTFM "Ford shop manual (FO-4)" which is lacking in some information that would be helpful, and I also received an account of what the other person did. I'm pretty sure one thing I need to do is adjust this governor rod link. According to the manual, the length can be shortened or lengthened simply by turning it.
It doesn't work that way as shortening one end lengthens the other end. I envisioned this rod to work the same way that the adjusting bar that connects the bush hog to the tractor works--turn one way and it gets shorter, the other and it gets longer.

The question now is: How exactly is this governor link rod supposed to work by turning it when the length isn't affected? I'm wondering if an owner prior to me (or a shop that worked on the tractor once) might have put a wrong part on one end if indeed it is supposed to work like the bar I described above? Any advice would be appreciated except that which pertains to getting another boyfriend!

Thanks!

What you are trying to do is get the governor and carburetor to reach their wide-open point at the same time.

Unhook the rod at the carb end. Rotate the carb throttle shaft wide-open (opposite the direction of where it is stopped by the idle screw). Hold the rod end up to the ball on the carb lever. If all is OK, the rod will be in position to snap back on the ball. If the position of the rod end is such that it passes the ball, in the direction beyound the wide-open position of the carb, you probably have excessive wear in the governor, probably in the thrust bearing area.

If the position of the rod end is such that reinstalling it would pull the carb throttle shaft back from the wide-open position, you have other problems, such as improper assembly of the governor.

The dealer shops had a jig they could set the assembled governor on, and verify the position of the lever that connects to the carb, to verify proper assembly of the governor, or the lever was to be bent, if needed, to get it's position to match up with the jig.

I suspect that your real governor problem is the governor its self. Flat spotted balls and grooved tapered race that the balls gitt squeezed out from centrifical forces. Governors are mysterical wonderments to those unfamiliar with them.

Howsomevers: upon close inspection, you'll find the spring-loaded governor rod ends (pull against the internal spring to un-clip the rodend from the ballstud) are "lock-nutted" to prevent the rod length from changing. The rod lengths should be "zero slop", meaning connection the rod-clippies to the ball-studs should NOT FORCE the lever arms to eather expand or retract.

The throttle rodend-clippies ARE NOT TURNBUCKLE types with counter-rotating threads. Unsnap eather end and adjust ONLY the unsnapped end.

I find this to be a "simple" governor test, with the engine running at about 1/2 throttle, try to "jazz" the engine speed up by HAND forcing the carb-to-gov'r rod to change. Does the governor "fight you"? yes? probably good; no? probably grooved governor race and flatted balls..... ....Dell

I do know the carb-throttle rod to governor lever arm p/n 9N-9818-A is the SAME for BOTH the 9N/2N/8N per the N-Ford MPC, and my 8N's throttle rod has adjustable springloaded "clippies".

The p/n 9815 throttle shaft to governor lever is different between 8N's and 9N/2N's.

I do know that the governor lever arms are "different" between the 8N's and the 9N/2N's, but that the internal gutts are the same. And that you can use the 8N's PROOFMETER drive governor's CUP on 2N/9N's. (just cap the drive nipple) its the only one available..... ..Dell

I think you may need to take the rod off, so you can turn one end at a time. By turning just the end, I think it should work. You may have to turn some on each end. Does you throttle lever go all the way to the bottom? If someone moved the STOP Screw, the lever won't go all the way to the bottom. With the motor off, give the tractor full throttle and see if you CARB is wide open. If not you may have to change the linkage going to the carb, so the carb is Full open. Hope this helps.