identification and mag issues

[mooncase2005]

i just got what i was told was a 1937 oliver oc3 but after trying to find any info on it i found a fiew discrepinces in the discription,i have not found anything that looks quite like it it has one ram that lifts a loader dozer blade and a 4 cyl  herculese motor im trying to find out why i only have spark randomly its got new points gapped to .015 a clean cap and rotor the mag is a fm-x4b16a anything i can find out will be a great help

[John Schwiebert]

When you have spark is it a good blue color? Did you just regap the points or did you take them out and clean them as needed? I would get a copy of the operators manual from either Landis or the museum in Charles City. I will get you details on how to contact them later this weekend. Is your engine an IXK or an an IXB? If there is no tag the engine model and serial number istamped on the left side of the block on a flat milled area. The date the block was cast will be indicated by numbers cast in the block close to the magneto.

[mooncase2005]

i did some digging and found that id does have a water pump it dose have a tag on the block but the block cats is 9 48, ive got good spark now but i cant seem to be able to either get it close enough or too much it has started but soon dies out ,there is a small plug that shows the flywheel and i have the spark line in it but im not sure how to time the mag, ive lined up a on the fiber gear and the small red dot on the metal gear but id does not seem to want to do anything the next thing i was wondering was what is the fireing order of it, it was 1234 when i got it but is that right ive read that it is supposed to be 1243,and the last thing i was wondering is is there a float in the carb or jets that can get clogged, i know its an updraft carb but i dont dare take it apart until i know that it needs to be cleaned or if there is nothing to wory about.just to let you know i live in maine thanks for the help

[Gazer61]

Where in Maine? I was wondering , Did you follow the owners manual procedure when you put the mag back on the tractor. That tripped me up the first time I put one back together (you know only read the instructions as a last resort ) The procedure that I am talking about is that you need to turn the Mag in the reverse direction when you are lining the rotor up. If you dont have an owners manual let me know and I can take a picture of that page and send it to you.
What model carburator do you have? I think the answer to your question is " yes the carburetor has a float and jets."
And the firing order is 1243
Also they didn't make an OC-3 until mid 1950 so you must have an HG,Is your motor an IXK or an IXB-3

[440roadrunner]

There are several seemingly simple things that can cause mag problems

When a spark comes and goes,  it can be:

Dirty points,  or some bearing problem that is preventing them from properly opening/ closing  due to shaft  play   This is where a powered test lamp or buzzer is handy,  because they draw  enough current that you can get a better idea of what the points are really doing.

Problems with the insulation/ bushings/ feedthrough  where any wiring connects to the points terminal, or feeds through the side of the mag for the kill switch,  or the kill switch itself.

Bad / intermittent condenser.   Condensers  do not just  "go bad."   They develop several kinds of problems,   and can cause this sort of trouble    Just because a condenser is new does NOT mean it is "good."

Bad mag---the mag  windings themselves can be giving trouble,  not the least of which is moisture which has gotten inside.    Might try drying out the mag  in a makeshift oven,  or even kidnap your wife's oven for awhile.   Be careful not to overheat   Depending on how the mag is built,  could be the interconnection between the points and armature.

Weak magnets will cause a weak spark,  but usually not intermittent

Could be a problem with moisture/ carbon tracking/ cracks/ damage  to the cap/ brush  assembly.

[John Schwiebert]

On the carburetor, do you have a Marvel (cast iron) or a Tillison (aluminum)? Did you have the mag off?

[mooncase2005]

ok i have spark and it is timed i have gotten it to auctually run,the problem is that some one who previously owned it had put the number 1 spark plug wire in the number two hole and so on,when i finally figured this out i just set the "spark"line on the flywheel in the view hole,lined the little red dot with the a on the mag and things started to line up,then i had fire,but the carburator hat been sitting with watery gas for so long that it was basically nothing but varnish left, about an inch of it, i guess it has been sitting for a while,so i had to do a teardown., three cans of carb cleaner and some steelwool later its finally done,im gonna put the carb back on it tomarrow,and fingers crossed it will work!

 as for the year i cant find any tags in it on it or near it where would they be?

and yes its the marvel cast carb it has a 56-10,406 and tsx on the back side of the choke does any one know what this means?

the dozer is in west paris where im moving.

what would cause it to boil the antifreeze out could it be a bad cap there is no oil in the antifreeze and no antireeze in the oil and no water out of the exaust,and the compression test was excellent,no loss of pressure was found im kinda stumped on this one

[440roadrunner]

Well, it's either "really" overheating---is the timing slow?    or you could have a blown head gasket.   run a compression check,  and if that shows nothing,  there are chemical checks available that detect combustion gas in the antifreeze

I'm not specifically familiar with carbs on these

[Jack in NB]

The TSX 406 is a Marvel-Schebler. Both it and the TSX403 were apparently fitted - we've had both on different OC-3's. They're pretty much identical - but the 406 has a high speed mixture adjustment needle; the 403 does not.

Is the temp gauge working? It sounds like it's overheating for some reason. With the good compression test, it's not a head gasket.

Could be late timing, as roadrunner suggested, or a stuck thermostat? The temp gauge will give you an idea how fast the temp comes up. If the thermostat's working normally, the top of the rad will stay cool until it reaches operating temp, then the thermostat opens and the rad top heats up quickly. If it's stuck, the rad top will stay cool as the temp gauge passes the boiling point.

Best of luck getting the beast going!

Jack, across the line in NB.

[Blake Malkamaki]

Does it have a water pump? Is the radiator plugged up? Are the fins in the radiator rotted and not making intimate contact with the tubes?

Just some questions that may give us some clues.

[mooncase2005]

well i got it running but not perfectly, i was hoping someone might be able to tell me the proper way to set up the two needles im not quite sure how it is supposed to be,other then that i was able to take it on its first ride in at least 10 years,what a machine,thanks to every one who helped.

[mooncase2005]

ive come up to a problem ive nolonger got a place to bring the oliver it runs but i basically cant keep it i was wondering if any one would be intrested in it,i need a 1 ton dulie truck and would be willing to trade if any one is interested please cann 207 5153297

[Oliver_collector]

It's small, keep it anyway! Mine is behind the house with a tarp on it at all times when it isn't in use. A $10 blue tarp from the farm store will last a year in some rather bad Kansas weather.
Geoffrey