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Things to check on a WD that hasn't run in 8 years

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Category: Allis Chalmers
Forum Name: Farm Equipment
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URL: https://www.allischalmers.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=163945
Printed Date: 09 Apr 2026 at 5:15pm
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Topic: Things to check on a WD that hasn't run in 8 years
Posted By: garden_guy
Subject: Things to check on a WD that hasn't run in 8 years
Date Posted: 28 Aug 2019 at 10:20am
So I have a buddy who owns a WD-45 that hasn't been run in about 8 years. Went over and looked at it. It will turn over when you pull the starter, but doesn't actually start or catch. Just trying to make a hitlist of things to check next time I go over. The gas in the tank was nasty, so I flushed it and put fresh in, but it never popped off. What I'm figuring so far is that we never smelled gas when we cranked on it, so makes me wonder if the carb is plugged or gunked up, so probably needs cleaned. But want to make sure all my bases are covered (ohm out the coil? some way to check that the engine is sparking? that gas is flowing thru the carb?).



Replies:
Posted By: Dakota Dave
Date Posted: 28 Aug 2019 at 1:23pm
Does it show some oil pressure when cranking At least drain the carb add a heavy dose of seafoam to 5 gal of fresh gas and check for spark. Pull the oil pan plug and let a little out is it oil without water in it


Posted By: Alberta Phil
Date Posted: 28 Aug 2019 at 2:39pm
Check for spark at plugs as you turn it over with the starter.  If spark is OK, I would pull the carb and clean it all out as the jets and passages are probably clogged with gummy old gas deposits.


Posted By: Stan IL&TN
Date Posted: 28 Aug 2019 at 5:39pm
Remove a spark plug. Connect the plug wire to it. Lay the side of the spark plug against the engine or frame so it makes connection and crank engine. You should see a spark jump across the electrode.

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1957 WD45 dad's first AC

1968 one-seventy

1956 F40 Ferguson


Posted By: Sugarmaker
Date Posted: 28 Aug 2019 at 6:34pm
GG,
 Your doing good helping your friend. Lots of no start um' gremlins creep in when they haven't been started for a long time. Go through the basics. Spark and fuel systems. It will run!
Regards,
 Chris


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D17 1958 (NFE), WD45 1954 (NFE), WD 1952 (NFE), WD 1950 (WFE), Allis F-40 forklift, Allis CA, Allis D14, Ford Jubilee, Many IH Cub Cadets, 32 Ford Dump, 65 Comet, 66 F100.


Posted By: exSW
Date Posted: 28 Aug 2019 at 6:38pm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daPvPCSTjdQ" rel="nofollow - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daPvPCSTjdQ
 
Slickest trick for testing a mag or coil in place(or off) I've ever seen.


Posted By: john(MI)
Date Posted: 28 Aug 2019 at 6:57pm
Did you turn the key to the on position?  Use a test light to see if you have voltage on both terminals of the coil and on the points.  You can hold  the connected spark plug against the head, it won't tickle you unless you let it slip off.  If/when you get spark, shoot some starting fluid in the carb and it should start off of that.  Pull the drain plug on the bottom of the carb and see if gas comes out.

You also need to determine if it is still 6 volt or been converted to 12 volt battery, and if it still positive ground or been switched to negative.  Jumping it with 12 volt shouldn't hurt anything.  We always did when I was a youngster.


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D14, D17, 5020, 612H, CASE 446


Posted By: Bill_MN
Date Posted: 29 Aug 2019 at 9:48am
As a rule for any tractor sitting more than say a year- no matter what else may be wrong with it- I would for sure change oil, drain gas, and clean carb before even attempting to start. When you drain old oil check for water/antifreeze and other foreign material. Then I would make sure no critters made a nest somewhere.


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1951 WD #78283, 1918 Case 28x50 Thresher #76738, Case Centennial B 2x16 Plow


Posted By: TimCNY
Date Posted: 29 Aug 2019 at 5:47pm
Originally posted by Bill_MN Bill_MN wrote:

As a rule for any tractor sitting more than say a year- no matter what else may be wrong with it- I would for sure change oil, drain gas, and clean carb before even attempting to start. When you drain old oil check for water/antifreeze and other foreign material. Then I would make sure no critters made a nest somewhere.


