cutting out

[broncobilly69]

My gas powered IH 424 seems to keep cutting out. Seems to only happen after it's been working for more than 20 minutes or so and is good and warmed up. acts like either it temporarily loses fuel. it has even died a couple of times. Fuel pump seems to be working fine and there is no in-line filter to clog. any ideas?

[Treemonkey1000]

You might want to go along and check the tightness of all of your fuel line couplings from the tank right on up to the injectors. Maybe it is warming up and expanding a bit and causing the problem? Don't just eyeball them put a wrench on them. Never mind my rambling I was thinking diesel. Like Hoseguy said ignition stuff. A coil or cracked distributor cap possibly

[hoseguy]

Hi there,
Could be an ignition thing.
I've had coils that worked fine till they heated up.

Or everyones favourite.....

Intermittant electrical fault

[DJ54]

Does it restart immediatley when after it quits, or do you have to wait a bit. Have you tried pulling the choke when it does this..?? I have had a speck of something in the main jet on my Super C, and a quick tug on the choke will take it on through.

If it takes a bit, I'd have tools along to pull a plug, turn the engine over, and check for spark. If you have spark, maybe pull the plug in the bottom of the carb, and see if fuel is being delivered.

There is a screen in the elbow going into the carb, but if it's plugged, doubt it would run that long.

I'm assuming that is an electrical fuel pump. I have had smaller units quit pumping fuel when the engine has warmed up to op. temps.

Then again, years ago, Dad had a Farmall A that had similar symptoms. A wasp abdomen in the fuel tank was the culprit. A perfect fit to seal off the standpipe.

If it does it pretty regular at the 20-30 minute mark, I'd also suspect the coil.

[Jerry/MT]

My gas powered IH 424 seems to keep cutting out. Seems to only happen after it's been working for more than 20 minutes or so and is good and warmed up. acts like either it temporarily loses fuel. it has even died a couple of times. Fuel pump seems to be working fine and there is no in-line filter to clog. any ideas?

When it shuts down, immediately get out of the seat and check for spark by pulling the center wire out of the distributor cap, holding it near a good ground and trying a start. You should have a FAT, BLUISH-WHITE SPARK, the color of lightning. If you don''t, you have a problem in the primary ignition circuit.

If it does, is the coil for 12v system or is there a resistor in the primary ignition circuit? If you have a VOM check the coil primary reisitance. If it's ~1.6 ohms and you have a 6v system that good. If you have a 12V sytem, you need either a 3.2 ohm coil or a resisitor that has ~ 1.6 ohms when it hot in series with the coil. Running a 1.6 ohm coil on a 12V electrical system increases the primary current so that the coil overheats and the points burn. You need to keep the primary current at 4 amps max and so you either need a 12V coil(~3.2 ohms ) or a 6 V coil with a resistor (~1.6 ohms + 1.6 ohms=3.2 ohms).

Another ignition possibility is a bad key switch. They get high resistance and reduce the primary current and that leads to a weak spark after a few minutes of running. If you have a solenoid make sure the connections are good on it. Put a jumper from the battery to the coil and see if the problem goes away( be careful because you may bypass the neutral safety switch if you have one).


The other possibiliy for your problem is poor fuel delivery. Check the vent in the fuel cap or on the tank. If they plug, it can restrict fuel delivery. A clogged dscreen at the tank bottom can restrict flow also. A dirty fuel bowl can restrict float drop and thus limit fuel flow. it only takes a little bit of crud to block the fuel passage in the float valve.

Systematically check every thing out and you'll find the root cause of the problem.

[broncobilly69]

It takes a minute or so before it will start again. I'll try checking out all the things you kind folks suggested. I really appreciate the info.

[broncobilly69]

I replaced the coil and it seemed to be working fine then 45 minutes in it started cutting out a bit. I'll try the fuel pump and look closer at the dist. cap.

[BenQ]

Had eneyone been working on it before. I worked on one back when I lived in Michigan. It would cut out and sputter after about 20 minutes of running. I found that the resister had been removed and the coil was running on the full 12 volts causing it overheat. Installed an automotive ignition resister and the problem was solved.

[broncobilly69]

Put a new fuel pump on it and it seems a lot better, but it is still cutting out a bit at really heavy load. I reckon I'll take the carberator apart and see if there is gunk in the float bowl.
Will I need to have new carb gaskets on hand for reassembly or will I like be able to use the old ones.?

[DJ54]

Most generally, if you're careful, you can reuse the old ones.