Purchased a '49 8n last spring and have rebuilt the engine. Running OK but not great. I am wondering if my hand throttle is working properly as it only can go about 1/2 way to "full throttle". I am also confused about how the linkage to the governor arm/carburetor are supposed to work. I am in Tuscaloosa, AL and wondered if there are any members near by. Thanks

Tom, welcome aboard! Your problem with "half throttle" may not be with your engine rebuild. It could be in the wiring. Is your system wired correctly for the original 6V/POS GRN setup or did you try to use a 12V conversion? Whichever, if not wired right, you will have issues starting and running. Do you have the ignition firing order correct, 1,2,4,3 CCW? See the HOW-TO's forum here, from the red menu bar at the top, under Electrical, and scroll down to Wiring Pictograms by JMOR to get all the correct ways to wire these N's. Next, you will find a chapter in the original 8N Owners' Manual on most major systems including the carb and governor rebuild and settings. There are also chapters in the I&T FO-4 Service Manual on the carb and governor rebuild and settings. There is a Master Parts Catalog (MPC) '39-'53 that has exploded parts views and numbers for every system and part on the N tractors up to the NAA. You need to have the carb tuned right first before you make any governor adjustments. There are documents too in the HOW-TO’s forum on the carb and governor settings. Note the 9N & 2N governors were different than the later 8N one. 9N & 2N governors had 3 arms, the 8N had 2 arms. You need all three manuals for your 8N plus JMOR's wiring pictograms.

FORD 8N OPERATOR'S MANUAL (EARLY, '48-'50)-

I&T FO-4 SERVICE MANUAL-

FORD N-SERIES MPC:

ORIGINAL 8N WIRING DIAGRAMS:

FRONT MOUNT FIRING ORDER:

thanks for the welcome and the information. It had already been converted to 12v, but I did a new wiring harness. I think everything is good electrically but will double check.

OK, confirmed you have the front mount distributor and a 12V battery but is the wiring correct for a 12V conversion? Is the original 6V generator and voltage regulator removed and an alternator replaced, either a 1-wire or 3-wire? The front mount also needs the original Ballast Resistor in the coil circuit regardless if 6V or 12V is used. You also will need an external in-line 1-OHM resistor in the coil circuit if using the original 6V Coil. Eliminate the extra ceramic 1-OHM resistor by switching the coil to a verified 12V coil. The other wiring needs to remain the same as the 6V; the 3-Wire Starter Motor with the RELAY (Solenoid); AMMETER; NEUTRAL SAFETY START PUSHBUTTON, IGNITION KEY SWITCH; and all wired correctly. Lighting kits were optional accessories. Regardless whether you use a Generator or an Alternator, you must have a fan belt tensioner device attached otherwise you will never charge the battery. The original 8N and up generators all had a belt tensioner but 12V conversion kits are not all the same. Some have a tensioner and some don't. 12V conversions can use the original AMMETER (preferred) or switch out to a VOLTMETER. It is also important to have the original manuals too so you know not only the 6V wiring setup but all the other major systems as well.

8N WIRING PICTOGRAMS by JMOR, 6V & THE 12V CONVERSION:

8N w/SIDE MOUNT DISTRIBUTOR USING A 6V COIL, NOTE INLINE 1-OHM RESISTOR:

ORIGINAL 9N-12250 BALLAST RESISTOR, USED ONLY WITH THE FRONT MOUNT DISTRIBUTOR:

8N & UP 3-WIRE STARTER MOTOR w/RELAY:

DELCO 10SI 3-WIRE ALTERNATOR WIRING:

Front Mount Distributor Specs:
Breaker Point Gap = .015”
Spark Plug Gap = .025”-.028”
Spark Plug = 14mm Champion H10, H12, or AUTO-LITE 437, some use NTK.
Firing Order = 1, 2, 4, 3 CCW

Hi Tom. Compare yours to this photo to see if it's set up correctly:

Also, there is good info in the 8N owner's manual on making adjustments to the governor linkage. You can download a free copy from the link below to our Manuals library here.

Welcome............Ed

• Click here to download the owner's manual

Thanks for the info. I think I have everything hooked up correctly. It may be a mechanical issue with the throttle arm itself as I don't think it goes through the whole range even when disconnected from the linkage to the governor.

Can you take a photo or two of how you are hooked up? If you don't have a way to post them, you are welcome to email them to me and I will post them for you.

I will try to do that when I can, thanks. The tractor is a distance away from my house.