Running with choke on

Hi all,

Me back with yet another annoying question about my B.

I was clearing up a storm in my pasture yesterday and then my girl started running like crap and would only run with the choke on full.

I noticed some fuel coming out the side of the carb- so I've got myself a vacuum leak. That's my assumption anyway. Pic included, but now I'm wondering if the fuel is coming out of that screw on the end and what that means...

I basically have until Thursday of this week to get this done. By the time I order a carb kit and get it rebuilt, it'll be too late.

I know running with the choke on wastes fuel, fouls your plugs and valves, and you don't have near the same piwer, but, is it going to ruin anything major?

Once I'm done with this, I probably won't need my girl for a month or two- plenty of time to procrastinate on rebuilding the carb/take my time and do it right.

I'm debating just finishing, I've got maybe three or four hours of work left. But I don't want to overdo it for my girl and end up with a much more expensive problem later.

What do y'all think?

you might pull the plug on the BOTTOM of the bowl and drain the bowl... bang on the bowl to see if you can get any floating crud to drain out.

Edited by steve(ill) - 17 Mar 2024 at 5:54pm

I am always amazed how these 60-70 year old tractors just keep on working and working....

DanWi wrote: Take that line off by your filter and see if you have adequate flow from the tank. If not blow back to the tank and see if that helps it's a temporary fix you need to see what's obstructing the flow from the tank.

If I unplug the fuel line at the carburetor, the filter fills up immediately and, at least what I think, is a normal amount of fuel comes out.

However, I think it might be worth it to do what you say. Then I won't have to wonder if it's full flow. Check it off.

A  "B" is a great little tractor... Them inline filters are a REAL GOOD IDEA... with or without the sediment bowl..

If the air filter isn’t hooked up, you can try temporarily choking it with your hand while the the engine is running and revved up. It’ll suck your hand to the throat and pretty much die, then you pull your hand off quick and she’ll rev back up. Repeat that process a couple times and you may get lucky where she’ll suck the blockage through. Trick I learned from Grandpa to get my B through the day raking hay on a rough field.
If the carbs been apart any time recently, it’s only about a 20 minute job to take it off and spray her out with cleaner without installing a new kit. Seem to have to do one every year in the hayfield on the tailgate of the truck.
Either way a good cleaning is in your future along with probably lining the tank when you get the time.

wade89 wrote: If the air filter isn’t hooked up, you can try temporarily choking it with your hand while the the engine is running and revved up. It’ll suck your hand to the throat and pretty much die, then you pull your hand off quick and she’ll rev back up. Repeat that process a couple times and you may get lucky where she’ll suck the blockage through. Trick I learned from Grandpa to get my B through the day raking hay on a rough field. If the carbs been apart any time recently, it’s only about a 20 minute job to take it off and spray her out with cleaner without installing a new kit. Seem to have to do one every year in the hayfield on the tailgate of the truck. Either way a good cleaning is in your future along with probably lining the tank when you get the time.

I forgot about this trick! I did it on a pickup that I buried to the windshield in mud being a stupid kid. Ah, to be young. Very expensive.

yep... unscrew the stand tube and then blow thru the cap or fill it with a hose, etc... and FLUSH out anything that is in the tank..

that looks like a good flow... assuming there is nothing FLOATING inside the tank to plug it at random times..

resurrection20 wrote: Inside, there are two black pieces of crap right by the tank outlet. I think I might have made a mistake in that I used an old Teflon pot to catch the fuel...they look like black Teflon and the pot itself is in bad shape. In which case, I need Engvall to give me my sign.

This is what my girl has been up to. I'm a SAHP to 22-month-old twin boys, lol. It's so hard to keep on top of stuff.

sounds like your about it get it FIXED.... Spare "parts' inside the gas tank are never a good thing !! 

Weeeeeeeelll, things are worse now. I flushed out the tank. Cleaned all the fuel lines.

I found out the problem was my filter. My old one was clogged and I had a newer Wix one that when you blow through it, air comes out, but as soon as you put it in line, nothing goes in. I swapped filters with my lawn mower. The mower is now fuel-starved and sad.

With the lawnmower filter on the tractor, plenty of fuel comes out the bottom of the carb bowl. More coming through than could possibly be burnt?

However if you leave the fuel turned on for 30 seconds, it'll be coming out the sides of the carburetor like crazy.

You have to drain the bowl to get it to start and then start it immediately after turning the fuel on.

It still stumbles, but now it backfires.

It still only runs with the choke full on, but now the smoke is black and stinks. Before you couldn't smell it.

It seems to have a little more power and oil pressure is better. It's much worse for the operator in terms of air quality and the exhaust pipe is turning black around the top like a diesel would, lol.

I tried to use the fuel shutoff valve to limit how much gas goes in, but didn't have much success.

My guess is that now it's too rich: Float is stuck or the needle and seat are worn.

If gas is coming out the side of the carb, that means air can get in, too?

Edited by resurrection20 - 19 Mar 2024 at 5:56pm

as the LEVEL Gets too high, the gas runs over the top lip into the throttle bore area and gets sucked into the motor for uncontrolled gas flow.... BLACK smoke is Excess fuel.