Vintage Tractor Engineer

Hello
I wonder if you can help? I have just refurbished a Ferguson TEA 20. It ran well before and after but alas on the christmas road run no 3 cylinder went dead.I have replaced plugs,points condesor,coil, there is no water in oil no oil in water, but have noticed that after cleaning plug, will often fire for a short time if plug cap is left loose,Have now run out of ideas, have you any?

Many thanks, Mick

The points and the coil work all of the cylinders, so if it is just a problem with number 3 cylinder then it must be something specific to that cylinder. Either the plug, plug lead, the lead cap or possibly a fault with the distributor cap.

Another thing to check is the compression pressure in the number 3 cylinder, to make sure that there is nothing mechanically at fault such as a stuck valve or partially blown cylinder head gasket.

You mention that attention to the plug and cap sometimes remedies the problem for a short while. Maybe you should try a new high tension lead (plug lead), that would be the first thing to look at.

Hope that helps,

Steve

Steve,

I have done a compression test and all cylinders are giving similar readings, so I have concluded that it is an electrical (rather than a mechanical) problem. I will try new leads and see if that fixes it.

Mick

Hi thereI have recently purchased a david brown 880 white version. I have a fair bit of experiance with rebuilding tractors and I am currently training to be an engineer at college. My question is - I have purchased an engine rebuild kit for this 880 but I could only get one with unfinished liners! Do you have any idea
how to (finish them off?)

Any help id be greatfull

Matthew

Hi Matthew,

If they are the dry liners, then when the liners are squeezed in (sometimes this takes some force) the diameter of the bore will change slightly. Therefore they need to be finnished to the correct size, and then honed.

You can get honing tools which fit to an electric drill, but these are definately not to be recommended - in fact DO NOT DO IT. These tools do not leave a perfect bore.

The reason for the honing marks is to trap oil in the grooves of the liner, which lubricates the rings, without allowing excess oil consumption - so it is a controlled lubrication system.

During the honing process, the bore diameter must be checked regularly for roundness and eveness up and down the bore. This is measured with a bore comparitor (the bore comparitor doesn’t take a measurement as such, but indicates the deviation from a set measurement).

So, you will need to go to the engine reconditioning shop. Maybe they will
show you the process.  The picture below shows the cross-hatched hone marks in some cylinder liners.

Steve.