Hi, folks, I'm the latest owner of my 1959 Massey Ferguson TO-35 Deluxe. I've never owned a real tractor before, and I'm not the most mechanically inclined when it comes to multi-cylinder engines - small engines are easy-peasy, do 'em in my sleep, but I've had a bad history when trying to repair larger engines.
The tractor ran fine when I bought her, and I spent a few days (spread over several weeks) tooling around the lot familiarizing myself with how everything worked. About two weeks ago after I'd finished playing, I parked her and throttled down to let her idle before turning her off. I don't know why, but when I throttled down, the engine died. I tried to start her back up and she backfired. Like a bomb going off. Every dog in at least a quarter mile started barking. And we have narrow lots here.
My first thought was, "Bugger, what just happened?" I'd never experienced a large engine backfire up close. (I don't consider the VW Van that drives past my house and sounds like it's testing an engine design for Project Orion to be "up close". Besides, the dogs provide incontrovertible proof that mine is louder... ) Second thought was that when I throttled down, the engine must have flooded and that was the cause of the backfire. So I turned off the fuel line, drained the carb, pulled the plugs and cycled the engine to clear the cylinders. No luck. But I did get the chorus of whatever it was the neighborhood dogs were singing.
Since that day I've changed the spark plugs, replaced the gas, charged the battery (twice!), changed the battery, tested the compression, changed the oil in the air filter, confirmed that I've got a good spark and rebuilt the carb.
I'm at a loss. The tractor has started and run a couple of times during this process, first after I charged the battery the first time, and then after I changed the gas. But when I try it again it refuses to start. And I'm getting jumpy about starting it, because it has backfired a number of times now, sometimes through the exhaust, sometimes through the air filter. Talk about a huge difference in sound volume - although the trade-off is a serious mess.
Anyone have any suggestions, or am I at the point of needing a real mechanic?
Doug
The tractor ran fine when I bought her, and I spent a few days (spread over several weeks) tooling around the lot familiarizing myself with how everything worked. About two weeks ago after I'd finished playing, I parked her and throttled down to let her idle before turning her off. I don't know why, but when I throttled down, the engine died. I tried to start her back up and she backfired. Like a bomb going off. Every dog in at least a quarter mile started barking. And we have narrow lots here.
My first thought was, "Bugger, what just happened?" I'd never experienced a large engine backfire up close. (I don't consider the VW Van that drives past my house and sounds like it's testing an engine design for Project Orion to be "up close". Besides, the dogs provide incontrovertible proof that mine is louder... ) Second thought was that when I throttled down, the engine must have flooded and that was the cause of the backfire. So I turned off the fuel line, drained the carb, pulled the plugs and cycled the engine to clear the cylinders. No luck. But I did get the chorus of whatever it was the neighborhood dogs were singing.
Since that day I've changed the spark plugs, replaced the gas, charged the battery (twice!), changed the battery, tested the compression, changed the oil in the air filter, confirmed that I've got a good spark and rebuilt the carb.
I'm at a loss. The tractor has started and run a couple of times during this process, first after I charged the battery the first time, and then after I changed the gas. But when I try it again it refuses to start. And I'm getting jumpy about starting it, because it has backfired a number of times now, sometimes through the exhaust, sometimes through the air filter. Talk about a huge difference in sound volume - although the trade-off is a serious mess.
Anyone have any suggestions, or am I at the point of needing a real mechanic?
Doug