# John deer 320 FNG



## bj shock

Howdy. I am new here. I couldn't find the intro page. Thanx for letting me in. I am working on a J.D. 320, for a pal, It has NO sparkage....I've got the engine on the bench...Fixin to build a motor stand to bolt it onto so I can work on it..Is it worth the trouble? I work on this kinda stuff A LOT...but, I have never fooled with one o' these particular critters...Any Advice, Smartass Remarks, or Downright Ridicule,, would be greatly appreciated. Thanx again...


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## Grunt

:welcome: bj shock. If you need help draining the green bottle, I can definitely help. I believe that 320 John Deere was made by Jacobsen and has ignition points under the flywheel. I would pull the flywheel and check\clean the points. I could not find a user manual, but there are some youtube videos that may help. I know the engine was proprietary and was made by Jacobsen. The carb is a Walbro SDC series, if I remember correctly.


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## bj shock

Thank you,.. Mistofer Grunt for responding..I am very familiar with Walbro carbs and other stuff too.


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## Grunt

Nice assortment of machining tools you have. Looks like you have the capability to make any parts you may ever need.


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## Kiss4aFrog

Welcome to the forum :white^_^arial^_^0^_


The hardest thing to figure out is if it's worth it to someone else.
Some people will do it for fun and money doesn't matter. Some do it for profit. Some out of necessity.
IMHO If the owner isn't really invested in this particular machine it might be time to look for something newer.
What condition is the machine in ??


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## bj shock

This machine seems to have been used very little..It is not terribly beat up..It has lots of compression..When I look into the exhaust port,, the piston isn't scored, the rings look good too.The piston top is not near as crusty as I thought it would be. I caint really see the cylinder walls...I think I can fix it..My main question is where to find parts.. I don't really want to go the JD dealer... I


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## nwcove

bj shock said:


> Thank you,.. Mistofer Grunt for responding..I am very familiar with Walbro carbs and other stuff too.


 welcome to the forum! my eyes arent the best so i need to ask.....is that a speaker mounted on that splitter ????


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## bj shock

nwcove said:


> welcome to the forum! my eyes arent the best so i need to ask.....is that a speaker mounted on that splitter ????


It aint mounted, It is just sticking there by the magnet...Don't ask me why...I was just workin on it for a pal.


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## nwcove

bj shock said:


> It aint mounted, It is just sticking there by the magnet...Don't ask me why...I was just workin on it for a pal.


the speaker or the splitter ?? lol


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## db9938

Welcome, and good choice in shop pop. 

By chance, have you tried a known good plug? 

And yet another idea, you may look for the engine numbers and go that route. Most of those single stage, two strokers, ran a tecumseh. I don't know for a fact that the JD ran a tecumseh, but theres a good chance.


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## bj shock

db9938 said:


> Welcome, and good choice in shop pop.
> 
> By chance, have you tried a known good plug?
> 
> And yet another idea, you may look for the engine numbers and go that route. Most of those single stage, two strokers, ran a tecumseh. I don't know for a fact that the JD ran a tecumseh, but theres a good chance.


The first thing I did, was try a new plug...There is a tag with the engine number on it....my searches have yielded nada...I reckon I'll go to the dealership..I have really bad luck at any stealership.


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## Kiss4aFrog

Have you ever used the on line JD parts lookup ??

I use it to find a P/N and then see if I can cross the part over to something more affordable.

John Deere - Parts Catalog

Type in "320" to model search and then find the snowblower in the list.
You should get to "Stator" with a few clicks and see this along with the PN list that goes with it.










Might be JD only stuff or might be on Partstree, jackssmallengines, searspartsdirect, amazon, ebay, ....
I have a couple JDs and I find the time spent trying to crossover to non dealer parts well worth my time.

If this is the right one for your friends engine maybe it just needs to have the points filed and adjusted or a points and condenser "tune-up" kit.

.


