need some help please

[mavfreak 11]

here is the problem

the tractor starts and runs great for about 3 to 5 mins then shuts off. It still gets fuel so it not a fuel related problem. I did check the points and re gaped them although they had the proper gap of .020. I also did all the mantaice that is required for this tractor, with the exception of the valves which are noisy and need some attention. ( that will come soon).

After i cleaned the air filter assembly the tractor ran for about 20 mins with no problem then it started to miss under load. not all the time but frequently.

I feel that the points and condenser need changed out.

Any suggestions?

[TT-(Moderator) 1,128]

When it dies, how long until you can restart it?

Did you test for spark immediately after it shuts off?

Might be the condenser, but I don't know why cleaning the air cleaner would have made a difference. :hide:

[mavfreak 11]

TT if you seen the air cleaner you would've seen why. And it starts immediately.

My pap mantains his tractors very well but he never knew you had to clean the air cleaner just put new oil when needed. He has owned this since around 1960!

[mavfreak 11]

was down at farm again and the tractor is back to dieing between 3 to 5 mins of running. It fires up immediately after it dies, which makes it kinda hard to test anything if it has spark after it dies. So i think tomorrow I'll go get points for it and see if that helps.

[TT-(Moderator) 1,128]

My BN acted up like this until I cleaned the entire fuel system - including the tank.

I know you say it is getting fuel, but try running it from another fuel source - like maybe a mower tank strapped to the hood.

I can't see it being the points (or condenser) if it immediately fires back up.

I also assume it has battery ignition, correct?

[Redbirdman 7]

fuel pump needle and float

or clogged gas line someplace.........lets enough gas trickle into the float bowl to run dry.........dies, fills back up........runs........uses up bowl fill and dies.

Clean air cleaner let her suck more fuel from the bowl before dieing.

ed :ROTF:

[TT-(Moderator) 1,128]

There is no fuel pump, so that's ruled out.

The fact that it fires right back up is strange....... almost like something's dropping out electrically - but all that's there is the push-pull switch for ignition. :woohoo:

[Redbirdman 7]

The old man had a converted navy boat that would do that at the worse times.....like trying to dock!

It turned out to be a piece of rubber seal about 6 inches in diameter that would get sucked over the gas tank outlet...starve the engine and then float away in the sloshing gas after the engine died and the suction stopped. Its a shame to say the old man bought the boat after the previous owner died of a heart attack on the boat while fishing....we always said that damn problem probably killed him. The old man was never exasperated by the engine dieing so it didn't kill him too. But he did rip her down one end to the other before he found that piece of rubber.

I'd start with the needle and seat

ed.......... :woohoo:

[mavfreak 11]

I have checked every thing on the fuel side even shutting off the gas at fuel bowl and seeing how long it took to run out off gas and it took no time for it to run out of gas but still not ruling out a fuel problem. But I'm leaning more towards the electrical side but on this there isn't alot to go wrong, and its hard to check things when it only dies then fires right back up. I did convert it to 12v about six years ago and was thinking it could be the restor but I checked it when it died and there was no voltage change. When this dies its as if the key was closed there is no run down or an acting as if it was running out of fuel or nothing.

Pap will be at the fair all next week I may go and pull the carb off the other superA and see what happens. We have two of them. Unforchantly that's the only thing that is the same between the two. One has the points and one has a magneto.

[shorts 182]

look close at the inside of the aircleaner/hose assembly, is the hose delaminated on the inside and colapsing like a flaper valve to stop air flow? also go back to the fuel system, I've found silly things like sandwich bags in the tank and insects/bees in the fuel lines. also you can use a piece of 1/4 inch fuel line to siphon/vacuum the garbage out of the fuel tank, use clear tubing so u can see the fluid flowing when you stare the siphon.

[mavfreak 11]

I did pull the entire fuel system apart and took tank off drained and cleaned it. Soaked and cleaned carb. I then used a tank out of a brigs and ran tractor. it did the same thing run for 3 to 5 mins and shut off. I took air cleaner off and tried it and same thing.

When the tractor shuts off its like a switch was turned off there isn't anything you can do to keep it running.

[puddlejumper 67]

How about a bad distributor cap and rotor button. Just a shot but thats something you can pull from the second tractor

[TT-(Moderator) 1,128]

You could also try "hot wiring" it. (connect a dedicated wire directly from the battery "hot" to the ignition coil)

I assume it's still positive ground with a generator/mechanical regulator? :woohoo:

[mavfreak 11]

its a positive ground with an alternator 12v conversion. I was thinking of by passing the "key". But not exactly sure how. I'm also thinking this is a simple wire problem or the resistor is grounding or shorting out. Done a wiggle test of the wiring but haven't found anything yet that is divisive of being the problem. We are going to do a tune up with wires cap rotor and points just cause pap thinks its been a while since any of that has been done.

now one other thing I was thinking of is the governor, we have two of these tractors and this ones governor just doesn't seem to work as fast on this. this could be why it is lugging under load. The other superA its governor is right there when it needs to be. In the book there doesn't appear to be any adjustment or settings. could this be a cause or am I over analyzing this

[Redbirdman 7]

how about yanking one plug (before ya start the engine) and staring at it while the others are running.....just to see if the spark stops as the engine dies??? At least to rule out anything else?

You mentioned the key switch..........can you switch them from the other machine? But I don't think it would be a switch failure because the problem seems to be too consistent. A bad switch would probably be more erratic......like not being a problem for a while and then not starting again at all. This seems more like something getting hot, or pressure (or vacuum building up) and then releasing right away after the engine dies.

ed :D

[mavfreak 11]

Well I guess we are sendiing this up the road to let a shop that deals with tractors figure it out. Pap needs it done and can't wait on me to figure it out. I just hope they don't charge him an arm and a leg or hopefully let me do the work after they find whats wrong.

Hopefully we'll find out in a couple of days whats up

[mavfreak 11]

I guess it was a gear in the governor that was cracked in two would jam up and kill engine.

I really would like to talk to shop and see this for myself just for curiosity sake!

[Redbirdman 7]

well that just goes to prove YOU CAN"T TRUST ANY GOVERNORS!

ed :woohoo: