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Getting away from small engine repair, but is there a good system for mulching leaves? I had to act fast when I bought the house last fall so I just made a large leaf pile, but I'd love to mulch them rather than just leave a pile or bag and dispose.
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Aug 3, 2020 14:42
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I am interested to hear this too. I'll probably be doing leaf duty at my folks place this year and I have literally never done anything with leaves but rake them.
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Aug 3, 2020 15:41
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Mr. Powers posted:Getting away from small engine repair, but is there a good system for mulching leaves? I had to act fast when I bought the house last fall so I just made a large leaf pile, but I'd love to mulch them rather than just leave a pile or bag and dispose. Depends on what kind of space you have, but shredded with a mower and put in a pile does that trick for me. You need a pretty decent sized pile for that to work through the winter though. Otherwise you can use any of the garden compost systems - barrels, etc - for leaves.
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Aug 3, 2020 16:22
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I mow them in place as they fall with my mulching mower. It's looks a bit ratty, but the lawn is happy and I don't send endless bags of leaves to the dump. I put some in my compost bin as well. If you mow them, you just have to do it often lest you get overwhelmed.
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Aug 3, 2020 16:47
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Well you see, that's your problem right there: Cleaned the carb and the engine runs great now.
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Aug 3, 2020 20:59
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I'm assuming the previous owners did zero leaf clean up since they were selling the place. They also did zero dog cleanup. For the side yard, I ended up with a pile about 3ft deep in the middle, 8ftx8ft. A fair amount of leaf mass, and it would certainly overwhelm most of the compost containers I've seen. It was too late and I didn't have a mower yet to mulch it in place, but I guess I'll see how the mower does this year.
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Aug 3, 2020 21:31
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Mr. Powers posted:I'm assuming the previous owners did zero leaf clean up since they were selling the place. They also did zero dog cleanup. For the side yard, I ended up with a pile about 3ft deep in the middle, 8ftx8ft. A fair amount of leaf mass, and it would certainly overwhelm most of the compost containers I've seen. It was too late and I didn't have a mower yet to mulch it in place, but I guess I'll see how the mower does this year. Oh that's a plenty big pile to keep going over the winter. You'll want to mount it up higher, but it should keep going off. Something I've seen people do for piles that size is to whack together 3 pallets into a "U" shape, or add two more to make two bins to you can shovel from one to the other to turn the pile easily. If you've got a spot for something like that it might work out pretty well. As far as shredding the leaves, a bagger for your mower is going to be the easiest. Don't know what you're working with exactly.
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Aug 3, 2020 22:15
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Motronic posted:Oh that's a plenty big pile to keep going over the winter. You'll want to mount it up higher, but it should keep going off. The mower is just an eGO electric. It does have a bag, but I have it set up for mulching. I do have a 2x1 shaped pen made of pallets from the PO, though.
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Aug 3, 2020 22:45
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Mr. Powers posted:The mower is just an eGO electric. It does have a bag, but I have it set up for mulching. I do have a 2x1 shaped pen made of pallets from the PO, though. If you can, mulched would go off even faster as compost. But that means dragging leaves back to your bins, spreading them out, running them over and raking/shoveling them in. It really comes down to what kind of pain you're willing to put into this.
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Aug 3, 2020 23:26
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Motronic posted:It was always my understanding that the big deal was that you want a non-detergent oil in small engines since they don't have a filter. Detergent oil keeps the contaminates in solution rather than letting them settle out as sludge. Single weight oils didn't (don't?) have detergents in them for a long time, so it was like code for "non detergent oil". No idea what's going on with the conflicting stuff you're seeing in the manuals. Single weight oils still have detergent in them. You have to specifically buy ND30 oil if you want to get non-detergent. For compressors, the pump usually calls out ND30, but the motor is usually whatever multi-weight is standard. Honda GXs run on whatever, though. SAE30HD is still recommended in lots of small engine.
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Aug 4, 2020 13:27
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I assume this is the right place to be for a newbie trying to learn and work on some small engines? Namely: early 1980s era Husqvarna practica 61 chainsaw. I just did a carb rebuild kit, furthest into an engine I've ever been. Watched some videos first. Ran through it and, amazingly, against all odds, it started right up literally on the first pull. I'm still pretty jazzed about that. Anyhow, now I'm trying to tune the carb. The saw's old enough that it doesn't require the specialized tool the modern ones do, a flathead does fine, so that's cool. Anyhow, based on the guides, setting the low, it should respond real quick on trigger pulls, just jump right up to speed. So my question: if it bogs a bit or doesn't respond as quickly as I'm seeing in guides, am I too far in or out on that? What DOES it do if I'm too far in or out?
