John Deere B - Getting the Engine to Run Smoothly 

I really needed this highly detailed and well explained tutorial. I just bought a 1951? Model B, three days ago, and paid 2800 for it. It needs the choke on to run, and even then, it sounds kind of rough. This is my first Johnny Popper, and I'm going to get it right. Thanks again good buddy!😅

Well, that's much better. I'm glad you got it figured out. I think some people attribute any vibration to it being a two cylinder. In reality, when properly assembled, they are very smooth. I'm not sure if you have seen it at a show, but sometimes people will have their tractor running while sitting on glass coke bottles. Apparently, dealers used to do it as a marketing tool for people that thought they were rough and vibrated excessively. It's pretty cool to see in person.

Good trouble shooting, it sure sounds much better. Good job.

Great to see an update on it! Makes me miss my 1949 B even more!😢

I am a South African and my late Dad used to have a similar John Deere tractor in the late 60's. Not sure which model, might be a B Model as well as I was about 6 or 7 years old then. Thanks for jogging fond memories and a tear or two!

Great video trouble shooting the mighty John Deere B. Happy you got it all figured out...and happy you shared the journey,

You just gotta love a late model B John Deere.

Glad to see you got it smoothed out! Sounds good!

I’m about to buy a 1941B from a guy that he says runs for about five minutes and then stalls out so hopefully I can get that figured out. This video should be pretty helpful. Thank you.

Great video and info thank you.

FYI a mag is not like a distributor. You set them and forget them. Distributors you can adjust like that with the tractor running. Also mags have 2 different types of time. Run time which is set with whatever drive cup you have. The other is lag time or start time. Thats the time that trips your impluse. Lag time is also the time you adjust on a mag. Take mag off of tractor loosen the 4 screws on the back and rotate it left. On a wico x mag you want it about halfway between the last 2 marks to the left.

There must be one guy somewhere close to you that rebuilt/did a bunch of work on those old JDs...and didn't align the flywheels.

Swap the spark plugs from side to side and see if the problem follows

Great - thank you!

Bout time for a new clutch. Your down on your bolts quite a ways

That tractor would of had a distributor on it not a magneto. Mags should set perfectly level if timed correctly. I can tell by looking at your mag that your lag time is off. I'd also throw that wico c mag away and put a wico x mag on it if your gonna run a mag. Theres no difference in degrees with a wico c or x mag. Its the drive cups that is where you get degree difference. Theres 2 different types of drive cups long lug and short lug. Long lug is a 35° cup for unstyled tractors and the short lug cup is a 25° cup. You can run either cup on a c or x mag. You just gotta have a short lug for your B.

Your dad sure knows those old two cylinders, and it's easy to see he's passed that on to you. Do you have and use service manuals? Just curious. Keep em running!

Sounds good but the nuts on the clutch looked like the castle part was way down from the hole for the cotter pin so it looks like the nuts can back off.

Thanks

thats what my 70 sounds like

Why didn't you just adjust your impulse timing? Pull the mag back off and look at the underside you can adjust the timing of the impulse. Rachel Gingell has a great video on how to do it.

I use to tighten each castle nut one notch at a time that way they are all even..

Awsome

Parabéns Brasil 🇧🇷 você tem um número de alguma loja que eu pudesse comprar peças para meu Jd 820 ou email agradeceria muito ❤

I have a question… My JD 40T is loud like this B I really want to quiet it down. Mine has a similar exhaust to your B… Is packing the pipe with exhaust silencer a “bad idea”? Thanks in advance

Good job that is has a electric starter but one thing is for sure. PLEASE DO INSTALL A ROPS BAR!!!!!! You'll thank me later.

I had the same problem with a 40 A.Nothing moree than a waorn throttle shaft bushing anf felt seal.

She sounds a lot better

Im not trying to be a prick. Put it back on the marks and adjust your magneto. I work on these tractors and everyday I have to guess and try to figure out what people have done to them when Im trying to get them running again.

What is the best way to get the emulsion tube out of the carb, without damaging it?

Ha, ha. Be careful where you grab while rotating that mag. I was waiting for you to get zapped.

What was the secret in the final moments of your video here?

You didn't need to do that with the governor gear. Someone put the magneto on the tractor wrong. You should fix it correctly and put the magneto together correctly.

most of those old tractors use the WICO X magneto that 1 was replaced w the later style 1 the other 1 😮😮 either it wasn't no good or just 4 parts the tractor wouldn't run smooth U should've cleaned the points 2 most the time the old sparkplugs are no good because of the gas that is made 2 day is no good either it's junk 😮😮 4 the magneto cap and the rotor button 5 U should've started the tractor up in the dark 2 see if the sparkplugs wires are leaking current they should be replaced solid copper sparkplug wires carry current better than the others and the spark should be bright blue and hot and I have seen the magneto w coils when they are bad the will make the tractor back fire the only way 2 fix that is 2 replace the coil w a new 1 I seen this myself 😊😊 OMG 11 29 2O23

Please be sure to grease pully bearing while you're in there, it's VERY IMPORTANT..

Don't change or adjust the timing marks for them. They are there for a reason! The Wico C magneto should be in the level position for the engine to run correctly. This is exactly why this tractor sounds like shit. The Wico magneto has a built in advance for accommodating this.