Happiness can be defined as simple as a tractor that you repair yourself.
I spent the last 3 evenings after work trying to get our Farmall 460 running. Well, it would run – just not stay running. The tractor would start right up and then run for about 30-40 seconds before quitting.
The symptoms pointed to it not getting enough gas or a flooding problem (getting too much gas):
- Gas dripping out of the carburetor
- Wouldn’t start for about 10 minutes after shutting off
Too much gas or not enough gas….that covers a lot of problems to check out.
Problems to Diagnose:
- Gas line plugged
- Fuel filter plugged
- Carburetor float not working right
- Air cleaner plugged (not getting enough air)
Repairs I tried:
- Cleaned sediment trap
- Cleaned out gas tank outlet
- Cleaned carburetor fuel filter
- Cleaned air filter lines
- Cleaned the oil bath air filter
- Unstuck the carburetor float by tapping lightly with a wrench on the side of the carb
The repairs that worked:
- The oil bath air filter was kind of gummed over with just a bunch of gunk
- The carburetor float was stuck
After cleaning the oil bath air filter and tapping lightly on the carb with a wrench, this old 460 (it’s a 1962 model) is now running great!
