1944 Farmall H will not start after sittin in yard for a year.

   / 1944 Farmall H will not start after sittin in yard for a year. #1  

DPForumDog

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We bought some property and the original owners left a 1944 Farmall H. The real estate agent said he himself used it to cut the grass last spring, but we cant get it to start now. My husband bought a new battery.


We are not sure how many modifcations have been made to it over the years.
My husband said it was a 6 volt and now is 12. He also said there are "new" guages on the side that are not original.

We are thinking it should start and are that we are missing a button or something. We dont have a manual.

Any and all help appreciated,

DP

1944 Farmall H will not start after sittin in yard for a year.
 
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   / 1944 Farmall H will not start after sittin in yard for a year. #2  
well.. it's going to need a switch to provide power tot he coil, and then you will need to find the starter pull rod to get it to turn over.

it will need fuel in the tnak and the valve open.

if you are doing all that.. ensure you are getting power to the coil with key one. switches go bad.

if coil is getting power.. clena the points. run some coarse paper thru them.. like grocery sack.

check spark. getting spark at plugs?

if yes and no start.. pull plugs and put thumb over spark plug hole and see if it is making compression. if no.. might have valves hung open

if it makes comp and has spark.. but no start.. get a can of start fluid and give a few squirs at the mouth of the carb while turning her over.

if that starts her.. but she won;t stay running.. check fuel flow to and thru carb ( at drain. )

post back.


I have a 44 H as well.

love it. drove it yesterday with my pasture drag attached.

a59693.jpg
 
   / 1944 Farmall H will not start after sittin in yard for a year.
  • Thread Starter
#3  
Thanks SoundGuy,
I just now saw your post. We got a new JD and haven't thought much about it, but yesterday my husband said he would like to use the farmall and I could cut with the JD (each have bushhogs) so he tried again with no luck,

I will have my husband try your suggestions. Meanwhile here is a pic of our tractor. I think the kill switch has been bypassed.
Blessings,
Granny DP
farmall 1944 what happened to the kill switch.jpg
 
   / 1944 Farmall H will not start after sittin in yard for a year. #4  
Have you got it to turn over? Does it sound like it is trying to fire.? Are you familiar with the instrument panel?

Sometimes pull starting works. Use fourth gear, about 1/4 throttle and vary the choke settings. Have your foot on the clutch to shift into neutral if it starts.:thumbsup:
 
   / 1944 Farmall H will not start after sittin in yard for a year. #5  
Any chance you could get the real estate salesman to come back and show you how to start it ?
I tend to compare real estate salesman to lawyers, so I,m wondering if he told you what you wanted to hear, to help the sale along. Hopefully you can get it going.
 
   / 1944 Farmall H will not start after sittin in yard for a year. #6  
Well, well... Your H is definitely an antique..!! With the position of the starter switch, that means it it is either a 1939, or 1940. That was the only two years that switch was mounted there. And also noticed the crank for the radiator shutters, which makes me wonder if it is a distillate model..??

If you can't get it started, and don't want to mess with it, definitely do not junk it..!! I'm sure some collector would love to have it..!! May not bring big bucks, but definitely unique..!!
 
   / 1944 Farmall H will not start after sittin in yard for a year. #7  
The run switch is a little round button that you have to pull out on the little dash area and it should stay out while it's running if you get it running. The choke is a round rod with a ring curled up on the end. It's possible that the float may be stuck or the fuel is shut off at the glass bowl. The one that used to be here would sometimes not start after sitting for only a few months and inside at that. Once you get running I would start once a month whether you're going to use it or not.
 
   / 1944 Farmall H will not start after sittin in yard for a year. #8  
keep us posted on your progress!
 
   / 1944 Farmall H will not start after sittin in yard for a year. #9  
Just went through this on a 300 Utility that had sat for 6 years.

Here's my checklist for starting old cars and equipment:

check oil/fluids. look for obvious faults like broken belts, leaks, bare wires etc that may cause trouble later on. Keep an eye out for levers/sharp stuff/rotating objects that you may not be familiar with on a new-to-you machine. A forklift I just bought this week had some bare wires hanging loose under the dash. They had never been a problem for the previous owner since it was always driven on level ground...but the first time I drove uphill with it, they swung back into the dash, made contact and nearly started a fire!

Put trans in neutral and set brake/block wheels

Check air cleaner for water/mouse nests/debris

install fresh battery and check that the engine cranks with the key on

check ignition - is there 12v present at the coil positive terminal when the ignition is on? Remove cap and inspect points for voltage or spark when opened and closed (note - make sure points aren't being held open by distributor lobe. If so rotate engine until points are closed, then manually open them). An alternative is to pull the coil wire out of the dist cap and place it close to a clean grounded surface - within 1/8" or so - and crank the engine. You should see spark. Points are almost always oxidized after long dormant periods and should be cleaned.

Fuel - is there decent fuel in the tank? Is the sediment bowl clean and does the valve work? Shut off fuel, remove the sight bowl and clean out, then open stop cock and let a little fuel run out to make sure the inlet isn't plugged. Replace bowl and re-open valve. If no fuel flows, you might have to remove the whole shutoff assembly and inspect for blockages. Sometimes crud blocks the opening and simply inserting a probe or small screwdriver into the fuel tank will open it up.

Check for fuel at carburetor - either pull the carb drain plug or disconnect line. There is often a small mesh fuel filter just inside the carb where the line attaches. it gets clogged easily. You'll want to see a steady pencil thick stream of fuel. An inconsistent dribble means a blockage somewhere.

In the case of the old 300 clean fuel dribbled out of the float bowl drain plug, but the bowl was full of hard caked rust. Water must have gotten in the carb at some point. It required removal of the bowl and cleaning all the passages with carb cleaner and compressed air. Even then it still took quite a bit of tinkering and several heat cycles before it was running steady and reliably.

Hope that helps.
 
   / 1944 Farmall H will not start after sittin in yard for a year. #10  
DP. If you did not get it running this summer do the basics. It takes 3 things to get an engine to start.

1. Spark
2. Fuel
3. Air

If you have these three and compression it should fire.

Check these three things. 1. Fuel system must be clean. (Look in tank for gunk and also smell for stale gas) Clean as necessary. 2. Check for spark and solve that problem. (Test by pulling off spark plug wire and look for spark to jump from the wire to the plug when turning it over.) 3. Make sure there is no blockage in the air supply system. It's that simple.

As poster said please don't destroy that tractor. It's part of our unique American heritage. I could use the shutter control crank mechanism for my old M Farmall if you don't need it and will pay for it.

Thanks, D. Pfeifer.
 
 
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