IH444 stalls after 10-20 minutes

[KenKunkel]

Hello
The electric fuel pump on the 444 failed so I bypassed it and am running only on gravity feed. Worked OK for a while but later started stalling after working it for less than an hour. I replaced the coil; points are good. Could it be the fuel shutoff solenoid on the carb?

The 444 is circa 1971 model with lots of hours.
Appreciate any feedback. Ken

 

[tree farmer]

Ken, welcome to TBN. First thing to do is pull out a spark plug. (Sounds like you have a gas pot) If the plug is wet, you're getting fuel, and time to look at the electrics. Even though the points, rotor, and cap look good, run a point file or even a business card between the points and lightly scrape the contacts inside the cap. I have to do this on my old IH3414 if it sits in the barn for a few months. Replace the inline fuel filter if there is one, as it may have some crud in it that sloshes around and plugs things up after running for awhile. The ethanol gas we have today seems to bring out the worst in a machine, so I dump some 'Seafoam' in the old girl once in awhile. Hope it gets to running OK....Dan.

 

[KenKunkel]

Hello
The electric fuel pump on the 444 failed so I bypassed it and am running only on gravity feed. Worked OK for a while but later started stalling after working it for less than an hour. I replaced the coil; points are good. Could it be the fuel shutoff solenoid on the carb?

The 444 is circa 1971 model with lots of hours.
Appreciate any feedback. Ken

-----
Dan, thanks for the warm welcome and the suggestion. I'll check this out soonest. One more question while I have you; do you know why this machine had an electric fuel pump in the first place? I don't know if it is original or an aftermarket add on. The gravity feed seems to work fine. Have you ever seen a carburetor fuel shutoff solenoid fail?
Thanks again. Oh, where are you located? I'm in northern Virginia.
Ken

 

[Quebecguy]

Hi Ken,
The attached diagram is from an I&T Shop Service manual and it shows an electric fuel pump for an IH 444 albeit in a less bold format than the other components perhaps indicating this was originally an optional fitment??? If your 444 is anything like my 354 (444 in Canada, Britain etc.) I would be changing the distributor cap and secondary wiring and coating all ignition cable terminals with dielectric grease.View attachment 428759

 

[rswyan]

Dad's 444 had an electric fuel pump on it ... I believe it failed as well.

 

[KenKunkel]

Don,
Thanks again for all your input! I just noticed you're from Quebec (I'm still learning about this new network.)
Ken