D-15 Series II will not run worth a....

Y'all might see a classified post for a fire damaged D-15 series II. About had it.

Last summer my D15 got caught out in the rain. Somehow, it got water in the fuel. I drained the bowl and the carb. It ran OK but got to where it wouldn't idle really slow like it always did.

I tore down the carb and there was some rust and gunk in the bowl. Cleaned it up and it ran fair, but quit pretty much last fall. Had to limp to the barn with the choke on.

I ordered a platinum carb kit (every thing except a float) and dipped it and put it back together. Checked and double checked every port, all new jets, float is directly parallel ike instructions say (1/4 in).    Now itll idle great when cold, fair when warm. Wont run well at all (misses and backfires) above 1/3 to 3/4 throttle, dies above that.

It'll run a good pencil size steam of fuel out of the line and plenty from the bowl. The main jet seems best at about 1 round out. (this is missing and backfiring).

Should I be chasing down an electrical / firing issue? The cold / hot thing bothers me.

Anybody care to ohm out a new coil or known good coil for me?

How do you spin the motor so that the points are open widest for gapping? Manual says 0.022 but the kit comes with a 0.020 gauge.

Any advice appreciated.

I put all new standard ignition parts in mine, their blue streak points and condenser, and their blue streak coil. Just keep bumping the starter til the points are widest on the cam on the distributor. I use a set of feeler guages and set at .022. Once changing points you need to check the timing with a light and at wide open throttle. Don't waste your time on junk points, napa echlin or standard blue streak. Don't give up, 15 II is one heck of a tractor.

Edited by cottonpatch - 05 May 2017 at 10:04pm

Valve lash

Valve lash didn't change overnight so shouldn't be the problem. Certainly won't hurt to check tho. Replace your points, condensor. Check coil - sounds like electrical problem. Check key and wires to key switch.

Backfires are a sign of valve lash, timing, or both.I agree, didn't probly just start now. If you need the choke on, there is a fuel restriction somewhere. JMHO Tracy

Take a small glass and fill it from the drain hole in the carb,let it sit over night and see if you don't have water in the bottom of the glass.On all my gas tractors I've gone to putting a brass nipple in place of the drain plug then add a little gas line and a cheapie
lawn mower cut off to the end of the gas line.Turn it on drain a little gas out the bottom of the carb before I start up, also any small piece of rust or metal will fall in the line.

Jay - it has fresh 100% gasoline. Did not consider the PTO. I'm gonna pull the plugs to put in autolite 295s so I'll do it then.

Doug / Tracy - it runs a stream about as big as a matchstick or a tad bigger out of the drain plug. Not as big a stream as the line itself will run, but seems like a pretty good stream for passing through the little hole in the needle/seat.

Lentsch - interesting. Gonna put the WD45 carb on it and try that.

Gary - good idea, I like it.


I cranked it up this afternoon and it ran PERFECT from idle to WOT... for maybe a minute. As soon as I could feelh
just a tad of heat off the radiator, the *issue* started.

I looked at the two bolts where the clamp pieces for the distributor are... there's enough old 'field paste' on them and the distributor stem to tell me it hasn't moved (been bumped / loosened) in a long time. Valve lash... gonna swap all the easy parts before I tear into that.

Appreciate the input, all!

check check your manifold for a vacuum leak, had the same issue on a ferguson, I was at my wits end till I discovered the leak now it runs perfect, I had the carb apart ten times cleaned it, checked the tank and nothing till I found that leak!

Resolved.

New condenser fixed it right up.

Going to bench test the old one (which is practically brand new) and another new one - getting a spare for "just in case".

Thanks to everyone, especially Gary Burnett and cpg, for helping me get my mind right.

copyrite, I bushhogged about 4 acres this afternoon after I put the new condenser in. Problem solved.