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Aug 12, 2020 01:16
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Seat the screws gently, then back them out a turn and a half each. Set the high speed first, slightly richer (out further) than perfectly smooth, because the fuel mixture leans out under load. Set the low speed so that it revs up smoothly; bogs and dies = too lean, bogs then revs = too rich.
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Aug 13, 2020 14:43
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Right on, thanks. I did manage to get it somewhat closer to correct, to the point that I was able to finish up the immediate work I needed to do, but it still has issues that I'm confident will resolve with proper tuning. I'm also quite sure my neighbors are tired of listening to me working on this thing in my driveway. 
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Aug 13, 2020 15:30
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For those that remember my Robin/Makita generator from a page or so back, with its problems with the automatic low-oil shutoff system tripping even with a full sump of fresh oil - It seemed to have gone away and I chalked it up to a bad electrical contact/erratic ground. Which wasn't very satisfying but seemed the only explanation. Then the problem resurfaced. After more thought, and remembering that one of the oils I tried kept foaming when the engine was running, even though the oil was within the limits on the dipstick, I drained the sump and refilled it to just a hair above the 'Min' mark on the stick. Everything worked fine - the shutoff didn't trip, regardless of engine speed or temperature and the oil didn't foam. I gradually added oil until it was at about the 2/3 point on the dipstick (measured, in accordance with the diagram on the sticker on the generator's frame, by unscrewing the dipstick, wiping it clean and re-dipping it without screwing it in). All still good. Then I wondered what that oil level would be if you checked it on the stick after just unscrewing it from the crankcase - the answer is that it is nearly bang on the 'Max' mark. So I think that the diagram is either misleading or simply incorrect, and you're supposed to check the level with the dipstick fully screwed in. With the oil topped up (actually overfilled) measured the other way, the oil was either foaming or cavitating at certain engine speeds, exposing the level sensor probe and tripping the shutoff. This would explain why this issue only surfaced after I'd serviced the engine for the first time in my ownership - it always had 'enough' oil on the stick when I checked it the wrong way, but when I refilled it with fresh oil up to the mark I was actually overfilling it. It would also explain why that oil foamed (I guess the other couple I tried were made of tougher stuff and didn't aerate so easily). This is the peril of not having the right handbook for machinery. I don't know what the sump capacity is (it doesn't say on the info plate on the engine) and I don't know the proper dipstick technique. There are manuals online for later Makita gennys with later Robin engines and they clearly say to check the level without screwing the dipstick in, which since that agrees with what the diagram seems to say so that's what I did. But I wonder if Robin changed the measuring method and the older engines should be dipped with the stick screwed in.  (Here's the diagram again, for reference) But in anycase, it now runs perfectly and there's either a full sump of oil (if the measure is with the stick screwed in) or a 2/3-full if it's done with the stick unscrewed, so I'm leaving it at that. slidebite posted:What's the deal with multigrade oil and small engines? The Honda gx270 powered compressor I just bought and going through recommends against multigrade oil in the owner's manual I found online and only straight sae30. I typically run 5/10w30 in my small engine stuff. My understanding of it was that the viscosity improvers in early multigrade oils didn't cope well with the conditions found in a lot of small engines. An old 10W30 was an SAE10 blended with viscosity improvers so it didn't thin out at running temperatures. These VIs broke down at the high oil temps and especially the hot spots around the exhaust valve often found in hard-worked small air-cooled engines with rather primitive cooling arrangements and no dedicated oil cooler. The VIs would turn to varnish, which clogged up the internals and as they degraded the oil would gradually turn back to the straight SAE10, which didn't provide adequate lubrication. At lower ambient temperatures the overall oil temperature would be lower and the lesser viscosity of the multigrade was needed to ensure easy starting and good lubrication until the engine got up to temperature. So for ages the recommendation was plain SAE30 for everything except wintery near-freezing-and-below ambient temperatures, when the 10W30 was acceptable. Modern oils with fancier chemistry cope much better with high internal temperatures so there's no problem using a multigrade. Many more modern small engines have full-pressure lubrication with a pump and a filter, and some even have things like hydraulic valve lifters which not only allow for the use of a mulitgrade oil but virtually require it. I believe there are emissions factors at work too - specifying a 5W30 oil allows for faster cranking speeds, faster starting and better cold running, all of which helps get an engine through those bits of the emissions tests.
