Engine Stalling

Question:

“Why does my 8N run for a few minutes and then die?”

Answer:

This is a very common complaint among Ford owners, and it usually stems from one of two common problems. First is fuel. Dirt or crud in the fuel tank will clog up the the shut off valve under the tank.

The tractor runs until it uses up the fuel in the carburetor and then runs out of gas. After sitting a few minutes, the fuel will dribble down and refill the carburetor bowl and the tractor will restart and run a few more minutes. Remove the fuel line at the carburetor and open the shut off valve. You should have a good flow of fuel coming out of the line.

If you have only a slow dribble, or none at all, remove the shut off valve and bowl assembly and give it a good cleaning with compressed air. Then unscrew the brass inlet elbow from the carburetor and check the filter screen that is attached to the end of it. They get clogged up, too.

If the fuel flow is good and the tractor still runs a while and dies, then you likely have the other common problem – the coil windings are shorting out from the heat build-up and you lose spark when the coil gets hot. When the coil cools off, you have spark again. You need a new coil. There are other possibilities such as a faulty ignition switch that can cause the problem, but they are not as common.