# Ford 8N New starter and selenoid , still spins? Help!



## Davyboy65 (Dec 1, 2017)

Hello, my name's Davey and i just bought an old Ford 8N tractor. When the man brought it to me, he showed me it was running great. He cut it off and started it several times and it started and ran great every time. Next day i went out to start it and flooded it. I tried to start it again a while later but the bendix wouldn't engage and it just spun . I figured it needed a new bendix so i went ahead and bought a new starter with drive. I also bought a new selenoid . I installed it and knew it was going to start, but nope, still just spins. Flywheel ring gear looks great so i am lost. Can anyone think of what i should do? Any help is appreciated . Thanks!


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## pogobill (Jan 31, 2012)

Is the battery charged up? Is your tractor 6 or 12 volts? 
The same thing happened to me when I bought my '57 Case 320 backhoe. The perpetrator... I mean seller, must have just taken the unit off the battery charger when I showed up. He fired it up a few times, we ran it through all the functions and it was great. Loaded it on a flatbed and hauled it home. One hour drive.... wouldn't start to get it off the flatbed! Had to boost it. A short in the wiring drained the battery.
Anyways, make sure the battery is charged up and see if that helps.


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## Davyboy65 (Dec 1, 2017)

pogobill said:


> Is the battery charged up? Is your tractor 6 or 12 volts?
> The same thing happened to me when I bought my '57 Case 320 backhoe. The perpetrator... I mean seller, must have just taken the unit off the battery charger when I showed up. He fired it up a few times, we ran it through all the functions and it was great. Loaded it on a flatbed and hauled it home. One hour drive.... wouldn't start to get it off the flatbed! Had to boost it. A short in the wiring drained the battery.
> Anyways, make sure the battery is charged up and see if that helps.


 Hi , i have a good battery charger and have tried charging the battery and do boost the tractor every time, but it isn't that. It's a 12 volt system. Thanks for the reply.


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## harry16 (Dec 8, 2011)

The seller knew exactly what it took to get it to crank. Had to be the battery. Take your battery to an auto parts shop and have it load tested. 

Also, clean your battery connections and especially the ground connections.


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## Davyboy65 (Dec 1, 2017)

harry16 said:


> The seller knew exactly what it took to get it to crank. Had to be the battery. Take your battery to an auto parts shop and have it load tested.
> 
> Also, clean your battery connections and especially the ground connections.


Not the battery. I went and bought a new battery even though the old one was good. I also have a commercial charger i tried boosting it with even though i knew it isn't the battery. Just frustrated. I took the starter back off and used a pry bar to move the ring gear. It isn't slipping, but it sure was hard even moving it a little bit. It seems to me it wouldn't be that hard when it's in neutral. I have tried everything i can do, but still it won't engage the bendix. If the seller was screwing me , i sure don't see how. I checked it out with a fine tooth comb and started it several times etc... The battery was never bad. I just don't know why it took so much effort to move the flywheel ring gear. Next day it almost started, but i flooded it and after that it would not engage the bendix. Thank you for your help.


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## Davyboy65 (Dec 1, 2017)

pogobill said:


> Is the battery charged up? Is your tractor 6 or 12 volts?
> The same thing happened to me when I bought my '57 Case 320 backhoe. The perpetrator... I mean seller, must have just taken the unit off the battery charger when I showed up. He fired it up a few times, we ran it through all the functions and it was great. Loaded it on a flatbed and hauled it home. One hour drive.... wouldn't start to get it off the flatbed! Had to boost it. A short in the wiring drained the battery.
> Anyways, make sure the battery is charged up and see if that helps.


 The seller brought it to me. He drove almost two hours here, and it started right up. He was here several hours just talking about some land i am thinking of selling. We went to look at it and were gone several hours. When we got back the tractor started right up. I've owned about ten tractors but never an 8n . I will figure out what's wrong eventually. Thank you for your help.


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## pogobill (Jan 31, 2012)

If it doesn't even turn over, it could very well be a ground. If it does turn over, could be a sticky governor rod, burnt points if you left the power on, or even flooded if the fuel wasn't shut off under the gas tank. They are gravity feed and if the carb leaks past the float somewhat, the fuel has to go somewhere.


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## Davyboy65 (Dec 1, 2017)

Would any of those possibilities cause the bendix to not engage with the ring gear? The engine can't turn over if the starter isn't engaging the flywheel right? Thanks!


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