Stupid thing! Help please...

   / Stupid thing! Help please... #1  

pequeajim

Platinum Member
Joined
Oct 16, 2004
Messages
804
Location
New Holland, PA
Tractor
Power Trac 425
I'm ashame to admit it, but I was sitting in the driveway ideling and ran out of gas! /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

I stopped by the gas station and picked up some gas to refill the tank and then tried to start the tractor, but it will not start!

Do you have to do something special when you run them dry? This is not like a diesel where you have to bleed something off do you?
 
   / Stupid thing! Help please... #2  
Don’t panic, Don’t use the starter too much, Let it set awhile, Check the spark plug if after setting for a while it don’t start and see if it is flooded. Dry the plugs.
 
   / Stupid thing! Help please...
  • Thread Starter
#3  
I took the spark plugs out and they were bone dry. This gave me the confidence to open up the choke all the way and she started right up.

When taking out one spark plug, however, I did notice that it was not tightened properly. The other was fine though. So this is a good thing that happened which caused me to check the spark plugs. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
   / Stupid thing! Help please... #4  
When I run an engine out of gas, I fill the tank and give it full throttle and full choke until it pops. Then I let off the choke and off it goes. Doesn't matter if the air temp is cold, hot or in between. The engine and carb are starved of fuel and that is the quickest way to get it there.
 
   / Stupid thing! Help please...
  • Thread Starter
#5  
Yep! You're right Moss. That's all it took to start it. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif
 
   / Stupid thing! Help please... #6  
I think people are forgetting how to use a manual choke. Let's discuss what an automatic choke does. If the temperature is below 70 degrees F, it is fully closed. When you crank as soon as it fires it is pulled open slightly by a vacuum diagrapham and air flow if it is near or above 70 F.

If the power trac 422 engine is cold, I always fully choke the engine until it first fires and then open it a little bit, wait a few seconds and then a little bit more. Then open it slowly. I also set the throttle to about 2/3 prior to attempting to start. It usually starts the first time. This works for me.
 
   / Stupid thing! Help please... #7  
One other thing, I keep my 422 in a heated garage. I had it in the shed a last year and had trouble starting it. A lot of trouble. I checked the spark plug gaps and they were at 40 thousands. The spec is 25. I set the gap, but have always had it in the garage since then. The garage rarely gets below 60 (R50 in the walls, R55 in the ceiling, and R11 in the door. This probably makes starting a lot easier.
 
   / Stupid thing! Help please... #8  
I too have drained the tank on a couple of occasions.... The first time I instinctively shut the engine off immediately. (The sputter of a 425 gasping for gas is much different from a 425 bog-down.) I put in some fresh petrol, choked the beast, and it fired right up! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif The second time the same thing, though I was caught a little off guard.....the gas can was a bit of a walk away!! I tend to run the engine around half throttle most of the time, perhaps 60%.....but I notice that when I need maximum hydraulic power and/or speed,,,,,and run it above that 50-60%, the fuel consumption rate increases significantly... Anyway, if you run out of gas turn to your PT. If it runs out of gas, shut if off, feed it, choke the beast, turn the key, and as it springs to life, smile, and release your grip on its neck!
 
 
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