1946 farmall h will not start

[zp18]

i recently have purchased a 1946 farmall h. its still 6 volt and has electric start. it started and ran a little rough when i got it, it sounded like it was missing. one day as i went to start it i chocked it and gas started coming out the carb. so i stopped cranking it and when i went to start it again. it didnt crank at all. the starter button gets hot and thats it. i can hear the starter click, but it doesnt turn over at all. any ideas would be appreciated. thanks

 

[Clint S]

Those carbs are super picky and will leak gas easily. I really never choke mine. As far as the starter what probably happened was that in trying to start it the starter pinion got wedged against the flywheel and it is bound up. Did you hold the button in a for an extended period it will get hot if this is happening. Do not continue to try to start it and hold the button when it does not turn it could cause the wires get hot and start a fire. Loosen the starter bolts and pull the starter back a bit and the pinion will often pop back, if not pull the starter and check to see if it is retracting properly

 

[zp18]

im new to all this antique stuff so i dont really know if i should or should not choke it. and no i only clicked it 2 or 3 times after that, cause 6 volt takes a few seconds before it even starts to crank .. so i thought maybe that was it. but it wasnt. and ok thank you sir. ill try that tomorrow an see how it goes. really appreciate it.

 

[Clint S]

It really should not take a few seconds to turn over after pushing the button. The starter may be on the way too. If the starter is on the way out it may be drawing too much and not turning and getting the button hot. Could be as simple as a dead battery too, but pulling enough to get the button hot, probably not. Check and clean all wires especially grounds also, Shiny clean tight connections. If it is above freezing I have NEVER had to choke my Farmall 200. If I do gas drips out the bottom of the carb. I would pull the starter and have it checked, especially if you do not hear the bendix clicking back if it was stuck

 

[zp18]

well, like, it takes a little bit longer than if it would be a 12v, you know what i mean. i think im just going to rewire the whole thing considering some of the wires the 'insulation' is all shredded. but ill pull the starter out like you said an see if that fixes it. if it doesnt ill take it out and have it looked at. and like i said, i just got her.... so i dont really know a whole lot about these old tractors yet. I really appreciate your help!

 

[Clint S]

I know what you mean by the slower turning. Take a look and post back. Farmall's do tend to bind up. Best thing about these tractors is they are pretty simple to work on

 

[zp18]

i will man. and yea , they aint like tractors today

 

[zp18]

i got it, i just loosened the bolts on the starter enough to pull it out about an inch or so, wiggled it around a little bit, and put it back it. i hopped on it and it cranked right over. granted i flooded it cuz it stalled and i didnt have the throttle pulled out at all. but atleast i know the starter aint shot. thanks man.

 

[DJ54]

You may also want to check the battery cables, for two different items. #1. Check both ends of both cables. Make sure you have good clean connections. #2. Make sure the cables are the correct gauge. If the originals are still not on it, and have been replaced with lighter gauge automotive type cables, get a set of no less that 1/0 cables. It will make a world of difference.

 

[DJ54]

Well., scratch #1 of the list... But case in point... My one Super C I inheirited from Dad had problems with the starter sticking. In fact, carried a bar in the tool box to turn the flywheel to unstick it, via a snap in inspection cover on the bell housing. It had the lighter gauge cables on it. Last Spring it needed a new battery, and the cables were getting shabby. I had a new set made at NAPA. All they had was 2/0 cable, so went ahead and got them, although pretty pricey. I've used it more this summer than it has been used in years, and the starter has not stuck once...

 

[zp18]

Thanks for the tip man. it was just bugging me that all of a sudden it just stuck for no reason. but i got it. im eventually going to rewire the whole tractor because most of the 'insulation' on the thicker wires is all shredded. eventually im going to restore the whole thing. thanks for the info man.

 

[Clint S]

Glad you got it going and yes the 6 volt system pulls more amps so the correct size wire with EXCELLENT grounds and clean connections is a must

 

[flusher]

I'd rewire it for 12V negative ground.
When I tried to start the rebuilt engine on my 1951 MM BF tractor first time out of the shop, the 6V positive ground system (original configuration) would barely turn the engine. I changed to 12V negative ground and the same starter spins that 27 hp Hercules engine a lot faster and it starts instantly.

Good luck

 

[zp18]

yea im kinda contemplating weather i want to convert it to 12v or keep it 6v

and thanks

 

[Soundguy]

if it starts and charges on 6.. stay 6. just celan up all the onnections.

if the gen ever dies.. that is the time to get a alternator.

however it's hard to tuck a 10SI under the hood. I have seen it done.. but easier to use a CS130 or a small hitachi..

 

[zp18]

yea thats true. the wiring is pretty bad though, so im gonna atleast rewire it all at some point. and yea i know what you mean

 

[Clint S]

if it starts and charges on 6.. stay 6. just celan up all the onnections.

if the gen ever dies.. that is the time to get a alternator.

however it's hard to tuck a 10SI under the hood. I have seen it done.. but easier to use a CS130 or a small hitachi..

That's good advice, if it is not broke do not fix it. 6 volt was good enough for our grandads, but I agree with SG if a major component breaks then switch it. I just found an old 3 wire chevy alternator in the barn and fabbed it up 15 years ago with nothing to go on except a volt meter and it still works. Alternator sticks out the side a bit and Tractor spends 75% of it's time outside without an issue so far. I guess some day I will wire it up "correct" with a diode so I do not have to disconnect the battery each night, although that is a good idea anyway in my book anyway.

 

[Soundguy]

no reason to need to disconnect a 3 wire each night.

the #1 post is excite. simply do not wire it to the ignition or charge stud. instead, wire it to the headlamps.. start her up. blip the headlamps on for a seond and that will startt he alt charging.. then you can turn the lamps off.

#2 line still needs to be hooked to the charge stud though.

 

[zp18]

i know what you mean about if it aint broke dont fix it . and yea, it did and still does what its supposed to do

 

[Clint S]

no reason to need to disconnect a 3 wire each night.

the #1 post is excite. simply do not wire it to the ignition or charge stud. instead, wire it to the headlamps.. start her up. blip the headlamps on for a seond and that will startt he alt charging.. then you can turn the lamps off.

#2 line still needs to be hooked to the charge stud though.

I have a keyed battery disconnect so I just remove the key to keep unwanted borrowers away. My luck I would forget to blip the lights. ;o). I have just never bothered to fix it. A $1.50 1n4001 diode would fix it too. Like ZP I am planning a rewire this winter I think. Installing a volt and temp gauge as well as new lights since I blew all the 6 volt ones when I did the conversion