My 202 just died, help

[Carl in CT]

Hi, I have a 1958 202 (I think it's a 58). I was digging a drainage ditch today with the backhoe when it suddenly died. I was on a bit of a slope facing down the hill and the gas tank was less than half full so I added more gas since the intake is at the rear of the tank. It started up and ran again for about 30 minutes and died again. I filled the tank the rest of the way this time but it won't even start, not so much as a sputter. Gas is getting to the carb, won't pop with starting fluid sprayed into the carb. Pulled the plugs (one was gross, the other 3 weren't bad). Hard to see in the daylight but I tried to check for spark and saw nothing. Could it be a bad coil or something like that? I am in a real mess and need to finish this ditch pronto, I am up the creek if I can't get this thing going.

Thanks

 

[Mike476]

Had mine do the same thing last fall, traced it back (plugs - coil - starter - battery - ground), found the positive cable was bad. No indication, battery terminals are cleaned and greased regularly (spring and fall). Replaced the cable and it's worked great since.

 

[Carl in CT]

I just replaced the cables last year but I will check them anyway tomorrow. Did yours crank or was it just stone dead? Mine will crank over, just shows no signs of starting, not even a pop or sputter. My first car was a 1976 Isuzu Opel (no relation to the German sportscar, not even close) and it used to go through coils every few months and it acted just like this except after it cooled down it would start and run until it heated up again then die.

 

[DJ54]

Has it been convertd to 12V, and have a resistor block..?? If so, check for current flowing through it. Had one on my 530 Case hoe, go instantly last summer...

 

[bindian]

Take the fuel line off at the carb and turn it over to see if you are getting fuel from the pump. Next, take a spark plug out, stick it back into the wire and ground the electrode and turn it over to see if it is getting spark.
hugs, Brandi

 

[Carl in CT]

Yup, it is 12 volt but not sure about the resistor block. I see something that looks like it might be it, not sure. I do see that the connections are all pretty rusty.

When I took the fuel line off earlier today it seemed to be getting fuel but I will check it again. I checked for spark too but not sure I had it grounded well enough. It was getting late and figured I'd try more tomorrow. Wish I had a garage or barn to work in but at least it's summer, hopefully I won't still be trying to do this all froze up in a couple months.

 

[Carl in CT]

I'm pretty sure this was 12 volt factory. The shop manual is listing the parts as 12 volt but it shows no resistor block. I see a part that looks like some sort of wire block but I don't see that in the manual, hmmmmmm. WHen I get home from church I'll see if I can get a pic of that.

 

[DJ54]

IF you find you are getting no spark, a test light to check to see if you're getting current from switch to coil, and beyond, is about the simplest way.

I checked on the AGCO Allis site, and it shows a direct wire from the switch, to the coil... Kinda... Shows wire going through a loom, and you lose which wire is which.

None the less, if you have current to the distributor, out of the coil, and no spark, it could be the condenser...

If you have a helper, you could have them roll it over, with the dist. cap removed, and you should see some spark coming off the points...

If you have spark there, I would turn the dist. cap over, and check the lugs for ionization. Seems the newer caps with aluminum lugs are worst... They get a buildup of a whiteish buildup. For a quickie fix, simply/carefully scrape off with you knife. Check the rotor button for a buildup too.

If you have spark, you may have sucked some junk into the carb... There should be a strainer screen, where your fuel line goes into the carb. Remove the fuel line at the carb., and the 90 degree brass EL it screws into, is part of that screen assembly.

 

[Mike476]

I just replaced the cables last year but I will check them anyway tomorrow. Did yours crank or was it just stone dead? Mine will crank over, just shows no signs of starting, not even a pop or sputter. My first car was a 1976 Isuzu Opel (no relation to the German sportscar, not even close) and it used to go through coils every few months and it acted just like this except after it cooled down it would start and run until it heated up again then die.

Mine would engage the starter solenoid ocassionally, but not enough power to turn the motor.

I used a light to troubleshoot as well, was all I needed.

As stated in one of the other posts, I'd ensure I'm getting fuel to the cylinders by pulling a plug. If you can turn it over your plugs will be damp and you should smell the fuel from the cylinder. If confirmed, and after allowing the fumes to clear, either using a plug grounded against the block or a rubber handled screwdriver into the plug lead, confirm your spark. If you don't have a spark there, DJ54's advice is what you'll need to do.

Let us know what you find.

 

[Carl in CT]

Well, I am definitely getting gas to the carb and when I pull the plugs they seem damp, definitely not bone dry. Not seeing any spark at the plug or at the points. In looking through the shop manual I see echlin part numbers written in next to the MHF part number for the points, condenser, cap and rotor. In fact there are also KEM part numbers too so I'm guessing this has been done at least twice before. Well, it's a 53 year old tractor so that stands to reason. Problem is neither the KEM (#81u) or Echlin (#RR141) condensers seem to be available locally, might have to order, don't want to wait. Actually can't even find the echlin ones listed, they seem to be ancient history. Would it really matter that much? Would any condenser for a 12 volt system work as long as it fits in there? What about the coil, are they that specific?