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All N-Series Tractors - Ford-Ferguson 9N, 2N, and Ford 8N
This rebuild is based on the original type Marvel/Schebler Carburetor.
Many of these tractors have aftermarket M/S type or replacement Zenith Carbs. The aftermarket M/S types seem to be lower quality. The castings are a bit off and some holes are drilled off-center making the part weaker possibly in critical areas. Some people claim the Zenith is an upgrade. I'm not sure. Anything will seem like an upgrade when you are replacing a dirty, worn-out carb with a new one. I am convinced that almost any of the original or aftermarket carbs sold for these engines will perform equally well as long as it's properly cleaned and tuned.
The Marvel/Schebler carbs were VERY popular and were used on a wide variety of vehicles. That is good, there are plenty of these carbs and parts available. New replacement M/S type carbs are still being built!
If you are looking for a new or replacement carb for any of the Ford N-Series Tractors, I believe you should be looking for a Marvel/Schebler TSX 241B, There was a later 241C but it was not viewed as an improvement. The 241B was a better carb. All of the M/S type carbs that I have found can easily be rebuilt to the TSX-241B specifications.
Special Screwdrivers - Collect 2 or 3 old useless straight blade screwdrivers and an old dull flat file about 1/2" wide.
Grinder - Any type that you can use to make special tools.
Pick Tools - Pointy Steel Picks with various bends at the end.
Pin Vise - A very small drill bit holder. Usually found at hobby supply stores.
Assorted Bits for the Pin Vise in inch sizes from 0.025" to 0.060" there should be around 9 bits in the set to cover the range of sizes. The mm size eqivalent is 0.5 to 1.5 in 1/10 mm increments.
Set of Taps. The will be used to chase trash out of threads.
A selection of wire strands in various sizes that can be threaded through passages to clean them out.
Precision measuring tool to measure bit and wire sizes.
Air Compressor or perhaps canned compressed air to blow out and dry passages.
Aside from those; normal hand tools, carb cleaner, PB Blaster, paint thinner, Safety Glasses, etc. A set of flare-nut wrenches may save you from rounding off those soft fuel line fittings. Rubber gloves may be needed depending on what you use for solvents/cleaners, skin sensitivity, and how hands-on you tend to get with that stuff. Wear the safety glasses.
Carb rebuild kits are available in two versions. There is a Basic Kit that should sell for around $15, and a Complete Kit for closer to $40. The Basic Kit has a new Throttle Shaft, Float Valve, Float Lever Pin, and Gaskets for around $15. In most cases, the basic kit will have more parts than you really need unless it's been 20+ years since your carb was rebuilt.
A1 - Find a small fuel-resistant plastic or tin container. About quart size should do it. Remove the carb drain bolt and let it drain into the can. When the fuel stops, this should confirm that your fuel valve at the tank actually closes off the fuel completely. If not, you may need a MUCH bigger can so you can drain the tank and replace the valve. Mission creep strikes again.
A2 - Remove the fuel line at the carb fitting. You really should use a flare nut type wrench for that, so you don't immediately round off the corners of the nut. A tight-fitting open-end wrench may work ok as long as the nut wasn't tightened by a gorilla.
A3 - This is a good time to start snapping some photos. Digital photos are almost free so there's no reason not to photograph everything as it comes apart. The photos can save a lot of head-scratching later. Especially if mission creep sets in and it's over a year later that you are putting things back together (hint hint)
A4 - Then remove the linkage and air tube. Linkage rods have spring-loaded ends that fit over a ball joint. Pull the end and rod in opposite directions, they should come right off. Loosen the air tube hose clamp at the carb and pull the air tube off. You may need to loosten more of the clamps or even cut the hosees if they are really old.
A5 - Remove two nuts at the manifold and the carb should drop right off in your hand. Catch it before it hits concrete. It may take a little prying to free the manifold gasket. Use your third hand to do that. The studs should stay in the carb. No need to remove them unless they are damaged and need to be replaced.
A6 - Take the carb to your work bench. There is usually some fuel still in there (and of course fuel vapor is explosive) so don't light a cigarette yet.
B1 - Get a piece of paper and take some notes. Count turns as you screw the main mixture and idle mixture screws in until they bottom in the holes. You should get around 1-3/4 turns on them. Don't force them but make sure you are at the limit of travel. Write down those adjustments for info. Pay particular attention if an adjustment is way off. We may need to drill out the passages connecting to that adjustment. After recording the settings, remove the adjusting screws and springs completely. You will notice that the main mixture screw is very long. We are removing it now, so it won't get bent later.
B2 - Check the idle speed screw also except counting turns OUT until the throttle plate is completely closed. That is often hard to get exactly. Don't worry about it too much.
