Hi Alex. Welcome to the Forum!
I know you're in a hurry to getting your grandfather's Cub up and running, but take some time and read through a few threads to acquaint yourself with the Forum:
You mentioned manuals in another post, so now that you have more than 2 posts, you have access to the all the PDF Manuals on this site. In case you didn't know, there’s a few ways to access them:
- From a desktop or laptop, go to "Quick Links" in the upper left corner of your screen. Hit that and a pull-down appears where you'll find "PDF Manuals".
- You can also go to “Cub Info” in the upper toolbar, then hit “Rudi’s Manuals”. From there, you can access a variety of information.
- If you're using a phone, go to the "Links Directory" (second category down the main page). Once in "Links Directory" , scroll down to the second section "Tractor Parts & Manuals" and you'll find them there.
The best way to familiarize yourself with your grandfather's Cub is to read the Owner's Manual. Service manuals are also available.
For someone facing the overwhelming task of just trying to get a non-running Cub running, it comes down to this: fire, fuel, and compression.
All the references below are from the 1950 Owner's Manual...
Fire: (pages 29-32) There has to be spark generated at the spark plugs. If you have a magneto, that unit generates its own power/spark and sends it to the plugs. The magneto is timed to the engine so it sends spark at the right time and in the right firing order (cylinder "FIRING ORDER 1-3-4-2" stamped on the side of the engine). If you have a distributor, also called a battery ignition, the spark comes from the battery. If you don't know how to check for spark, ask.
Fuel: (page 24) The carburetor is the place where fuel from your gas tank is mixed with air from the air intake into a fuel/air mix suitable to be burned in your engine. Therefore, the carb must be clean and functioning properly. Check the Fuel section in the How To Forum, lots of threads/help. If you do work on your carb, just be careful to pull straight up for the first 4" when removing the top from the body. There's a little brass tube that can break off if you don't. Questions? Ask.
Compression: Once the fuel/air mix is inside the engine, as each piston rises up inside it's cylinder, it compresses the fuel/air mix. At the right time, the spark from the magneto or distributor ignites it and thrusts the piston back down to turn the crankshaft. The rapid succession of each piston continues as the engine begins to run. This is true in any type of engine. If you don't have a compression tester, go to your local auto parts place (O'Reilly, NAPA, etc.) and get one. Make sure it has an 18mm adaptor that fits into the spark plug hole. Do both a dry and wet compression test. Need help? Ask.
Oil is necessary to lubricate it. Check the oil level with the dipstick on the left side of the engine. As long as the oil level is where it should be, it'll be fine while getting it to run. Once you succeed in starting the engine, then change the oil per the manual and advice on here. Glen gave you a link to a thread about priming the oil pump (see pages 14 and following in the 1950 Owner's Manual).
There are a lot of good threads dealing with Cub repair and maintenance in the How To Forum. Located here:
http://farmallcub.com/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=11 We’d encourage you to take the Safety Test located in the Safety Forum:
http://farmallcub.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=68084Take some pictures of your tractor and post them, we’d like to see them. Also post pics when asking questions, it helps us to see the issue better.
Remember:
- When you have a specific question, start a new thread in the appropriate sub-forum.
- Before posting, use the Preview button before hitting Submit--it'll show you exactly what your post will look like, including pictures.
- When adding your comments to a thread, be sure to look at the date of the last poster. If it’s more than a 6 months old, the posters are probably not going to see it. Consider starting a new thread.
Glad you joined us.
