Problems with Ford tractor

I have a 1953 Ford Jubilee with carb problems. The float needle was stuck so I took the carb of and cleaned it, put it back on and she fired right up. Next day fired up. I let it set for 3 or 4 days then it flooded immediately. Cleaned it again, same results. I bought a kit and put in it and it fired right up again. Started it 3 days in a row let it set for 2 days due to huge snowfall then tried it and it flooded itself almost immediately. Today I tried it and it sputtered a couple time so I choked it and it flooded right away. I know if I take the carb of and make sure the needle isn't sticking then put it back on it will start. Any suggestions?

Your float in the carb may be hanging up on something causing the needle not to seat correctly. It could even
have a hole in it letting it fill with gasoline and making it heavy. Most people make a habit on their tractors
to turn the fuel off via the shutoff valve at the tank. That will alleviate your problem also. I like to turn
mine off and let it run out of gas.

My experience with my Fords is: I open the throttle about 1/4 to 1/3. I do not pull the choke out until
the engine starts. My 51 and 52 8Ns and my Jubilee all fire on the first compression stroke that pulled
fuel on intake stroke. I used to be guilty of pulling the choke BEFORE hitting the start button. I
can't tell you how many times I flooded an engine before changing my start procedure.

the float pivot that the float pins goes through will wear and cause the float to hang up on the side of the carb bowl. You might try to tighten up the float pivot and see if that fixes your problem.

If it has old rubber fuel line , and your putting ethanol in it the hose is coming apart inside causing little pieces of rubber to get into the needle and seat

when it sits a few day pull the air cleaner hose off at the carb. bet its full of gas because the needle in the carb is leaking and over flowing thats why it floods right off the bat when you park it shut the fuel off at the tank untill you replace the needle and set

Does it have a spring clip holding the float and needle together? those have given me problems till I was
told to throw the clip away by a Massey mechanic.

Jim

The 2 most common causes of true flooding are trash in the fuel tank and a partially sunk float.

Take a fuel sample from the drain plug in the bottom of the carb in a clean glass. Hold it up and look at it, if there is trash, rust chunks in the fuel, the tank is contaminated and will be a continuing source of problems.There should be a screen in the tank,one on top of the sediment bowl and one in the inlet fitting of the carb. If those are in place and it is still getting trash, the problem is severe. A rust flaking tank will be an ongoing source of frustration. Inline filters do not work well with gravity systems.

If the float has a hole in one of the pontoons, it will not have enough buoyancy to stop the fuel flow. Give it the shake test, see if you can feel or hear fuel inside it, or float it in a container of gas, it should float evenly. Also be sure the float is not twisted or bent, and not touching the inside of the bowl.

Once the carb is clean, the float level is set (the specs are available online, along with pages of carb information) the seat is tight and the gasket in place, before you put the bowl on, turn the top upside down, suck on the fuel inlet fitting, put your tongue over the hole. You should feel it hold vacuum. If it won't hold, there is still a leak somewhere.

But, I have to ask, are you sure it is truly flooding? If you just turn the gas on and do not try to start it, will it start dripping? Or if left idling for a few minutes, will it load up, black smoke, die, and be flooded when trying to start again?

If yes, then it is flooding.

But if it only drips following a failed start or a few drops when shut off, it may not be flooding. That is normal for an up draft, what happens is liquid fuel drains back down off the inside walls of the intake, especially on a cold day and a cold engine.

Always be sure the engine is properly tuned, especially the points adjusted and clean before blaming or attempting to adjust the carb. The poor thing can only work as well as the rest of the engine will let it!

The needle and seats in the new kits are %#$%@#$. I have taken to shutting the tank valve off after use.

There is a sintered bronze weep plug on
the bottom that is stopped up. Order a
new one from Roberts carb shop. Not sure
if they have the Fords listed now but if
not get one for a 420 john deere. They
are all the same. Once you put that in
you can see the gas dripping out if your
float sticks or the needle and seat
fails. You need a 3/32 pin punch to
knock it out and a large 1/4 (I think)
punch to put it back.

What does "flooded" mean to you? There are very different symptoms between updraft and down draft carbs, but flooding is excess gas in the Cylinders not in the carb intake throat. Just think about it, most talk of flooding was prior to fuel injection on cars and trucks with down draft carbs.

(quoted from post at 20:56:44 12/21/20) The needle and seats in the new kits are %#$%@#$. I have taken to shutting the tank valve off after use.

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es I know. The kit I bought looked like it had used parts in it and was quite expensive. I should have just bought a new carb. Thanks for the tip of shutting off the gas, I should have thought of that.

Thank you, I actually adjusted the points but that doesn't necessarily mean that's not a problem. All good info from your reply.

That's the way our Farmall C starts the best too, 1/3 throttle, no choke, but as soon as it starts you better be ready with it!