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Oldoug 
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 Topic: D-17 Series III Governor
Posted: 13 Nov 2025 at 12:39pm |
I have a Series III D-17 that the governor will run away on when it is at is sitting at idle...when you move the throttle lever back to the idle position the RPM's will go back to idle. From what I can remember this problem started back in the early 1990's when my Dad got a bigger manure spreader, which was probably too big of load for the tractor, hit a bump in the field with a full load and broke the drawbar and this governor issue accorded at the same time. He had it to our local dealer which still had A-C mechanics at the time, they had it apart and couldn't find anything wrong with it and he took it to a local A-C after hours mechanic and he couldn't find anything wrong with it either. Dad passed away a few years ago and left the tractor to me and I thinking of tearing into but have no idea what to look for...any suggestions...thanks in advance.
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Matt Folkers
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DrAllis
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Posted: 13 Nov 2025 at 12:53pm |
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If the tractor got parked after this all started, normally one would think exploded governor weights is the issue. If the tractor continued to be used with a "just doesn't stay idled" problem, that would mean the friction discs on the hand throttle (under the fuel tank) need to be tightened up to keep the throttle in one spot and not change by itself. Broken governor weights will allow the engine to rev waay high with little hand throttle movement from the dead idle position. If the job was handed to me, I'd yank out the governor and check the weights first to know are these good or not good ??
Edited by DrAllis - 13 Nov 2025 at 2:25pm
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Oldoug
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Posted: 13 Nov 2025 at 2:47pm |
I was watching the tractor last night while it was running...I was initially thinking throttle linkage issue too but the control rods do not move as the engine RPM increase...the friction discs would let the control rods move correct? So I was leaning to a problem internal in the govenor like damaged weights but when others had it apart I would think they would have spotted that? The tractor was parked after Dad bought a D-19 and this D-17 had this governor issue even after two different people had it apart to try and fix it.
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Matt Folkers
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DrAllis
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Posted: 13 Nov 2025 at 3:03pm |
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You might just need to adjust one of the two linkage rods underneath the fuel tank in the same area of the friction discs. With the engine OFF, I'd loosen the square headed setscrew on the linkage rod that goes all the way to the front of the engine on the right side. With the hand throttle down an inch from low idle, loosen the setscrew and make the rod go forward 1/4" thru the holder it is in and tighten the square headed setscrew. See what that does. You would think that 2 other guys would have checked the governor weights, but who knows.
Edited by DrAllis - 13 Nov 2025 at 3:06pm
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d17brown
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Posted: 13 Nov 2025 at 8:06pm |
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did the spring on the throttle get off centered
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phil
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DrAllis
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Posted: 17 Nov 2025 at 9:57pm |
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So, what did you figure out ??
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Oldoug
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Posted: 18 Nov 2025 at 10:06am |
My throttle linkage has been adjusted all the way out already and the friction discs are tight enough that it is almost difficult to operate the throttle back and forth in my opinion...I talked to one of the guys that is still alive that maybe worked on the tractor twenty years ago and he was gonna check his old repair orders to see if the governor was opened up but hasn't got back to me yet...either way it appears the governor will have to taken apart and inspected.
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Matt Folkers
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Oldoug
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Posted: 15 hours 10 minutes ago at 5:22pm |
I have checked the spring underneath on the throttle and it is not off centered? Seems to be springing back and forth fine when you move the throttle linkage...I have the governor apart on this tractor now and can see no problems with it like the previous inspectors before me...weights are in tack and not loose...the bearing up front seems to operate as it should and the governor spring seems to be doing it's job also. We did also have the carburetor apart and found some possible issues...by the looks of things inside there I don't think it has been apart since the old days when it sat outside on the farm...with these corrections and linkage adjustments I'm hoping it fixes this problem as I can find nothing wrong with the governor. I have a A-C service manual I borrowed from a dealer and it says in there while setting the carburetor link rod you're supposed to set the throttle lever in the midway position on the quadrant and have the carburetor link rod wide open? Why would it be that way? The WD 45 book we have says to set the lever wide open with the carburetor link wide open? Any thoughts?
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Matt Folkers
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DrAllis
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Posted: 14 hours 53 minutes ago at 5:39pm |
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Half-way down on the throttle is OK, but full wide open insures that it is really OK. Remove the cotter pin on the link rod above the generator. Pull the link rod out of the hole. The vertical governor arm shouldn't move and the link rod should just slide right back into the hole. If not, bend the link rod down in the middle to make it shorter, so it does slide right back into the hole on the vertical governor arm. BEFORE you go any further, being as how others have worked on this problem before (and failed), I want you to check something that can be a problem, but it is a rare occurrence. The vertical governor arm shaft goes across the front of the engine and fits inside the governors fork on the right side of the engine. The fork should be a TIGHT fit. When the vertical gov arm on the left side is moved forward or backwards, the fork must go with it. There cannot be any looseness or slop between the fork and the governors vertical arm shaft. NONE !! If there is any looseness it throws the governor adjustment off all the time because it changes as you use the tractor. The fork is "pinned" thru the cross shaft with a tapered pin. This doesn't happen often but it can and only a really good governor person will ever catch it.
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DrAllis
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Posted: 14 hours 3 minutes ago at 6:29pm |
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The governor sleeve must be installed with the ball bearing forward touching the fork.
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