# Water Vapor in the Exhaust



## 8n_guy (Mar 19, 2017)

Today I went out the check that my side distributor 8N would start and that the gas tank was full. I went through the ignition and charging circuits like I always do in September. The tractor started but did not run well even after it warmed up. I attributed this to stale gas, so I added some Sea Foam additive. Later on I added 2 gallons of fresh gas. It started better (it still has the intermittent miss it has always had for the last 20 years) but still not great. I noticed it had a lot of water vapor in the exhaust. I checked the dipstick and it has no evidence of water in the oil. I then looked in the radiator while the engine was running, thinking that the head gasket had blown, but saw no bubbles in the coolant. Is the reason for the water vapor in the exhaust perhaps condensation in the gas tank since September? I keep a Battery Tender on the tractor at all times I am not using the tractor. But I have not used or started the tractor since September. Do I need to open the drain plug on the carburetor? Or will the water clear out readily by running the tractor?


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## The 203 (Apr 27, 2020)

8n_guy said:


> Today I went out the check that my side distributor 8N would start and that the gas tank was full. I went through the ignition and charging circuits like I always do in September. The tractor started but did not run well even after it warmed up. I attributed this to stale gas, so I added some Sea Foam additive. Later on I added 2 gallons of fresh gas. It started better (it still has the intermittent miss it has always had for the last 20 years) but still not great. I noticed it had a lot of water vapor in the exhaust. I checked the dipstick and it has no evidence of water in the oil. I then looked in the radiator while the engine was running, thinking that the head gasket had blown, but saw no bubbles in the coolant. Is the reason for the water vapor in the exhaust perhaps condensation in the gas tank since September? I keep a Battery Tender on the tractor at all times I am not using the tractor. But I have not used or started the tractor since September. Do I need to open the dr itselfe


The condensate could just be in the muffler if it's a horizontal exhaust system. They will collect water, especially if you run for short runs. Take it for a good run when you get the rough running sorted out, clean your points and I would drain the carburetor bowl. Water settles to the bottom. Spark plugs may help.


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## Old Graybeard (1 mo ago)

Agree with 203 response, but if you have water in the fuel or carb, it will not clear up by itself -not sure about the miss but you can ground each plug wire one at a time to see which cylinder is causing the miss then go from there.


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## 8n_guy (Mar 19, 2017)

Thanks for your replies, I will be looking into this today.


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