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Farmall F12 hard to start

A

Anonymous-0

Well-known Member
Hi, I have a 1937 Farmall F12 that I just rebuilt the engine on and is hard to start and keep running. I have adjusted the mag but it doesn"t seem to be helping much. I have it sparking just after TDC. It starts within 5 ft pulling it but is nearly impossible to hand start. The fuel pump does leak and probably needs a new diaphragm and gaskets, i don"t know if that makes much of a difference but the pump is still working. It has the regular International motor in it with an f-4 mag. It runs fine but doesn"t start easily. I"m working on this tractor as my SAE for FFA so any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
 
CT, Spark should be at TDC! not before or after.
Fuel is a problem with most. Pull the fuel line off at the carb. Crank engine over and see if you get a pulse of gas each time you crank it???
If not check the diaphram in pump for cracks.
Rice Equipment in PA. has new ones. Also the rod that push's the pump can be worn. I have had to build them up with weld and grind it back to
7 1/16" or so. If you have good fuel flow, carb and float set right, spark at TDC and good compression it should start easy! oldiron29
 
Thanks. It is at TDC, it had been running a little after but now it is on TDC, just enough after I can barely tell so it wont kick back. The fuel pump is working, I get gas each time i crank it, I checked and I went through the carb, cleaned it and replaced the float. It worked better after the carb cleaning but still is hard to start. I may just get a new diaphragm or the fuel pump rebuild kit, i just don't want to get new parts if they aren't the problem. Thanks for the help.
 
It has Champion W-18 plugs in it. They are the ones that came with it when i got it and it had been sitting for at least five years. I cleaned them up and they work fine. What plugs do you suggest I use and do I need a hotter plug?
 
I have been useing autolite 3076 and like them.
Can't get 3077 any more. Try a new set gap to .025 and see if that helps. oldiron29
 
There is a filter on the inlet to the carburetor, check. If it is a gasoline tractor then if the carburetor is dry it takes quite a bit of cranking to get fuel to the carburetor. Most goes back to the tank. If kerosene or distillate there is the small header fitting at the rear end of the hood which could be used for priming. If it has the F-14 type starter tank then that is gravity feed for starting. My O-12, gasoline, takes quite a bit of effort if it has been sitting for any length of time.
 
I did not see a filter when i went through it. It is a gasoline tractor but i did notice the piece at the back of the hood that is the elbow for the fuel line that goes into the fuel tank. There is a small pipe on the back of it that goes into the top of the tank so how can this be used for priming? It has all the F-14 upgrades though I don't believe there is a starter tank. Thanks.
 
Advance Auto has Autolite 3077 on-line for $2.19 each.

I use them in all my F/W series tractors. They work well in my W-12.
 
Where is the advance lever when trying to start? It should be just off of the full "Off" position. The pipe going back into the tank is the return for when the carb bowl gets full it pumps the gas back into the tank.
 
The advance lever is not hooked up but on the mag (F-4) the lever is in the down position when I am trying to start it which i believe is advance. From what I was told having the lever on the mag horizontal is run. Please correct me if i am wrong on this. Okay, someone said it was for priming somehow but this makes more sense. Thanks.
 
The question is how do you shut it down? If you turn off the gas and run the carb out of gas, then you are going to crank for a very long time. F-12/14 are best shutting them down at fast idle grounding the magento (if you have a F-4), turn the spark control lever to the left or have the spark lever on the magneto raised all the way up so that it grounds out the points).
 
I usually just shut it down by putting the lever in the up position which is off but it still is hard to start even if i just shut it off and try to start it again. If I start it by hand it usually involves a bit of ether/starting fluid and sometimes that doesn't even work. Is it possible that it is getting warm enough that it is vaporizing the ether and gas when I try to restart it? It seems to get very hot ans some white smoke sometimes comes out of the carb and when i put ether in it sounds like it is boiling/vaporizing. Thanks for the help.
 
Okay, I will try that now that I know which position is run and start. Also, any suggestions on a gas tank sealer? I'm running the tractor out of a milk jug because the gas tank makes the gas so dirty it wont run. I have cleaned it but the fuel coming out is still is a bit dirty and i want to try to seal it. Thanks for all the help.
 
Okay, thanks for the carb advice. I cleaned all the
jets but if the other things don't work i will try
cleaning it again. Thanks for all the help
everyone's given.
 
Thanks for all the help. I got a chance to work on it after school and once i got gas back in the lines it started on one or two cranks each time. Is running much better now. If anyone has a suggestion for the fuel pump leak if i should get a new diaphragm and gaskets or get the new rebuilt kit please put in a suggestion. Thanks to everyone who helped.
 
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