Ford 850 Tractor running bad

[geneP]

You didn't mention replacing the condenser in the distributor. They are inexpensive and will cause your symptoms. Checking the spark to be strong when it starts running badly is good advice. You also mentioned a cracked manifold. If it is the intake manifold, it is possible the crack opens up with heat and creates a vacuum leak.

 

[trgo]

ethanol will make gas boil badly.. make sure the heat shields are in place.

Ethanol?
Unless you are using 100's of gallons of gasoline each year, why use gasoline with ethanol?
In Florida you can buy ethanol free gasoline at many locations.
In some states though, you cannot buy ethanol free gasoline ...anywhere!
You can always buy 100LL (low lead) aviation gasoline at airports though.
I have a 1951 8N, and a 1970 Ford 3400 TLB. Both are gas!
They are in Massachusetts, where you absolutely cannot buy ethanol free gas (you would expect that, in "The Democratic Peoples Republic of Taxachusetts" wouldn't you?).
I take my four 5 gal. cans to the local small airport, and fill them up.
It is costly at $6.00 (currently) per gal., but the machines seem to love the stuff.
For my 50 gals. per year, I feel that it is much better to buy AV gas than it is to fix tractors.
My 2 old gas tractors sit idle for 9 months each year, and AV gas also stores MUCH better (octane) than the junk ethanol gas.
I have just recently acquired a nice low hour Ford 1920 FEL 4x4 diesel too.

 

[BKBoiss]

Sounds like the guys are on to something with a weak or bad spark. We had an 1800 Oliver given to us because someone told the farmer the engine was shot. It would run badly with about half choke and that was it. Long story short after doing everything fuel wise we could think of including a brand new carb, we started in plugs and wires and such and nothing seemed to change, then at a loss for what to do my brother popped on a new coil and just like that runs like a top. I also had a honda powered air compressor run fine for the first hour or so then die slowly like it was starving for fuel. I cleaned the carb and checked the fuel flow then remembering the Oliver, changed the coil (not sure that's the right name, but the thing that mounts next to the flywheel to make the spark) with one off a blow power fist engine I had and it's run with no problems since.

 

[Soundguy]

Ethanol?
Unless you are using 100's of gallons of gasoline each year, why use gasoline with ethanol?
In Florida you can buy ethanol free gasoline at many locations.
.

at many locations other than where i live!

it's a 40m round trip for me to hit the single station i know of that sells 91 oct no ethanol gasoline. or i can drive even farther and hit a marina and pay 6$ a gallon for non ethanol gas.

neither are a good fit...