First project Cub

[staninlowerAL]

I re-read your post above that says your 1949 cub is equipped with a magneto. If you are not familiar with the J4 magneto I suggest you go to the Quick links tab above at the top left corner of this page, pdf manuals folder and down load the GSS 1012 Electrical Equipment manual on the magneto and battery powered ignition systems. It contains all the maintenance, service, repair etc. that you will need to know. If your tractor has a true magneto system it makes its electrical power for running the engine. (Ref my post above viewtopic.php?f=1&t=115126#p917439 ). DO NOT CONNECT ANY BATTERY POWER TO THE MAGNETO, YOU WILL BE SORRY THAT YOU DID!!!!! Stan
EDIT: Pics added for clarity:
J4 Magneto

J4 Magneto installed Note the kill switch wire attached

J4 Magneto installed running on external coil

mag_excoil.jpg (22.58 KiB) Viewed 400 times

[Glen]

So a carb rebuild is in order.

Hi,
They have said on here the carburetor might not need parts replaced, just a good cleaning. The float may be stuck, or dirt inside the carb. I would clean the needle and seat, and see if the float moves freely.
The needle and seat might not need replacing if it has the original style all metal needle.
They have said on here the newer soft tip needles don't work well in the Cub IH carbs, they have said they sometimes get stuck.
Below is a listing from TM Tractor Parts, you can look at the pic and see what the original style looks like.
http://www.tmtractor.com/new/fl/5183fp.htm

The float level should be set exactly, people on here have said their carb wouldn't work right until they set the float level exactly.
I sent you a PM.

[Poodee]

Thank you guys for pointing me in the right direction! I never realized it wasn’t good to pull it from the front end so if we pull it again, I’ll make sure I run a strap underneath from the drawbar. After I pull the two halves apart, would it be a bad idea to get them soak in the carb cleaner bucket I’ve seen at a local parts store?

[Don McCombs]

It would be an excellent idea.

[staninlowerAL]

........ get them soak in the carb cleaner bucket I’ve seen at a local parts store?

I prefer to remove the brass parts, (float, needle valve and seat, main jet, and the idle jet, if possible). Don't use anything to probe the jet orifaces that would enlarge them. They are calibrated at the factory for a specific size opening. After soaking in the cleaning solution, you can use carb cleaner in a pressure spray can and compressed air to make sure everything is open. BTW there should be a fine mesh screen in the carb fuel inlet connection if someone has not removed it. JMHO Stan

[Poodee]

I’ve got the carb split in 2 and have been doing rounds in my ultrasonic cleaner that I forgot I had. Everything seemed seized other than the screws to take it apart so every few cycles I try to unscrew more parts and it seems to be working. You guys were right, the float was completely seized in place but it’s loose now. In the meantime I made my way back to my grandparents place to check to see if I had spark. And the answer is no spark from the mag to the distributor cap. I’ll start looking around on the site for a way to test the components of the mag and hopefully I don’t have to take the whole thing off. Everything I’ve seen makes it seem like a pain to retime everything. Also I hope the cub fest went well for everyone!

[staninlowerAL]

CUBFEST NE is coming up the first week in October. viewtopic.php?f=8&t=114384#p911171
You might contact tst (Tim Talleur) by PM. He will be a good source for help on the magneto. There's other forum members in your general area that might be accessible to you. NOTE: The service manual GSS 1012 available at the Quick links tab, upper left corner of this page, pdf manuals is a complete service manual for both magneto and battery powered ignition systems. (Disassembly of the magneto takes a special tool.) It's likely that since it has been sitting for an extended period of time the mag will benefit from a thorough service and testing to see if it is capable of producing a spark. BTW, DON'T FORGET TO PRIME THE Oil Pump!!!!

[staninlowerAL]

Looking back at this post and the pictures it's not possible to tell what the ignition setup is that you have. Can you post a picture of the right side showing the mag and whatever might be attached to it? Stan

[Glen]

Hi,
I would look at the ignition points, they may be corroded from sitting, or the condenser could have quit, or the coil could have quit.
You have to remove the cover the rotor is on to get to the points.
You can remove the cover, points, and condenser without removing the magneto from the engine.
You need a short screwdriver with a sort of wide blade, and probably an 11/32" open end wrench for the nut at the end of the point spring.
You can sit on a chair next to the engine if the Cub doesn't have an implement under it.
Use a good light, and I put a towel on the floor to catch any screws I might drop.
Below is a pic of a Cub magneto with the cover off, showing the points and condenser.
I sent you a PM.

[Waif]

Congrats Poodee!

Be patient. It's worth it to ya.

[Poodee]

Here is a kind of crappy picture of the mag but it’s what I had on hand. It looks to me like the original setup with the internal coil.

[tst]

yes you have a mag

[staninlowerAL]

Thanks for posting the pic. I've recently been through the process of getting the mag to produce a spark. In my situation no fire at the points due to needing cleaning (the engine had not been run in a couple years) so there was no output from the mag coil to the distributor cap center post. Cleaning and setting the points to the proper gap (.013) allowed the points to fire and in doing so restored the output from the coil to the distributor cap center post and to the plugs. Short story is if the points will not fire you will not have any fire at the coil output to the distributor cap. It's important to have an understanding of how the magneto works as explained in the service manual that I posted about earlier. JMHO Stan

[k hutchins]

Points, plugs, and condensor, along with possibly new plug wires, are the cheapest and easiest things to replace as far as ignition/spark are concerned.
If it were me, before l did any kind of "deep dive" l'd replace those items. If you don't have spark after that, you'll need to look into the coil. Again, not difficult to replace but can be pricy.

Keep posting on your progress, and we love pictures.

[Poodee]

Sorry for the delay! We have been very busy at work this summer so not much has gotten done. Ended up bringing it home since I can just tinker around with it when I can that way. The points ended up being pretty nasty looking so that and the condenser got replaced. Didn’t end up checking for spark yet because I put the carb back on and it still leaks like crazy. Turns out I didn’t quite grasp what parts were what inside until I read the manual and watched a couple videos. Now the task at hand will be getting the pin that holds the float in place so I can actually clean the needle and seat.