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## bj shock

I cobbed a bracket so I could mount the engine in the vise..The points look good ,..no pits or misalignment..there is a "mark" on the crankshaft..When the rubbing block is in line with the mark, the points are open..I have no Idea what the gap should be...Most everyone I talk to about this machine tells me I am wasting my time on an obsolete piece o' crap..In all of my research, this forum has helped me the most. I aint givin up yet! No, I haven't been to the dealership...I caint find the manufacturers name on this engine anywhere..When I try to research the engine number,all I get is "no results found"... The number is 9E14B518830. What should I do next?


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## Kiss4aFrog

When all else fails : John Deere 320 Snow Thrower Technical Manual TM 1209 | eBay


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## Grunt

Here is a link to the Jacobsen Sno Burst parts list. I couldn't find a free service manual. I think your no spark problem is caused by the spark plug being up side down.:facepalm_zpsdj194qh Sorry, just had to say it. John Deere engine number is J-501.

http://www.odref.com/homelite/snow-throwers/ut-35001a.PDF

Usually the recommended point gap is stamped into the aluminum points cover in your photo and is normally .020 with a plug gap of .025-.030.

Just found this.

http://web.a.ebscohost.com/serrc/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=31361b6b-86f8-404a-b101-ba9bebce2513%40sessionmgr4003&vid=2&hid=4104


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## db9938

Somewhere, I remember reading about the coils going bad, or that are bad, can be revived. As I read, the sealant will sometimes become compromised and allow for moisture to short out the coil pack. 

The remedy, bake it at 200F for about 30 minutes, and reapply a sealant. I've done this twice. It worked once, so I'm not convinced that it's the best advice, but it might be worth a shot.


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## bj shock

I cleaned and gapped the points, (and flipped the spark plug:icon_whistling I now have a BIG FAT BLUE SPARK! Next, I will see if I can get it to fire up..If not,then I will clean the carb...


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## db9938

Have you considered an ultrasonic jewelry cleaner for carb cleaning?

If not, I highly recommend it.


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## Kiss4aFrog

I have. Searching craigslist daily but they're all pretty expensive. Would like to get a better quality one than harbor freight and a bigger tank but might have to just go there and get one if I don't find one soon.
Everyone says they are fantastic for cleaning parts, especially carbs.

Ultrasonic Cleaner - 2.5 Liter


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## Ariens-777

I'm going to pick up a HF ultrasonic cleaner soon. Here's some 25%
off (and other) coupons if anyone needs one:

Harbor Freight Tools Coupon Database - Free coupons, 25 percent off coupons, 20 percent off coupons, No Purchase Required coupons, toolbox coupons


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## bj shock

I ended up slapping a stand together,... I put a new fuel line..filter and a valve on 'er,,,Dumped a little gas in the tank,...and she fires right up and runs like crapola! But, I haven't even touched the carb yet. I want to buy a new carb and I caint find one anywhere...Or a kit.
Yes...I did call the local dealership...They were of no help...
The guy I talked to at Jacks wanted to know what kind of an engine it is...I don't really know.. 
I guess I will take the carb apart and clean it, I wish I at least had a kit...


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## Grunt

Do any of these parts match the Deere parts?? If they do, you have a Jacobsen made snow blower and the carb is a Walbro SDC series.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw=walbro+sdc&adpos=%7Badposition%7D&ul_noapp=true&geo_id=10232&MT_ID=8&crlp=%7Bcreative%7D_2416792&keyword=walbro+sdc&device=c&crdt=0&clk_rvr_id=955064006596&_osacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=p2045573.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.Xjacobsen+sno+burst+carb+kit.TRS0&_nkw=jacobsen+sno+burst+carb+kit&_sacat=0


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## bj shock

Grunt said:


> Do any of these parts match the Deere parts?? If they do, you have a Jacobsen made snow blower and the carb is a Walbro SDC series.
> 
> jacobsen sno burst carb kit | eBay


Thanks Grunt! Now I can tear this thing apart with confidence!..Maybe..Kinda Sorta..YFY


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