B3 - Check the choke and throttle shafts for side play. If they are tight you may not need to remove them. Your Call. They can stay in unless you decide to replace the seals. If they need to come out, snap photos of them to document how the plates screws and choke springs fit. Carefully remove two screws that hold each plate to the shaft. Pick a new, sharp screwdriver that fits tightly in the slot. Hold the screwdriver firmly and squarely in the slot and apply just enough force to break the screws loose. Then remove the plates, and slide the shafts out the side.
B4 - If you have removed the shafts, you are probably replacing the shaft seals, possibly even putting in new shaft bushings. Carefully pry the seals out of the holes with a Pick Tool. The choke shaft seal is a felt washer. The throttle shaft should have a neoprene seal behind a metal retainer. While you have a pick in hand, remove the fiber washer seal where the main mixture screw went into the carb.
B5 - Carefully unscrew the fuel elbow fitting. This fitting is soft and easily bent. I keep a few old fuel line fitting nuts around. Twist one of those in the elbow to help support the fitting before putting a wrench on it. Put the wrench inboard as close to the carb as you can get it. The fitting should have a fuel screen on the inside end. If not, make sure it isn't broken off and wadded up inside the carb.
B6 - Time to remove the carb top. Four corner screws secure the top. Pick or grind a screwdriver that fits snug in the slot and hold it in place firmly so you don't damage the screws. These usually come out easy. You may need to pry around the edge a bit to separate the bottom half of the carb from the gasket material. You want the gasket to stay with the top of the carb if at all possible. We will see why in a minute. The float assembly is hinged to the top but most of it is below the gasket.
B7 - Flip the top over and remove the float hinge pin, float, and peel the gasket off.
C1 - At this point there is still some disassembly to do but my workbench is covered in dirt, grime, and bits of old paint. I want to start cleaning the carb and can't do that right without first cleaning the work area. Spray some carb cleaner in the carb halves and place them where they can soak a bit. Clean up sorting good parts from stuff that will be replaced. I keep all of the old parts until I'm done and don't throw away any parts that appear usable even if they will be replaced. Might need them for the next carb.
C2 - Before taking them back to the workbench, get the carb halves and other parts as clean as you can inside and out. Use solvents, scrapers, elbow grease, and compressed air in whatever quantity seems appropriate. Drop all the small parts into a glass jar, add some carb cleaner and cap it. Then you can slosh them around gently every time you walk past the workbench. This is the small jar I'm using for that:
C3 - The remaining disassembly is necessary. Some skip it, but it's impossible to get all those little passages completely clean without removing the Main Nozzle and jets. One bit of gum, varnish, or crud left in those passages WILL prevent the rebuilt carb from performing properly.
C4 - The carb kits usually have a new float seat so remove that (Using special tool No.2). This special tool needs to be wide enough to catch both slots in the Float Valve Seat. It's also nice if it has a center pin to keep it in the seat fitting. The old flat file or a very big screwdriver is a good start for this tool. I have used something as simple as a dime gripped in a pair of vice grips. You will bend the dime.
C5 - Removing the Main Nozzle is a bit obvious, use a deep well thin-walled socket. A 1/4" drive deep well socket is usually thin-walled enough to get on the 3/8" hex or some 3/8" nut drivers will slip over the Nozzle.
C6 - As mentioned the Power Jet is under the Main Nozzle you just removed. It will come out using the proper size screwdriver. Soak it in PB Blaster. While that is working you should make a special screwdriver that fits tight in the jet slots but is also narrow enough to get down in the hole without damaging the threads for the Main Nozzle. Careful even pressure will release the soft metal jet from the threads in the carb casting. The idea is to remove the jets without having to drill and tap the remains out after wringing the top off. KEEP THE OLD JETS! Toss them in the jar of small parts and give it another swirl.
C7 - The other two jets are in the carb top. The Idle Jet is easily visible near the float seat. The first screwdriver you made should work.
C8 - The Economizer Jet is located deep in a hole to one side of the Idle Jet. Similar to removing the Main Jet, you need to use the correct size screwdriver that will reach it. Look down in there first to see if your carb even has this jet. Occasionally I rebuild one that doesn't. No problem just run a #8-32 tap into the hole and make sure there are 4 or 5 threads for a new jet. You probably won't be making new threads, just cleaning out the threads that are already there.
C9 - If the shafts were very loose you may need to drill and install new bushings in the case. Usually the wear is in the shaft so new shafts and seals are all you need.
D1 - Repeat the entire cleaning process. Soaking in solvent will loosen some deposits then a combination of rodding-out and air pressure should thoroughly clean the passages. This is the most critical part of a carb rebuild and where most failures occur.
D2 - Some of the passages in these carbs may never have been completly drilled out and many of the jets being provided are the wrong size for a Ford tractor. What we want to do is thoroughly clean the carb and fix anything that may have been wrong since it was new. Never assume the carb was right to begin with, especially with aftermarket replacements. Many of the replacement carbs may not have been made for a Ford tractor.
