wont idle

sledhunter · Post by **sledhunter** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 7:38 am

ok i got it running and took it around the yard and it will run and it wont and it will and it wont

it has the wd 8-5 carb on it and when i was in the garage tonight i found i wda 31 i looked on the net and i think that it came off a articat accept this one was never used there are a few differences on it the choke is set for hte other side of hte carb right by the throttle now would the bottom end of these be the same it looks like it would but i dont want ot start tearing things apart assuming

oh and the breather mouth? is wider so the plastic air grabber has the wrong bolt pattern

i really want to get it going i got it up to about 30 tonight for a lil while when it actually wanted to go but its driving me bonkers

thanks alot again

400brian · Post by **400brian** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 9:31 pm

If you check, I think you will find the W-8 has a smaller flange, and the newer carbs won't fit.

JDFanPa · Post by **JDFanPa** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 10:57 pm

You have a couple options asfar as the choke setup you can swap the shafts and choke plates possibly. Brian is right about the flange size but there are addaptors to let you bolt a bigger carb on the smaller intake or you can swap the intake to a 73 and up style I have a few extra intakes that should fit. How about the throttle cable hookup if its off a cat it is completly different.

400brian · Post by **400brian** » Wed Jan 24, 2007 3:07 am

Getting them to run is easy, getting them to run right can be hard.
The sled is 35 years old, certain items must be 100% or it won't run well.
The ignition system, and the carb to be sure. 100%

Re-build your W-8! Easier said then done sometimes, ( ask Paul

), but the carb needs to be clean and functional. Buying another carb off ebay, you'll likely get the same situation as what you have now, it'll need cleaning / rebuilding as well.

sledhunter · Post by **sledhunter** » Wed Jan 24, 2007 5:43 am

ok here are all my results

the wda-31 bolted right on to the manifold i mounted my throttle assembly right on to it just had to drill the wholes for the screws but the carb itself still did not work

so what i did was take the bottem piecces off of the wda-31 and put them on my wd 8-5 and it all fits perfect

i put it back on the sled and it still gave me some problems so i took a look and found out that my fuel tank is still full of junk evne though i tried cleaning it

so i just grabbed an extra plascit tank i had from a old rider lawn mower and put that in there with fresh gas and now its running just fine it even has some good get up and go

now here is another question about the tank would plasttic one from a different john deere fit where the steel one is because im gonna go to the sport salvage in alexandria and see if htey have one and look for a few other things

and also is there anyway to hook up a tack to my sled the dash has the spot for it but its not cut out i guess that makes it a tach delete

biggest question about that is are the hookups still on the sled for it or do i have to go without one ???

400brian · Post by **400brian** » Wed Jan 24, 2007 5:58 am

Yes, you can put a tach on the sled.
It will almost certainly have to be the newer black bezel tach, as the chrome ring tachs are non-existant. Rich has one, but he is saving it for me.

I have the instructions for wiring a tach into a '72

Someone will know for sure, the '75 sleds had a plastic tank in the 00 / JDX, but they may not fit because of the filler opening.
If you deem your steel tank unsalvagable, someone may have a useable one here.

BTW, are you sure your sled is a '72? What is your serial number?

sledhunter · Post by **sledhunter** » Wed Jan 24, 2007 9:35 am

ok good for a second i thought i would be tachless for life brian how big of an instruction list is it. could you possibly send it to me in an email?

as for the year im pretty sure its a 72 the numbers stamped into the side are 5000A 003164 which makes it number 614 off the line for hte 72 model year correct?

i pulled the info on decoding it from one of the jd sites i actually think it was this one

Rodimus Prime · Post by **Rodimus Prime** » Wed Jan 24, 2007 8:28 pm

to fit a plastic tank on a steel tank sled you would need to use the mounting hardware for the plastic tank.. other than having to open hood to put in fuel it will work..

on a lighter side steel tanks can be cut apart sandblasted cadium plated and rewelded giving you a new tank. i personnaly like the look of the steel tanks ( and hood style) of the 72-74 X00

400brian · Post by **400brian** » Wed Jan 24, 2007 9:23 pm

Yeah, I'd personally stay with the steel tank too. You should be able to either clean yours, or find a good used one.

As for the tach wiring instructions. Yes, it is small enough I could send it to you.
I also could put it in the FAQs. If you need it ASAP, let me know.

JDFanPa · Post by **JDFanPa** » Thu Jan 25, 2007 1:39 am

If you can find a real radiator shop in your area they can boil your steel tank out. It is probably easier to find a decent steel tank than a plastic tank also. I think the 73-4 tanks are all the same as 72 except for the green versus silver paint but I never payed close attention.