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I have an old Pettibone Carrylift (4wd forklift) of unknown age (flat head 6 cyl- Continental?) Anyone familiar with these?
So far I have not had much success researching this beast.
My formost question is; even though the ole girl runs well it eats gas and spark plugs (NGK a-6) like crazy, I'm probably not getting more than 20 hrs before it starts skipping and I have to change at least one plug. They are are a bit sooty, but not deformed or beat up, they just don't fire. Please help the novice.
Thanks

Sounds like she's runnin' rich, and maybe burning a little oil. Carbon fouling will make a sparkplug not fire. My dad's old John Deere "B" tractors will do this sometimes. Even if I clean the plug, it still won't fire. I tuned the tractor up, and used a sparkplug that is one heat range hotter. Helped out a lot.

Check air filter and carb adjustments, ignition timing and plug heat range.

hope this helps,
Chip

It's those Japanese plugs in old American Iron Some folks believe AC and Phord brand (Autolite?) work best w/out fouling. Sounds like a tune-up is in order, compression check. Go to www.yesterdaystractors.com and ask on boards there. These engines were used in lots of tractors and someone more familier with them there maybe. Maybe rings froze from not running much and little or no compression on that cylinder?

ol forklifts and rough surfaces tends to flood the motor bouncing the float.
had a bunch of stuff to say about that.
but tour of duty on de tv just caused a flash back. seeya

If it's a Continental L6-226 it's the same engine (nicknamed superhurricane) as was used in the Willys Wagon and Pickup trucks from 1954-63. Check with www.willystech.com for info on that engine. It was used offroad so you should be able to get an offroad carb/carb kit for it that would help with your flooding. I have heard of these engines not liking certain plugs, and people using AC plugs sucessfully in them. They are good reliable engines. Oh yeah, and check the carb to make sure the power valve isn't stuck open. Also make sure all the passages are open and none of the diaphragms are ruptured. The carb that was normally used on that engine is notorious for having problems that make it run way too rich.

I don't know what type carberator you have but a lot of old tractors and combines used this engine. Most used an updraft carberator probably a Zenith or a Marvel. The majority of the larger engines like teh 6's or big 4's used a Zenith. These carborators had 2 neadle valves a main jet and an idle jet. The idle jet was on the top by the manifold and the main jet was generally on the bottom of the carb. if it is idling OK the main jet could be set to rich. To set open the governor to about normal speed and adjust the main jet turn it in (leaner) until the engine starts to labor then turn it out until you see black smoke or it sounds like it is starting to flood out (Make sure you keep track of how many turns you turned the jet between the two positions) set the main jet halfway between these two extreems. This should be a good start to setting the carborator. Some of these carborators were a little fussy about temperature changes and changes from summer to winter gas mixtures.

Thanks for the responses!!!!
will be checking those sites immediately and checking carb,compression as soon as I get a chance.
Thanks again, appreciate the help.