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Aug 17, 2020 11:14
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Has anyone done a propane conversion to a small generator? I am debating it to minimize my carb fouling headaches but wanted to know the downsides/caveats.
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Aug 17, 2020 13:24
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Mercury Ballistic posted:Has anyone done a propane conversion to a small generator? I am debating it to minimize my carb fouling headaches but wanted to know the downsides/caveats. I wanted to do one on my Eu2000i, but it never happened. I switched to fakegas and haven't needed to run the genny much, but I'd be interested in other people's experiences too.
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Aug 17, 2020 16:16
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Mercury Ballistic posted:Has anyone done a propane conversion to a small generator? I am debating it to minimize my carb fouling headaches but wanted to know the downsides/caveats. I did one on a 20k Onan years ago for the fire department. It was really quite straightforward in that case. Take off some parts, replace with the parts in the kit. I don't think it took me more than 45 minutes from the first bolt coming off to up and running again. This was a legit onan kit, with a generator that was freshly serviced and in good condition so YMMV.
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Aug 17, 2020 16:39
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Thanks. I have a Honda eu2200i and see some nice kits for around 300 that take an hour to install. If I could not have to deal with gasoline it'd be nice.
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Aug 18, 2020 01:12
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I did a conversion on a Honda EU2000, same model as yours just older, about 10 years ago. It has been flawless so long as the propane delivery is clean, I think I've cleaned the regulator a few times due to sediment or bugs. But this is a cabin gen that's been through frozen heck and at least one literal high water event. So may not be a problem if yours is permanently installed. Other downsides: I did not come up with a clever solution for the hose out of the door so removing that can be a pain. Build a bracket for the regulator that mounts to the gen itself so you don't have that flopping around. Modifications and install was painless, I would highly recommend it.
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Aug 18, 2020 04:00
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Dealing with a snowblower that when I stopped loving with it last, it would: -Start, with lots of effort, sometimes. It ran like poo poo. -Lots of gas in the oil. -Die immediately under any load, occasionally backfiring out the carb. I took the carb off and cleaned it out. Changed the oil, etc. Added a fuel shut off valve, as I figured the float wasn't seating correctly and allowing fuel into the cylinder while it was sitting, which was then leaking around the rings and into the oil. I also replaced the spark plug. Now, it won't start at all. Doesn't even begin to catch. The carb has fuel, and I do have spark. I can watch the carb and see that it's pulling fuel into the intake as it's turning over, and that fuel is added with the priming bulb. I think there's a valve or timing issue - I'm getting puffs of air out the air inlet side of the carb. My understanding is this would only occur if the intake valve is open or not properly seated during the compression or exhaust strokes. Pulling the spark plug and putting my finger over the opening, I can feel suction, but not a huge amount of pressure. Is there any other reason that I'd be getting puffs of air out the intake? I'm pretty close to cutting my losses as I have another snowblower that starts first pull every time, but this one is lighter, quieter, wider cut, etc.
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Oct 10, 2020 23:05
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What does "cleaned it out" mean in regards to the carb. Like, have you done this before? Pulled the needle, cleaned all the passages and the nozzle? Can identify parts that need to be replaced? And how did it look when you took it apart? Was it full of ethanol gunk? I'm asking because it seems to be worse now that you've done this work. Also, does it run on starting fluid?
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Oct 11, 2020 15:55
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Doesn't run on starting fluid. When I say ran previously, it'd catch and then die almost immediately. Sometimes. Most of the time it wouldn't start at all. As for the carb, I took the bowl off to inspect, and found no ethanol gunk and what looked to be a very clean carb (which makes sense, as it was cleaned a year or two before I got it. Didn't disassemble given how clean it was, I was able to see that there was nothing blocking the nozzle. No apparent gunk or varnish, though I did find a teeny piece of grit stuck in the float assembly which was preventing it from closing properly, which I was able to dislodge, and the float seated properly afterwards. I sprayed it down with carb cleaner basically, not a whole lot beyond that given that everything looked good. I can see it drawing fuel out of the nozzle when the engine turns over trying to start, and feel that the puffs coming out the intake of the carb are wet for lack of a better word. Is there any situation where air should come out the intake of the carb?
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Oct 11, 2020 23:22
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If it doesn't run on starting fluid but has spark it's time for a compression test.
