Allis Chalmers 170 gas

Ok, so assume the reach of the previous plugs was short, doing some research into them. And the new ones have a longer reach.

Can I buy a tool like shown above and just clean out the spark plug holes?
Please tell me I don't need to pull the head and everything to do this sort of job?

But, a 170 cylinder head uses 3/4" LONG spark plugs( not 3/8") of a proper heat range.

ElementalEarth wrote: Is there any further damage done by running the wrong plugs ?

DrAllis wrote: R-43-T plugs don't even have a GASKET on them !!! They are a tapered seat sealing type plug !!! which damages the threads in the cylinder head.

Oh dear that sounds not so great Dr. Do you have a tractor penicilin for that?
Good god man, 😳
So a thread chaser won't work anymore either?

steve(ill) wrote: yes... your thread chaser or tap should clean up everything... The plugs screwed OUT, so you should be able to get the chaser back in.. OK.

Okay, pfew, that's a huge relief. I'll give that a try!

You might want to spin the engine over a few times without the plugs in it to blow out any more debris.

Well well well, another day another story, I finished cleaning the old crud out left by the engine in the spark plug threads. The thread chaser took care of that super easily.

I installed the new plugs, the autolite 405 and turned my new ignition key...
She started right away!! Couldn't even believe it. I guess all or most of the starting issues were related to being the wrong plugs in there. Having breathed some exhaust fumes while making a video, she stalled as she ran out of gas, what a treat..
So I put some more fuel in and she started again, first try! 

It's starting to look better every day to be honest, it still needs work, I'm getting some replacement gauges on Monday and I'll need to wire those up along with some new headlights as half of the bulbs are busted and the wiring is shot as well.

There are other things to take care of aswell, need to replace air filter, battery, hydraulic fluid, hydraulic filter, transmission fluid and final drive oil.. and that's literally just the basic stuff, nothing fancy. My air filter assembly is missing the cup that slides over the end, not sure how big of a deal that is.
 The good news is, she runs and pretty well too!

Here's a video
https://youtu.be/Md8bba99bYU?si=ISXLghj-g0OYdYtQ

DrAllis wrote: Like to hear it again cracking the throttle. Sounds like miss-firing to me what I can hear.

Part of the fun (and frustration) of playing with these old tractors is learning things about them. There are a lot of guys on here, with a lot of experience, that fortunately, are willing to share with the rest of us.

I can confirm, the right firing order is set. I looked at when the distributor rotor passed #1 cylinder when air blew out the spark plug hole and plugged wires in clockwise after that.

Unfortunately I couldnt get her started back up, the battery is pretty weak and needs constant charging, especially because I left it out in the cold with -15°c overnight.

Will try again later or tomorrow. I've had better luck with a warm and charged battery.

Are my carb adjustments set ok? Idle screw is at 1 turn out, main jet screw 2 turns out.

I did notice the exhaust manifold has a gap where it meets the block up top.
I could see sparks escaping from there yesterday.

Edited by ElementalEarth - 23 Feb 2024 at 1:10pm

Alright, sounds great, more work! haha
The more I am working on it, the more it seems I'm finding wrong with it.
Definitely a gap where the manifold meets the block, new gaskets I guess, thanks WF for the tip! You can clearly see the gap in the image below.





Edited by ElementalEarth - 23 Feb 2024 at 6:23pm

Manifold gaskets will make a huge difference for you, hopefully that's all it needs.

WF owner wrote: When/if you replace the gaskets, make sure you search and follow the proper way to install a manifold. There are several good threads (on here) and videos. Google will be a big help here. Chances are good that you will have to replace one, or more, of the studs. YOU DO NOT WANT TO BREAK THESE STUDS OFF IN THE HEAD!!! At least two (it's been a long time) of the studs thread into the water jacket, so you need to put some sort of sealant on those studs, to avoid leaks. When you are ready to install the gaskets, they are all individual. You need to use something to hold them in place. I, personally, use a small dab of grease to stick them to the manifold. When you start tightening, start in the middle (like you would when tightening head bolts). Very lightly snug the nuts and continue gradually working outward. Repeat this several times, tightening slightly and evenly every time. I can't remember the proper torque but be very careful on the ends of the manifold. It is very easy to break the end flanges off. As I said earlier, keep retorquing the bolts after every run cycle until they don't turn anymore. (This will take several run cycles.) Good luck!

You are going to hear a lot of guys say no to any sort of stop-leak or sealer. Many say it will plug up radiator cores.

Edited by WF owner - 02 Mar 2024 at 10:38am