Ford 2600 w/Holley Carb

krodkey78 · Nov 29, 2021

I have had a Ford 2600 for some time now. It has always had issues with idling. I finally decided to dig in. First I replaced all the ignition components with positive results but there was a fuel delivery issue. I tracked it down to two issues, a weak fuel pump and a plugged inlet screen in the carb. Fixing those issues got it running reliably but it still would not idle properly so I decided to rebuild the carb.

After all the aforementioned work, the tractor now idles at about 900-1000 RPM with the idle throttle plate adjustment screw backed all the way out. When the throttle is increased, it wants to stall and backfires. I played with the idle adjustment screw, starting at 1 full turn out from seated, by turning it out 1/4 turn each adjustment with no result. If I partially choke it prior to increasing the throttle, I can baby it up to 2000-2200 RPM and it will run OK as long as it is partially choked.

Any suggestions on where to proceed from here?

Thanks for any consideration/input!!

Old Ford Mechanic · Nov 29, 2021

I have changed out the troublesome Holley carbs to the New Zenith carbs sold on this site. The Holley carbs are
hard to deal with after getting wear on the moving parts and are expensive to rebuild. For around 300 bucks your
tractor will perform better with the Zenith replacement. I've changed out several on the 3 cylinder tractors and
all my customers have been happy.

krodkey78 · Nov 29, 2021

Thanks for the tip. I had a feeling it was something with the carb...most likely the pump. Once I sized the new pistons, the one in the tower slid nice and smooth. I adjusted the size of the piston that feeds into the carb body several times. It slid relatively smooth but was sticking a little at the top. I didn't want to take it down any further for fear of making it too small to form the vacuum required for operation.

If all else fails, I will give the Zenith a try.

Thanks again.

krodkey78 · Nov 29, 2021

One other question about the zenith carbs. Are there any modifications required or is a direct fit?

Old Ford Mechanic · Nov 29, 2021

The ones i have changed have been straight forward. A couple of tractors had some things changed before coming
into the shop that had to be corrected.

Curt Cooke · Nov 30, 2021

Just a note about replacing the carb. I bought a replacement on e-bay for about $90. No doubt it's a foreign made knock-off but I figured if it didn't work, for that money I could just throw it away. Well, it worked fine! The issue with my Holly was the related to the accelerator pump in the carb itself. I gave up and took a chance on that $90 carb. You may have some other issues but I wouldn't drop $400 on a carb to find out, drop $90 and see what happens?
CC

krodkey78 · Nov 30, 2021

Thanks for the tip. I am fairly certain my issue is the accelerator pump as well. I think it is sticking due to wear in the carb body. If I had a mill I would attempt to fix it but for $90, I think I will try that first.

Ozlander · Nov 30, 2021

(quoted from post at 08:52:08 11/30/21)

I have an 860 that was the same way, adjust the carb and it would idle perfect but ran lousy on top end. Adjust the carb so top end was good and it wouldn't idle.
Bought a $80 carb form Ebay that was an exact fit and it good at any speed. Best starting tractor I have.

Ford 2600 w/Holley Carb

krodkey78

New User

Old Ford Mechanic

Well-known Member

krodkey78

New User

krodkey78

New User

Old Ford Mechanic

Well-known Member

Curt Cooke

Member

krodkey78

New User

Ozlander

Well-known Member

Similar threads