The Fordson Tractor Pages Forum

There is a clutch arrangement in the starter and this may have failed. I had a problem early this year where the starter would engage, but just spin without turning the flywheel - I got it refurbished and now all is good - maybe you have the same fault. The polarity doesn't really matter on these st...

I've now fitted an new unit and the old Dexta is running as sweet as ever -- happy days

I would imagine that modern crankshafts for low revving diesel engines would come balanced and there should be no need to add weights from your old crank. My question would be, how would you know where to add or remove weight to ensure it is balanced? Balancing machinery is not difficult if you have...

Thanks russelm, I think fitting a tap would be a good precaution. I'll fit one once I have the new unit fitted

I think I may have figured it out with a bit of overnight thinking. My feeling is that the pump that feeds the cold start might have failed and fuel is flowing from the tank through the pump into the air manifold and then into the cylinders. This is the only explanation I can come up with as to the ...

I have just finished rebuilding my Dexta after a paint job and when I came to turning it over it was hydraulicking. All cylinders had diesel in them and No3 was full to the brim. I took out all the injectors and left the fuel turned on - no fuel came out the injector pipes or spill lines. I checked ...

Thanks Brian, that is comforting news. I don't really want to start digging into the hydraulics unless I have to as I have too much other stuff to get on with. I'm sure we can all relate to that. The lever was in the forward position at the time. I guess I will wait until I get a chance to try it ou...

I recently fitted a finger bar mower (Ford Ransomes) onto my Dexta and all looked good until I noticed the linkage jerking upwards after a short while, this was regardless of the position of the height of the mower off the ground, or the position of the small lever on the RH side of the gearbox (sor...

Trying again to upload a photo Charlie.. Hope it works this time

I went to a local car boot sale and picked up a load of old A/F and Whitworth spanners (really cheaply) that I use to get at awkward bolts. I don't mind bending/grinding/shaping them to fit - better that than ruining my good sets.

Hi Charlie63 Here is a photo of my dexta, it will be getting a new lick of paint over the winter now that I finished all the mechanical work. This is my first attempt at posting a photo so I hope it works http://i1378.photobucket.com/albums/ah82/wfweir/0d9f45e1-7dc5-42f2-8921-52d6bef6c4f9_zps4rbxc2v...

It is great to read the wealth of knowledge in this forum, and I've enjoyed reading these posts. My Dexta is stamped 957E186 on the gearbox which I believe is early 1958. Mine does have the tacho drive on the fuel pump though which doesn't help the original poster.

Hi Rick, yes, I'd rather have found what was wrong , but a win is a win. If nothing else I now know how to diagnose faults a lot better thanks to all you guys who posted on this thread, so a big thanks to you all. The wee Dexta is now all back together and running great - all it needs now is a bit o...

I took the dynamo back to the guy who reconditioned it and he tested it again, confirming that it was ok. I fitted it back and linked the two terminals and got 28volts this time! Now its all working fine. It wasn't away for more than a couple of minutes at the shop, so he did not have time to do any...

Thanks again for all the help. I'll try the bulb today, but i did read that is you only get between 2-4volts output there may be a problem with the field windings.

I tried what Rick said and it made no difference, so I flashed it and again it didn't seem to make much difference so I left the meter connected and saw the output slowly rise to about 6V then quickly dropped to about 4.2v and was pretty steady there. I have some info on how to adjust the control un...

Thanks Rick, I'll try that later today.

I have just fitted a new wiring loom, voltage regulator and had the dynamo overhauled on my Dexta. When I checked the output from the dynamo it's reading 1.34volts. I did not flash it once I had fitted it. Does it need flashing, or does the control unit need set up - I assumed it would be factory se...

Thanks Oehrick, I sent my magneto off and got a replacement unit. The tractor is now firing up no bother and seems to run a lot sweeter than before - getting a good spark probably helps.
I've got a manual already thanks. The guy I got it from gave me one, but its always handy to have it in pdf too.

Thanks Oehrick, I'll have a look at that tonight.

I want to send my magnet off for refurb, but am not sure how to take it off. There are 2 small screws on the fwd end of the magneto, can I remove these and withdraw it, or do I need to remove the 4 bolts that hold the magneto housing onto the tractor body, and send the whole lot off? Any advice will...

I had a similar problem on mine, it turned out to be the line from the petrol tank to the sediment bowl. When the previous owner had fitted the line, the olive was about 10mm from the pipe end. When the pipe was nipped up, the pipe end was butting against the casing and restricted the petrol flow. 2...

Great find, and all the best in restoring it.

I haven't used this crowd yet, but did contact them a while ago when I thought I was having magneto problems --

http://www.ribblesdale.co.uk

Thanks Fizza, I've decided to change the location from in front of the steering column as it hides the 'Ford motor company' pressing on the end of the fuel tank, as I'm going to build the battery holder to fit whatever battery I end up with, so as long as its powerful enough to crank the engine into...

Thanks Bob, I was guessing around that size. At the moment I'm using a big truck battery, but want to build a battery holder that I'll mount on the nearside just behind the starter motor. Now I can get the right size and make a neater job.