Ferguson TO30 Won't Start

[Mike Madison]

Hi Good People,

I recently acquired a Ferguson TO30 that has been sitting for a long time. It ran well when delivered. I parked it under a shade tree for some electrical work--replaced the broken ammeter with a volt meter, new ignition switch, new spark plugs, lights. Now it cranks strong but won't start. It has a good spark. Won't start even with a good spray of ether in the air intake. Nada. I'm thinking: fuel problem. Gas runs well out the carb drain plug. But I notice that the level of fuel in the tank seems to be lower than it was, and the crankcase oil smells like gasoline. Previous owner removed the sediment bowl and shut-off, and put in an in-line filter, so there is no easy way to shut off the gas at the tank. Any suggestions? Thank you.

 

[vvanders]

Hmm, sounds like a carb rebuild is in your future.

For what it's worth the TE-20 we have here would flood the carb if we left the fuel shut-off on and then drain the tank. If you disconnect the air intake to the carb do gas come out or does the float keep to sealed?

 

[jaxs]

Gas odor in crankcase sound's like flooding. By hook or crook,prevent fuel flow into carb. After fuel has been cut off,drain carb and let it sit a few hours before trying to start. If it doesn't fire on starting fluid,you should get the bowl and shut off back on it,even if you need to order new parts. If needle and seat doesn't leak now,it will eventualy. If you can't bring yourself to put it back original,at least buy a valve with compression fittings and install inline. After you have control over gas and it still don't start,post back.

 

[vvanders]

Yup, even if you don't have a fuel shut-off the carbs don't like to sit unused for a long time. On our TE-20 we didn't turn it over during the winter for ~6mo and that was enough to take a flaky carb and make it stop working completely.

If you don't feel like doing the carb rebuild yourself pretty happy with Yesterday's Tractors carb rebuild. Was spendy but we were crunched for time and after the rebuild the thing behaves like a whole new tractor.

 

[Jerry/MT]

Hi Good People,

I recently acquired a Ferguson TO30 that has been sitting for a long time. It ran well when delivered. I parked it under a shade tree for some electrical work--replaced the broken ammeter with a volt meter, new ignition switch, new spark plugs, lights. Now it cranks strong but won't start. It has a good spark. Won't start even with a good spray of ether in the air intake. Nada. I'm thinking: fuel problem. Gas runs well out the carb drain plug. But I notice that the level of fuel in the tank seems to be lower than it was, and the crankcase oil smells like gasoline. Previous owner removed the sediment bowl and shut-off, and put in an in-line filter, so there is no easy way to shut off the gas at the tank. Any suggestions? Thank you.

These Marvel-Schebler carbs are noted for leaky float valves and that could be your problem. I never trusted them so I shut the fuel valve off after I shut down. Make sure that you don't have full cylinder of fuel or you can severely damage the piston and rod. Pull the plugs and crank the engine to make sure. You can find sediment bowl shut off valves on ebay for ~$20. Get one.

To start a spark ignition engine you need the right amount of fuel/air mix, spark at the right time and something to rotate the engine. Everybody wants to blame the carb when an engine won't start but most of the time it's the ignition system. First of all put the starting fluid away. Using that incorrectly can break piston rings and /or the lands on the piston.

Do you have the requisite "fat bluish-white spark"? Pull the boot off the spark plug, put a paper clip in the boot so it is connected to the metal part of the plug wire, hold it about a quarter of an inch away from a good ground ( like an engine bolt) and try to crank it over. You should see a fat bluish white spark the color of lightning. Not orange, not blue orange, but bluish-white. If you have that the primary ignition system is good to go. If you don't, make sure the points are opening and closing. If they are pull a piece of a brown paper bag between the points to clean the crud off of them. Check the point setting (0.022" as I recall). Check the wiring from the battery through the key switch, to the coil to the distributor.
Net make sure you have fuel flow to the carb. There is a drain plug on the bottom of the carb. Make sure that the valve at the bottom of the fuel tank is open (it's part of the glass sediment bowl that should be clear and not full of trash. Open that drain plug and fuel should continuously gush out like a cow peein' on a flat rock. If it dribbles or is intermittent you have an obstruction somewhere. There are couple of place to look. The first is at the carburetor fuel inlet elbow. It contains the infamous "secret filter" a screen that catches debris. The other spot is at the tank outlet. There is usually a screen there but these old machines have been parked out in the blackberries and there is often crud in the tank. It could also be a pinched line.
The final thing to check is the ignition timing. Chance are the distributor has not been fooled with so the timing is OK.make sure the firing order is correct 1-3-4-2.

Run these quick checks and come back with what you find.

 

[Jstpssng]

It also isn't that difficult to put a shutoff/sediment bowl as long as you are working on it anyways. I think that I paid about $18 for one at Antique Tractors - Yesterday's Tractors : Parts and Online Community last month, and it took about 5 minutes to switch it with my old one.

 

[Mike Madison]

Thanks for the comments. I did order a sediment bowl/shutoff. Intended use of the tractor is to pull a bin trailer during olive harvest--I will try to remember to fire it up once a week the rest of the year.
Special thanks to Jerry/MT who insisted that the problem is the spark. He was right! I was pulling the plugs to verify that I didn't have a cylinder full of gas, and crouching down there I noticed a circumferential crack in the end of the coil. When I removed the coil there was also a longitudinal crack down one side (facing the engine, so it wasn't visible without removing the coil). The coil appears to have exploded. It was still making a spark, but not a 'fat bluish-white spark.' Put in a new coil and it fired right up. Everything I have is diesel except this; I guess I don't remember the look of a 'fat, bluish-white spark' from back in the day when I worked on my 1951 Studebaker convertible. Anyway, Jerry/MT, if you're ever in the Sacramento Valley drop by and I'll buy you a beer.