1968 Sears Tractor Project

[pontiacgp]

Re: Need help with 1968 Sears tractor project-

if you can't get it apart you could try soaking the carb in a bucket of diesel fuel for a day or two. That will dissolve varnish and the residue of gas that dried up.

 

[joesregalproject]

Re: Need help with 1968 Sears tractor project-

if you can't get it apart you could try soaking the carb in a bucket of diesel fuel for a day or two. That will dissolve varnish and the residue of gas that dried up.

I'm looking for someone to rebuild it first, but if I can't anyone I will try this.

 

[Hoopty_Mike]

Re: Need help with 1968 Sears tractor project-

It is a horizontal shaft carb. I could see inside the shaft and it looked clean, but I can't get the bowl off. I'm not sure if the seal around it is just really sticky or if there is something else holding it. I'm assuming the float(s) is probably stuck and it's gummed up inside the bowl. It does have a steel tank too. It's just acting like its flooding before it can turn over.

Once you get the main jet off the bottom with a 7/16" wrench or socket, the bowl should come right off. That's the only thing holding the bowl on, so you can beat on it all you want until it comes off. Clean the bowl with some steel wool or scotchbrite. Read the link I posted to see how to clean the main jet. The older ones the float is thin brass, and they can get pin holes. Nothing a little solder can't fix. I also just spray carb cleaner up into everything while I have the bowl off. This seems to do it 90% of the time.

 

[joesregalproject]

Re: Need help with 1968 Sears tractor project-

I took the carb apart and cleaned it and I also put a new fuel line on it. Now it misfires. It still doesn't start. Before it didn't fire at all. I'm confused as to what might be happening now.

 

[joesregalproject]

Re: Need help with 1968 Sears tractor project-

I decided to take it to a small engine repair place. It took me a while to find a place who would work on something so old but they seemed like they knew what they were doing and they also seemed eager to work on something out of the ordinary. They said it'd be about 2 weeks but they would make it run and run good. Stay tuned...

 

[86 Grand prix]

Re: Need help with 1968 Sears tractor project-

If its been sitting up it may have a stuck valve. Most likely something simple. good luck.

 

[DRIVEN]

Re: Need help with 1968 Sears tractor project-

^^That's a good suggestion.^^ I did that to myself once when I tried to use up some old gas in a mower. It doesn't take much since the valve springs are so light. Took it apart and cleaned everything out. BrakeKleen freed up the stuck valve. Put it back together and used fresh gas -- problem solved.

 

[joesregalproject]

Re: Need help with 1968 Sears tractor project-

That's what the guy at the mower shop thought it may have been. He thought a screw from the carb might have fallen in as it is a flathead motor and be holding a valve open. Once I get it back there are some small things that need to be done, some hardware needs replaced, but I will be mudding and pulling with it this summer. A new set of pulling tires are on the parts list, so this thread will be continually updated even after I get it running.

 

[joesregalproject]

Re: Need help with 1968 Sears tractor project-

Repair shop called me today. They said the mower had great compression, and really poor spark. They said they could regap the magneto for $50 with a 50/50 chance of that being the problem. The guy said the magneto doesn't normally go out of time unless someone's been messing with it, but he'd do it just as process of elimination. He called me an hour later and said somebody hadn't been messing with it, but something had been. There were 2 dead mice inside along with the remnants of their condominium They had chewed on some wires and fried a switch and in all their trampling set the air gap off, so the shop fixed everything the mice broke and got it running. I'll be picking it up later today. 8)

 

[pontiacgp]

Re: Need help with 1968 Sears tractor project-

so the bad news is now you'll hve to cut the lawn this summer..