D3 - Some people find it necessary to remove casting plugs to clean and check some passages. I don't do that. Each passage does have to be at least as big as the jet that goes in there or the passage will restrict flow more than the jet. All of the passages need to be checked, cleaned and possibly drilled out to a size that is larger than the jet.
D4 - A selection of stainless steel tie wire in various thicknesses comes in handy for cleaning out passages. It's stiff enough to poke through there while flexible enough to go around some corners.
D5 - Jet Info - This could be a bit controversial. Some rebuilders are convinced that certain sizes for certain jets work better than other combinations. But the simple fact is that these carbs came with a wide variety of jets, the rebuild kits introduce even more variations, and unless you are buying a lot more parts than you need, you are going to be stuck with two choices, the jets that came in the carb or the ones in your rebuild kit.
Another interesting fact is that Ford seems to have tried various jet sizes with different carbs then, (with the introduction of the TSX 241B carb) the jet sizes went back very close to the earlier sizes that were used on the TSX-33 carb!
Idle Jet = 9N/8N 9596 M/S #49-165 #10-32 Thread
Sizes Found - (TSX-241B = 0.024) 0.025-0.027 0.028 [0.032] 0.033 0.035 0.046
Economizer Jet = 9N/9N 9914 M/S #49-161 #8-32 Thread (small head)
Sizes Found - 0.026 0.027-0.029 0.037 (TSX-241B = 0.038) 0.043 0.041-0.047 [0.046] 0.049
Power Jet = 9N 9533 M/S # 49-162 #8-32 Thread (large head)
Sizes Found - 0.026 [0.043] 0.046 (TSX-241B = 0.050) 0.051-0.053 0.073
After digging up the jet info, then rebuilding and testing a few carbs, it seems that as long as jet sizes are somewhere between the largest and smallest sizes for each jet listed above, the engine will start, adjust, and run well. These are pressure-balanced type carbs, so the engine draws what it needs at the ratio you adjust using the Idle Mixture and Main Mixture screws.
The main complaint with these carbs seems to be an idle adjuster that has no effect on the engine. So, don't under-size the idle jet or fail to rod out and open the idle passages. The 241B spec for idle jet is definitely a minimum size.
Alcohol blended fuel throws another wrench into the works because the alcohol part is only about half as volatile as gasoline. This would suggest that our jets need to be getting a little bigger as alcohol percentage increases.
So, without getting too excited about it, I check jet sizes and make sure the Idle jet is at least 0.032", the Economizer Jet is at least 0.046", and the Power Jet is at least 0.043. Any jet larger than 0.050" is tossed in the trash. Any jet smaller than the sizes listed in BOLD print is drilled out using a pin vise.
E1 - Before we start putting things back together, these are soft brass parts going into a cast iron carb body. Most things like jets only need to be snugged down. No need to be a gorilla and wring the threads out of something.
E2 - Install the correct jet into each hole. I've found this nearly impossible to get wrong if you start with the top cover. The Idle Jet is a larger #10-32 thread and will be the only jet that will thread into the idle jet hole, the correct one, next to the float seat. The Economizer jet and the Power jet are threaded the same, but the larger head on the Power jet will not allow it to drop into the hole in the top cover where the Economizer jet goes. Put the economizer jet in and snug it in place. With those installed, that leaves only the Power jet which goes in the lower half of the carb under the Main Nozzle.
E3 - Install the new float seat with the correct gasket (usually red color). This is where you will need Special Tool No.2 again. Make sure the seat is all the way in and tight on it's gasket. Then drop the float needle into the seat, set the top gasket on, and hang the float in place with the pivot pin.
E3 - Check the float adjustment while holding the top of carb upside down. The entire top surface of the float should be parallel with and 1/4" away from the gasket surface. A piece of 1/4" dowel rod makes a great gauge to roll across and measure with. Somw screwdriver shafts are 1/4" or you could use a 1/4" drill bit. CAREFUL! if this adjustment seems way off STOP and make sure the seat for the float valve is screwed all the way in and make sure the float pivot pin hasn't slid off one side. If the seat is tight, with the correct seal under it, the carb float should not require bending to get the correct height. I usually end up straightening any bending the previous rebuilder may have done. Some replacement float valves are a little taller or shorter, so if everything else checks out ok, go ahead and bend the float to get the correct 1/4" height.
E4 - Install the Main Nozzle with a gasket that looks similar to the one that went under the float seat, but slightly smaller. Snug the Main Nozzle down with the deep socket.
E5 - Place the venturi into the top cover gasket. The tapered part should be at the top when the carb is assembled.
E6 - Once you have that figured out place the top cover on and start a couple of screws. Check the venturi again making sure the tapered part is still on top. If ok, continue installing cover screws and tighten them in stages to gradually snug the cover down.
E7 - Reassemble shafts, plates, shaft seals, and adjusters.
RETURN - to main Carburetor Adjustment page
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Updated May 2011 by KL