Farmall H running poorly

Seth Boyer · Nov 12, 2009

Started to work on this H for a friend this week getting it ready to paint. It ran terribly when we first got it. Wouldn"t start well...idled terribly...had absolutely no power. I rebuild the carb with a complete kit from CIH. Adjusted the tappet clearance, which was way off to begin with. Seemed to run a little better after that. I"ve checked that manifold for leaks and it seems to be OK. The manifold is a cheap aftermarket one though. Tractor has a mag, I put in new points and condensor. Installed new Autolite 3116 plugs and new wires today.

It seems to start a bit better. Problem is now that when idleing it seems to flutter. This is at idle and maybe about 1/3 throttle. At full throttle it runs great. Took it out for a drive and at full speed it"s perfect.

I found that while idleing I can pull the choke maybe 1/4 to 1/2 and it smooths out and idles great. put the choke back wide open and it starts to flutter again and die.

Do I not have the carb adjusted right?
I adjusted the governor and double checked the carb float.

Any suggestions?

ScottyHOMeY · Nov 12, 2009

Sounds like a classic too-much-air/not-enough-gas situation. If you're confident of the manifold and its connections that leaves fuel.

As far as adjustments, about 1-1/2 turns out from bottom is usually a good setting for getting it started and then tweaking from there.

If the carb was good and clean when reassembled and float set as it should be, I'd check for flow. Start t the elbow into the carb (including the screen) and work your way up until you get a good steady stream (not strong but not a dribble). There isn't anything like an inline filter, is there? Some of those are not suited for gravity flow systems.

And as a long but not too-long shot, how's the gas in it? I worked on a JD 420 for an old guy to get it running for him. Went over his ignition which was plain to see a big part of the problem and gave it a try to see what I had. It behaved much like yours. I tried timing it up and the mark fluttered all over the place. That's when I noticed the mothball smell. Drained the tank and put in some fresh and she ran right as rain.

Mike CA · Nov 12, 2009

First, tighten the manifold. I'll bet it's loose. Book calls for 50 foot pounds. See if you can eyeball the manifold gasket as well, it may be leaking.

Then, as Scott said, check the fuel flow. You may have a blockage in the tank, even though the sediment bowl is full of fuel.

Brownie 450 · Nov 13, 2009

Did you get the venturi back in after doing the carb? Sounds like the float level might be a bit low. I'd start by squirting a little oil around the intake gaskets & see if it picks up/ smoothes out.

riverbend · Nov 13, 2009

As long as you have the carb apart, check to see that the idle fuel jet (or what ever it is called - the little one that screws into the top of the float bowl assembly) is not plugged. Everytime I remove the main jet metering screw a crumb of the packing comes loose and gets into the idle jet.

Greg

Farmall H running poorly

Seth Boyer

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ScottyHOMeY

Well-known Member

Mike CA

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Brownie 450

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riverbend

Well-known Member

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