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Newbie with an AC WD

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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=26638
Printed Date: 26 Feb 2025 at 10:34pm
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Topic: Newbie with an AC WD

Posted By: AFChap
Subject: Newbie with an AC WD
Date Posted: 02 Mar 2011 at 11:54pm

Hello everyone,

The good thing is that this past Sunday I purchased a 1950 AC WD off of Craigslist, my first AC by the way. The bad thing is that I'm a Chaplain in the Air Force and I move every three years (my wife reminded me of this). :-) I told her that I'd just buy a bigger truck with a bigger trailer and I could haul all three tractors (this one plus our Oliver and JD) to our next assignment. (She simply gave me that "look" and walked away).

Anyway, a couple of questions to start with as I'm sure I'll have more as my sons and I work on this restoration. First, when I removed the air filter housing there was no oil, small amount of water, but no oil. The top of it was filled with dirt, it was totally clogged. I was surprised that the tractor would even run. I removed the mesh filters and they are in pretty good shape. Is there any way to remove the inner part of the housing and if not, how do I clean this?

My second question is this. The engine runs well but when I put it into gear it hardly has any power. Could this be a result of the air filter being clogged? Do I need to adjust the carb settings? Any thoughts or ideas would be appreciated.

As I said earlier, this is my first AC and I'm glad that I found this forum to ask questions and seek advice. I don't claim to be a master mechanic but simply someone who loves old tractors and enjoys spending time with my sons as we work together bringing new life to these old machines.

Thanks for any help!

gary

Replies:

Posted By: Denis in MI
Date Posted: 02 Mar 2011 at 11:57pm

First of all welcome, this is a great place to get answers to any questions (AC related or not) The air cleaner being plugged could cause your lack of power and I would try cleaning it with some kerosene or something of that nature.

Good luck and welcome again,

Denis

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1938 B, 1945 B, 1941 IB, 1949 C, 2 1938 WCs, 3 1950 WDs, 1951 WD, 2 1955 WD45, 1957 D-14

Posted By: SHAMELESS
Date Posted: 03 Mar 2011 at 1:20am

welcome "chap"! these guys and gals on here are the greatest! and i have to comment on...that "look", i git that alot from my ole lady....ooopps...i mean my loving wife! and i guess that if ya ever saw my place...maybe ya'll would agree with her!! lol glad to have another restorer on the site! but a JD??? whew!

Posted By: EricPA
Date Posted: 03 Mar 2011 at 2:23am

Welcome, to cut down on the need for a larger trailer sell the JD. !!

Posted By: Hubert (Ga)engine7
Date Posted: 03 Mar 2011 at 2:48am

Chaplain, welcome to the Forum and Thank You for your service to our country. Cleaning the air filter should help on the power issue. Clean the bowl on the bottom of the filter and put fresh oil in it. With the filter having been that dirty the carb will probably need a good cleaning also. The timing being a bit off can cause this lack of power also. HTH.

Hubert (USAF 1970 - 1976; ARNG, aviation, 1976 - 2006).

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Just an old country boy saved by the grace of God.

Posted By: Bob D. (La)
Date Posted: 03 Mar 2011 at 5:05am

Welcome aboard Chaplain. Cleaning the Air filter will go a long way to helping it breathe and maybe have more power. (I usually soak the whole canister in a 5 gallon bucket of diesel. On somethat have been extrememly bad, I have manage to actually take the screen filter media out of the canister to clean it. I have also seen that TSC carries the new screen material if you have some that is rusty and beyond repair. As also mention, the timing may be off causing low power. Having been brought up "old school", Ive never put a timing light on one of these old one. Just start it and run at idle, adjuswting distributer or magneto which ever it has, for best idle.HTH God Bless

USAF 1965-1985

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When you find yourself in a hole,PUT DOWN THE SHOVEL!!!

Posted By: AFChap
Date Posted: 03 Mar 2011 at 3:05pm

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome!

Looking forward to getting home from work and getting back at it.

BTW, what kind of oil should I put in the air filter?

Thanks again for all the help!

Posted By: MilesGray (CO/KS)
Date Posted: 03 Mar 2011 at 3:25pm

Welcome to the forum! I usually put the same oil in the filter as I put in the tractor. at the moment 10w30.

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Miles Gray (CO/KS)

5 1938 B's, 1940 B, 1944 WF C, 1948 NF C, Gleaner A, White Top Rotobaler, 1957 IH Golden Jubilee... I'm either a collector, or crazy!

Posted By: Alberta Phil
Date Posted: 03 Mar 2011 at 7:44pm

Try driving it with the air cleaner connector hose off and see if it produces any more power. That will show you if it is the air cleaner restriction. If no difference, then check timing and carb settings. A compression test might be enlightening, also.

Posted By: Alberta Phil
Date Posted: 03 Mar 2011 at 7:45pm

And, by the way, welcome to the AC forum. Probably the best old tractor site on the internet. Definitely the most helpful and friendly!!