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Oct 11, 2020 23:28
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A new plug never hurt too. I've had old plugs manifest with all sorts of symptoms. Spend the $2 to make sure.
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Oct 11, 2020 23:34
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Mercury Ballistic posted:A new plug never hurt too. I've had old plugs manifest with all sorts of symptoms. Spend the $2 to make sure. Yeah, that's a really good point. Throw the cheap stuff at it. But if compression is good you're into the magneto/timing. The whole puffing out of the carb sounds a lot like valve timing - I'm assuming this is a Honda-ish or Briggs-ish OHV engine. I've not had to dig into any 2 smoke OHV for timing reasons at this point. And kinda hope I neve have to.
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Oct 11, 2020 23:41
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Pull the recoil start off, undo the nut holding down the flywheel, and see if it has sheered the key.
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Oct 12, 2020 01:52
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Fermented Tinal posted:Pull the recoil start off, undo the nut holding down the flywheel, and see if it has sheered the key. This if it's possible....and be happy it didn't do it in the amount/direction that allows your motor to grenade itself. I did get a very nice chainsaw this way. Local place "serviced" it and screwed up the key placement. Was too advanced. Ran REALLY GREAT for about 3 minutes and then junked so back the engine block was cracked. I was gifted this pile of parts and it's a nice working saw now.
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Oct 12, 2020 02:10
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Speaking of chainsaws, anyone want to recommend a tach for small 2 strokes like chainsaws? 8000 options on Amazon and I can’t tell what’s trash.
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Oct 12, 2020 02:15
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Motronic posted:If it doesn't run on starting fluid but has spark it's time for a compression test. Yeah that's what I figured. It has spark (I put a new plug in already because why not), and while I had the plug out to check spark I stuck my finger in the spark plug hole (just enough to seal it off, definitely not into the cylinder) and turned it over slowly with the pull cord. It's definitely pulling vacuum, but I didn't feel much in the way of compression. It's a 12.5hp Tecumseh 4 stroke, guess I'll do a compression test and then probably start taking the head apart and see what I can learn. I have another functioning snowblower so it's not the end of the world if I can't get it running again. Speaking of, I changed the oil on my other snowblower and the damned thing started first pull. Why is it always the older, louder, heavier, more unpleasant to use things absolutely refuse to die?
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Oct 12, 2020 02:33
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TrueChaos posted:Why is it always the older, louder, heavier, more unpleasant to use things absolutely refuse to die? 2stroke.txt?
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Oct 12, 2020 02:39
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Motronic posted:2stroke.txt? Nope it's an oldish 4stroke, grafted to a probably 40 year old frame/drive/auger assembly. Heavy as poo poo, have to disassemble a ridiculous amount of stuff to replace the belt, etc. A 2stroke would be lighter at least 
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Oct 12, 2020 03:00
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TrueChaos posted:Nope it's an oldish 4stroke, grafted to a probably 40 year old frame/drive/auger assembly. Heavy as poo poo, have to disassemble a ridiculous amount of stuff to replace the belt, etc. A 2stroke would be lighter at least Yeah, I missed that in your previous post. I've definitely see those things have timing chains or gears that can get off/break teeth. That might be what you're looking at and.......who knows if parts are available. That's often a problem with small engines like this, which is why when i must small engine I try to stick to super popular ones like the Honda GC series where you know there are plenty of parts to go around. Hopefully yours was that popular back in the day and you can find something.
