rarains said:
We are in the process of trying to help out a friend get his old D-17 running. But need to figure out what the plugs. distributor etc all need to be set and/or gapped at. Anyone have any ideas? Short of spending an arm and a leg to take it to a shop.
I went over to Ytmag and found this.
"d 17 points set.022 plugs gap.025 autolite 295 seams to be the plug of choice.it can be crossed over to champion relatively easy."
You usually time an engine to No1 piston on the compression stroke, thats when your mag or distributor fires and you get that power. Bring No1 piston to TDC on the compression stroke and then remove the cap on the mag or distributor and see where the rotor is pointing. It should be at the No1 plug tower. Hal
PS: When No1 piston is at TDC both valves on that cylinder should be closed.
And one more on timing:bring No1 piston to TDC on the compression stroke. Remove No1 sparkplug near the radiator and hold your thumb over the plug hole until you feel compression against your thumb. Once you feel that pressure against your thumb you can drop a large handle screwdriver into the plug hole. The handle needs to big enough so it doesn't fall into cylinder.
Once you have the screwdriver on top of the piston
slowly hand crank the engine and watch closely as the screwdriver rises and then stops. Your timing marks should be aligned too. Remove the distributor cap and see where the rotor is pointing. It should be at your No1 plug wire.
Both valves on No1 piston should be closed too.
I know nothing about AC tractors but do read on Ytmag daily. Remembered seeing your post and just copied and pasted this from their site. I slept in a Holiday Inn Select last night. LOL Kidding aside those folks on the Antique Tractor Headquarters have forgotten more than I'll ever know. Good luck.
Here's a link and you can read and post there too. Just jump right in.
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