Posted By: DREAM
Date Posted: 03 Mar 2011 at 7:55pm

Welcome aboard sir. Thank you for your service to this country. You will find plenty of people on here who can answer any questions you may have. I am with the majority on cleaning the air cleaner first to see if that takes care of the power issues. You need to do that anyway. Might save you some steps. On cleaning those hard to reach spots, I took the whole air cleaner for my C, sprayed it with some degereaser, soaked for a few minutes, then got the pressure-washer after it. Cleaned up nicely in there. If you don't have access to a pressure washer, you might try the car-wash(unless it's full of oily gunk, dirt/dust shouldn't hurt anything going down the drain).

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I didn't do it! It was a short, fat, tall, skinny guy that looked like me!

Posted By: David Gibson (OH)
Date Posted: 03 Mar 2011 at 8:12pm

Welcome to the forum!

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David Gibson
http://www.darkecountysteam.com" rel="nofollow - http://www.darkecountysteam.com
1956 WD45

Posted By: David Maddux
Date Posted: 03 Mar 2011 at 8:13pm

Welcome: A very good friend of mine is also an Air Force Chaplain . And I believe he may also be stationed in Co. His name is Dewayne Peoples. I have a problem keeping up with his rank. He is a career man. Good luck with your AC. Dave Maddux.

Posted By: AFChap
Date Posted: 04 Mar 2011 at 2:18am

Dave,

Yes, I know Chaplain Peoples. Met him for the first time in January at our National Prayer Breakfast. He is stationed down in Colorado Springs while I'm here in the Denver area.

Enjoying working on the AC. Today, however, I had a dead 6 volt battery and only a 12 volt charger. Tomorrow I'm sure I'll get it going..... :-)

gary

Posted By: Orange Blood
Date Posted: 04 Mar 2011 at 6:14am

Welcome 'ol Chap!

:-)

Glad to have another Colorado AC fan on board. Live in the springs, and currently work in Parker area, glad to help if you need it. I am with the other guys on this, remove air cleaner hose, then see if power changes. If it is that dirty, it may be a worn out motor, or it may be that the previous owner just recently decided to dump the old oil/ice mix. Worst case, if it is worn out, dropping new sleves and pistons in these things is a cake walk. The first thing I would do is go get yourself the real factory manual and parts book for it. Doing so will greatly reduce the frustration come time to work on it or order parts.

Just my $0.02 worth.

Again Welcome aboard, and GO Air Force!

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Still in use:
HD7 WC C CA WD 2-WD45 WD45LP WD45D D14 3-D17 D17LP 2-D19D D19LP 190XTD 190XTLP 720 D21 220 7020 7030 7040 7045 3-7060
Projects: 3-U UC 2-G 2-B 2-C CA 7-WC RC WDLP WF D14 D21 210 7045 N7

Posted By: Lonn
Date Posted: 04 Mar 2011 at 6:14am

I took my WD air cleaner to the local Napa shop. They (at least this one) have a what they called, if I remember right, a jet wash to clean carburetors. They run it through that and it came out clean as a whistle. You still have to remove the screen first and it might take some paint off but it works great. Good luck.

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-- --- .... .- -- -- .- -.. / .-- .- ... / .- / -- ..- .-. -.. . .-. .. -. --. / -.-. .... .. .-.. -.. / .-. .- .--. .. ... -
Wink
I am a Russian Bot

Posted By: Brian Jasper co. Ia
Date Posted: 04 Mar 2011 at 6:55am

I carefully removed the bottom "webbing" from my air cleaner and pulled the wire mesh out. From the amount of chaff I found in there, my D17D must have been used to bale a couple bales.

Welcome and thankyou for your service.

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"Any man who thinks he can be happy and prosperous by letting the government take care of him better take a closer look at the American Indian." Henry Ford

Posted By: AFChap
Date Posted: 04 Mar 2011 at 8:11pm

I got her running today and a clean air filter made a world of distance in it's power.

However, when I emptied the ole girl of oil I smelled gasoline very strongly. I definitely have fuel getting into the oil. Any quick fixes or is this a complete rebuild?

Posted By: Orange Blood
Date Posted: 04 Mar 2011 at 8:20pm

Their are a couple of ways fuel can get in the oil.

1. The preious owner didn't want her to get "stuck", so he put a few cups of diesel fuel in the plug holes,

2. The engine got stuck, and the previous owner put gas or diesel down the plug holes, and it freed up, and wasn't stuck too bad, may be that stuck rings, are part of your power issue.

3. you have one cylinder not firing, and the gas is blowing past the rings.

I would run her up to operating temp with new oil, let it "burn" out any remaining fuel, then drain it again and see if it still smells of fuel. Could be that really old oil, just has that odor?

Just my $0.02

Hope it helps

Posted By: AFChap
Date Posted: 04 Mar 2011 at 9:04pm

Thanks Orange Blood!

I'll refill the oil, put on a new filter and see what happens. Hopefully this will take place tomorrow if I can find a new oil filter.