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Oct 12, 2020 15:35
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What *should* compression numbers show on a cold engine? I'm getting 65 PSI on the snowblower that won't start, and 60 PSI on the one that does. However, I've read that they hold one of the valves open during starting to make the pull cord easier, so I honestly don't know what to think. I'm going to try spraying some starting fluid in again. Edit: It caught on starting fluid and immediately died. I'm back to that loving carb, and given the size of the engine, there's no cheap solution - it's a $200CAD carb, with no rebuild kits available. Oh well, at least I've isolated the issue. Edit 2: When I removed the fuel shut off valve from the fuel line, it fires right up. Hopefully I've solved the float seating issue, but we'll see. I also managed to drop the gasket for the carb when I was pulling it apart, and it's vanished. Just completely MIA. I'll find a sheet of gasket material and cut one out, but it seems to be sealing alright without one (spraying carb cleaner around the carb -> engine connection doesn't have a noticeable change in engine speed. I'm still thinking something to do with the carb is hosed though. It'll idle fine with the choke on, but seems like it's running lean when the choke is turned off - it runs, and is constantly (every second or so) shooting fire out the exhaust with loud pops. Does this less when loaded. I'll keep loving with it. E3: I cleaned the jet out again, found a bit of crap at the top hole on the non-adjustable jet (per this pic, not mine but it looks identical)  Now it doesn't die with the choke off at least, instead it does this: https://i.imgur.com/tUWvgnW.mp4 Right click / show loop controls if you'd like to enable sound, otherwise imagine a bit of a pop and occasionally flame when the throttle is opened by the governor. Any ideas on why it would do this? TrueChaos fucked around with this message at 04:09 on Oct 15, 2020 |
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Oct 14, 2020 22:54
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I have a Husqvarna 130BT backpack blower, probably about 10 years old. Last year it abruptly stopped running or even starting, and I bought a new carb and fuel lines. Swapped it out and it ran like a top again. This year, similar symptoms. It would idle with full choke but die with any throttle so I bought another carb (I hate and suck at rebuilding carbs, I am like 1:5 success rate), swapped it out and it runs, sort of. It will start normally but only idle and die with any throttle. After a minute or two of warming up it will take a bit of throttle, and maybe if I am really gentle it will eventually go to full throttle after a bit more idling. I am wondering if maybe the fuel and return hoses are being pinched where they pass through a rubber stopper into the tank but I can't be sure. Anything else to try?
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Oct 23, 2020 00:22
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Is the fuel priming bulb cracked/leaking at all? That's what happens when it is and it's a super cheap and easy replacement.TrueChaos posted:Right click / show loop controls if you'd like to enable sound, otherwise imagine a bit of a pop and occasionally flame when the throttle is opened by the governor. Any ideas on why it would do this? E: sorry, mised this earlier. That sounds like it's running out of fuel. I'd be checking the float bowl/float/float needle as well as making sure there is good fuel flow to the carb. Like......hoses, filter(s) shutoffs. Motronic fucked around with this message at 01:19 on Oct 23, 2020 |
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Oct 23, 2020 01:15
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Motronic posted:E: sorry, mised this earlier. That sounds like it's running out of fuel. I'd be checking the float bowl/float/float needle as well as making sure there is good fuel flow to the carb. Like......hoses, filter(s) shutoffs. No worries - I appreciate any suggestions, no matter when they come. So basically engine speed decreases (due to fuel starvation), the governor responds by increasing the throttle, it leans out & pops out the exhaust, normal fuel flow returns, repeat? I can confirm that the float moves freely with the bowl off, and I cleaned out the fuel needle spot with carb cleaner when I had it apart last. It doesn't have a fuel shutoff valve or a filter, and flow through the hoses seems fine (ask me about how much fuel I've spilled disconnecting and reconnecting the fuel line without a shutoff valve...). I can also push the little spring loaded fuel drain valve while it's running and there's fuel in the bowl. Does the bowl need to remain at a specific fuel level for it to run properly, or does it just need fuel in the bowl in general?
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Oct 23, 2020 02:27
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TrueChaos posted:So basically engine speed decreases (due to fuel starvation), the governor responds by increasing the throttle, it leans out & pops out the exhaust, normal fuel flow returns, repeat? That is was what I thought I was hearing. TrueChaos posted:Does the bowl need to remain at a specific fuel level for it to run properly, or does it just need fuel in the bowl in general? Depends on the carb, but I always found they need to stay pretty full for them to work. We've been through at least one rest here (won't run on starting fluid/no it runs on staring fluid) so I get it, but maybe time for a reset: tell me again about that carb. You tried to rebuild it/you got a kit and did something? Have you looked at how cheap most replacement carbs are these days? And let me add to that: most of them that I've bought have bolted up and been in close enough adjustment to start and run on the first couple of pulls right out of the box.
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Oct 23, 2020 02:54
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Motronic posted:Is the fuel priming bulb cracked/leaking at all? That's what happens when it is and it's a super cheap and easy replacement. It's brand new. Primes fine.
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Oct 23, 2020 02:56
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Mercury Ballistic posted:It's brand new. Primes fine. I don't know the machine well enough to tell you where, but it really sounds like you're running way too lean because of something some hose somewhere. The fuel hoses you mentioned to begin with are a really good start on this if it's not (what I think is always the obvious) primer bulb.
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Oct 23, 2020 02:59
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Is the gas tank vent clogged? Have you run it with fresh fuel lines out of a different container?
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Oct 23, 2020 03:28
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