It's almost certain that there will be nests in the brake housings. But in general that won't affect anything else.


Posted By: garden_guy
Date Posted: 30 Aug 2019 at 8:55am
Thanks guys, appreciate the help. Hoping to make it out there to look it over again this weekend and take the carb off and will report back what I find (and probably have more questions)!

Just gotta get fuel in and spark to fire, and we'll go from there!


Posted By: Bill_MN
Date Posted: 31 Aug 2019 at 7:48pm
Originally posted by TimCNY TimCNY wrote:

Originally posted by Bill_MN Bill_MN wrote:

As a rule for any tractor sitting more than say a year- no matter what else may be wrong with it- I would for sure change oil, drain gas, and clean carb before even attempting to start. When you drain old oil check for water/antifreeze and other foreign material. Then I would make sure no critters made a nest somewhere.


It's almost certain that there will be nests in the brake housings. But in general that won't affect anything else.
Also, the clutch housing and sometimes the manifold, not as likely with a WD45 with the muffler on. Any critters can mean chewed wires as well.


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1951 WD #78283, 1918 Case 28x50 Thresher #76738, Case Centennial B 2x16 Plow


Posted By: Dan Hauter
Date Posted: 31 Aug 2019 at 8:46pm
Good luck. Please keep us updated. I love to see old tractors brought back to life. Dan.


Posted By: garden_guy
Date Posted: 15 Sep 2019 at 12:25am
So I finally went to take a look today. Took a meter. Saw that the battery was sitting at 5.5 volts. Definitely a 6V system with a generator.

Pulled the carb as I am just assuming it has gunk in it. Amazingly the gasket to the manifold was in good shape and came right off, too... Makes me wonder how recently somebody else has been in here. The wear parts all look in good shape though, not a lot of slop.

Can definitely tell there's crud and stuff coming from the gas tank into the sediment bowl. Will have to flush that out before going too much further.

The weird thing was putting a meter from the battery to the coil or across the coil when the key was on, I was getting weird voltage fluctuations from like 2.4V to 4.5V, but never a 6V and never constant... What the heck is the deal with that? Should I dig deeper into the condenser and such?


Posted By: LouSWPA
Date Posted: 15 Sep 2019 at 1:07am
Originally posted by exSW exSW wrote:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daPvPCSTjdQ" rel="nofollow - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daPvPCSTjdQ
 
Slickest trick for testing a mag or coil in place(or off) I've ever seen.



neat trick. he is, however totally mistaken as to the purpose of the condenser. the purpose of the condenser is to eliminate arcing at the points. he is right, it does take a charge when the points are open, but that is incidental to it's presence in the circuit.

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I am still confident of this;
I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord;
be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. Ps 27


Posted By: Sugarmaker
Date Posted: 29 Sep 2019 at 7:31pm
GG,
Did you guys get this tractor running??
Regards,
 Chris


-------------
D17 1958 (NFE), WD45 1954 (NFE), WD 1952 (NFE), WD 1950 (WFE), Allis F-40 forklift, Allis CA, Allis D14, Ford Jubilee, Many IH Cub Cadets, 32 Ford Dump, 65 Comet, 66 F100.


Posted By: 200Tom1
Date Posted: 29 Sep 2019 at 8:14pm
Please make sure the tranny is in neutral. Clutches can stick to flywheels and cause some problems.


Posted By: Gerald J.
Date Posted: 29 Sep 2019 at 10:10pm
Checking for spark plug voltage by looking for a spark on the plug electrodes with the plug removed from the engine is not an effective test. The voltage required to spark that gap at atmospheric pressure is way too little to spark with 80 or 100 pounds compression pressure. A more valid test is to hold the bare end of the plug wire about 3/8 to 1/2" from the head or block and look for a blue spark that long.

Gerald J.



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