Cannot get my cub to start

[Royalwulff24]

Hi everyone, hope a had a good news year. Ok, I was having trouble with mi distributor so I just bought a new one, took the tappet cover off, made sure both valves were closed to ensure TDC, , rotor is correctly pointing to #1, new coil, ugs, wires, condenser, points, points set to . 20 I turn on gas, and crank and crank and crank, it doesn't even try to start, then gas begins to run out of carb, I shit off gas, drain carb, pull plugs, they are soaked, I dry them with a torch, I have good blue spark, but it won't even chug. The only chug I got out of it was using a trick pap taught. Me when I was young I squirted some lighter fluid in each cylinder, tightened the plugs and I got a few chugs, but that's as far as I can get. Any ideas ? I know I'm close but...

[staninlowerAL]

JMHO, having both valves closed (you didn't say which ones) is not a good way to ensure that #1 piston is at TDC. I would follow the instructions in the service manual GSS 1012 to make sure that you have the distributor installed correctly. Check it out in the manuals section at the Quick links tab, top left corner of this page, pdf manuals folder. When you get it installed correctly the timing needs to be set with a timing light. Static timing will get it close enough to start the engine. Good luck

[Royalwulff24]

, Sorry, the valves on #1 I pulled the tappet cover just to. Make sure that when the pointer and the notch said TDC, that #1 was on the compression stroke . Everything installed exactly as the manual instructs, I did notice that after adjusting my valves it became a " cold starter" and I had to play with the choke whereas before unless it was extremely cold you barely had to choke, in the summer, just hit the starter, could it be that it needs advanced or retarded a few degrees ? I can get it to chug for a few seconds and that's it. Before the old distributor gave me problems, I did time it with a light both low and fast idle, the thing was the easiest starting tractor I saw, even after setting for months, it would fire right up. Well I guess I'll retrace my tracks and see what I missed, I appreciate your insight, it just frustrates me that for years it started so good, now 8 can't get it to start... Lol. I've been a heavy equipment mechanic all my life, specialized in Hydraulics, this tractor is like a refresher course to the days of my 70 chevelle. Again, thank you

[Urbish]

Bright blue spark is promising. That leaves fuel, timing, and compression.

If you have gas running out of the carb, you are over-choking it. I usually full-choke for 1/2 to 1 revolution of the engine and that is all it takes (and yeah, every tractor requires a slightly different procedure). If you're getting appropriate amount of fuel/air and spark at any time, you should at least get something to fire even if wrong timing or plug wires mixed up. I'm assuming you double-checked plug wire order on rotor.

Have you run a compression test on it?

[Royalwulff24]

Hello and thanks Jim, yeah I ran a compression test low was 111, high was #4@ 119. The ugs when I took them out for the test were very wet, except #4, #4 was wet , but not soaked like the others, so i plugged each plug into its wire and laid them on top of the motor and cranked it over, now I have orange spark, and no spark at #4. , I also had bright blue spark at the points, but it was a very very tiny spark with an occasional big blue spark. It's been extremely damp here although the distributor didn't appear wet I took it apart and is been in front of the hair dryer for about an hour. Seems odd with everything brand new that I would lose spark to a plug that soon, I doubt there is 500 revolutions on the distributor yet.
Also, I adjusted my governor control rod on the carb per manual, but I am almost completely. Out of adjustment, literally 1 or 1 1/2 turns and the turnbuckle would fall off... Could that have anything to do. With it ? It's been awhile since something so simple some beat me up.. lol I'm. Beginning to think it's a Mule

[Glen]

Hi,
You didn't say what year the Cub is, or what was wrong with the other Battery Ignition unit.

An orange spark when testing the spark, jumping the spark to ground, is weak, the engine may not run, or run right.
The spark should be blue or white, and jump a 1/4" gap, from a spark plug wire end, to a bare place on the block.
You said everything is new, you may have gotten a defective coil, or condenser.
Be sure the battery is fully charged.
I sent you a PM.

Below is a page from a Cub owner's manual telling how to find number 1 cylinder TDC.
Use only paragraph number 2 on the page.
It is for a magneto, but the same method with either ignition system.

http://farmallcub.com/rudi_cub/www.clea ... age-32.jpg

[ricky racer]

A couple of questions. If the tractor started easily, why did you try to fix it? When did the tractor begin starting hard? After you adjusted the valves or after you replaced the distributor?

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

Does fuel pour out of the carb when you're not cranking? Stuck float?

[Waif]

Correct distributor installation.

Firing order.

Timing.

ignition components in spec. , working properly. Not all new are always good.

What are your plug and point gaps supposed to be? How do I know you know?

[EZ]

You need 3 things. Fuel, fire and air.
There was a time a couple winters ago, my 130 would not start at all. I had fuel and fire.
I did a lot of checking on points, cleaned plugs, clean fuel bowl etc.. THEN I thought of the air.
I checked the oil bath and that was the problem.
Water had got in there from sitting outside in the summer for a few weeks and when temps dropped it turned the oil in the bath to ice cream thus no air flow. Once I cleaned that up with fresh oil. Boom! Fired right up. I never forgot that and now every fall it on my list of service checks.