I need my 1952 Ford 8N to start... please help!!

[LD1]

The back half can turn when cranking off the fly wheel, I don't know what your problem is with me, but I am tired of your smart $&# remarks. If you can't reply in a civil manner the keep your mouth shut.

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The valve train is moving. The valve train is driven off the front of the crank. The starter cranks the rear of the crank. If the crank were broken, the front of the crank wouldnt turn, therefore none of the valves would be operating as the camshaft wouldnt be spinning...

 

[azranger]

The valve train is moving. The valve train is driven off the front of the crank. The starter cranks the rear of the crank. If the crank were broken, the front of the crank wouldnt turn, therefore none of the valves would be operating as the camshaft wouldnt be spinning...

I agree, at the time I originally suggested the crank, I did not see the post where everything else was working, that's the reason I asked if the fan was rotating, I have seen a crank broken between cylinders and the Half connected to the flywheel will still move.

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[Soundguy]

the back half of the CAM will not turn.. the back half of the CRANK will turn, assuming both were broke half way.

My problem is you tossing out IMPOSSIBLE ideas.

timing gears are at the FRONT of the engine.

if the crank is broke half way. the cam won't turn. not half of it or 1/4 of it.. PERIOD.

Not to mention he had the side covers off and valves were moving!

Now.. you can have front of the cam turning but not the rear turning.. that's possible.

that's NOT what was happening here.


lets see how your quote looks rephrased:

but I am tired of your smart $&# remarks. If you can't reply in a civil manner the keep your mouth shut.

from that to this:

but I am tired of your dumb $&# remarks. If you can't reply in a smart manner the keep your mouth shut.

That's how i felt when i read your post that presumable had magic turning the back half of his cam but not the front!

 

[azranger]

the back half of the CAM will not turn.. the back half of the CRANK will turn, assuming both were broke half way.

My problem is you tossing out IMPOSSIBLE ideas.

timing gears are at the FRONT of the engine.

if the crank is broke half way. the cam won't turn. not half of it or 1/4 of it.. PERIOD.

Not to mention he had the side covers off and valves were moving!

Now.. you can have front of the cam turning but not the rear turning.. that's possible.

that's NOT what was happening here.

lets see how your quote looks rephrased:

from that to this:

That's how i felt when i read your post that presumable had magic turning the back half of his cam but not the front!

I never said half the cam was rotating

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[Soundguy]

I never said half the cam was rotating

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Post # 20, you said 3/4 could move even if 1/2 didn't.

He didn't have compression on 1/2 but did on 3/4

That tells you both the cam and crank were turning...

 

[skylarkguy]

I had a similar gasket failure on my naa. You may want to check the head for flatnes and for cracks. Especially if it has overheated.

 

[oldpilgrim]

I had a similar gasket failure on my naa. You may want to check the head for flatnes and for cracks. Especially if it has overheated.

this.

I wouldn't worry too much about cracks, but bring it to a machine shop and have them check to see if it's warped. If it is, they can plane it flat.

If it's warped, and you don't know it or fix it, you will just be doing this again very soon.

 

[Soundguy]

and if you are planing it.. you may ruin it!

not much meat there before stuff starts kissing!!

at that point you'd have to install the head with no bolts and some marking putty ont he pistons and valves and roll it over and see where it made contact. then take a die grinder and relieve the area... or get a new head.

 

[oldpilgrim]

Most flat head engines, especially Fords, can take a planing or two as long as the head was not excessively planed previously or it needs a LOT of planing to get it flat. I've had many Ford heads planed before without problems. They have a pretty good amount of 'meat' on them. Tolerances of head vs piston are not really critical, as these are low compression engines with lots of space on top.

Some times if you had an excessively planed head where clearances got too tight, people would use 2 head gaskets to get the needed space over the tops of the pistons.

That didn't happen too often but Ive seen it.

It used to be a status symbol to say that your flat head, 'hot car', of the 30's, 40's or early 50's, had a planed head. That meant you had upped the compression and were ready to take on others in a street race.

It was done all the time.

 

[wolc123]

Based on my experiences with a 1951 8n ("identical" in every way to the 1952), I too would recommend that you replace only the HG, as Soundguy explained, and nothing else. The day after you torque the head, check the compression on each cylinder (you got the equipment), before replacing the hood, etc.. If that checks out, then button her up and fire away. You should be good to go for a while. If you lose compression again, a full rebuild, or as a minimum, machining the head/block flat and replacing all the valves would be in order. Those original factory valves don't hold up so well on today's unleaded - 10% ethanol, which has minimal lubricity. Replacement valves sold today were designed to work well on unleaded/ethanol gas. Such a rebuild should tack another 5000 - 10000 hours on to the life of that engine with normal maintenance.

You are on borrowed time right now with your original valves, but depending on usage, that might go on a lot longer. Watch out for tasks which take more than half your available 28 pto hp / 24 drawbar. Those may take you out in 100 hours or less on them original valves. I would just tread lightly for the next couple years, while saving up for the big rebuild down the road. When and if that engine is rebuilt with modern parts, you will have something stronger and more durable than most any new tractor sold today. Plus, you will have something that is still worth something when the big-changeover to CNG happens in a few years (diesels will become almost worthless as they can not be converted to CNG, cheap and easy, like old gasoline engines can).

Good luck with what, in my opinion, is the best make/model/year, tractor ever offered by any manufacturer. If today's tractors were as easy to get on and off of 3-point implements as those "originals", they never would have needed crutches like "quick-hitch", "I-match", "Pats", etc.. Getting on and off the operator's platform is also easier than most of today's tractors. As you have already found out by that carburetor and head gasket, parts availability is light years ahead of all other makes/models.