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kid sinister posted:What would cause a push mower to start, then immediately die? If I prime it properly, it starts and immediately sputters out. I did notice that the primer button is slow to refill. I would guess your carb float is screwed up or the orifice is clogged (using the primer forces enough fuel through to full the bowl, but it can't do it sufficiently fast on it's own). It's time to take that car apart and clean the hell out of everything and inspect all the lines for damage/clogs. If there is a filter in the fuel tank pickup you probably want to inspect/replace that too.
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Dec 3, 2021 22:54
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Motronic posted:I would guess your carb float is screwed up or the orifice is clogged (using the primer forces enough fuel through to full the bowl, but it can't do it sufficiently fast on it's own). This. Get a can of carb cleaner, take the carb apart, and spray the poo poo out of everything. Then do the same for the lines and filter(s) all the way back to the tank. Last time I rebuilt a generator carb, it still wouldn’t run because the corngas had turned the rubber fuel line into a gluey mess, and it would only flow a tiny dribble of fuel.
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Dec 3, 2021 23:40
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MrYenko posted:This. Get a can of carb cleaner, take the carb apart, and spray the poo poo out of everything. Then do the same for the lines and filter(s) all the way back to the tank. Last time I rebuilt a generator carb, it still wouldn’t run because the corngas had turned the rubber fuel line into a gluey mess, and it would only flow a tiny dribble of fuel. Just to add, in case kid isn't familiar with carb floats.....some of the old ones would get soaked/melty with bad gas/corn gas. So if it's heavy or squishy.....well, it's not gonna float anymore. So you'll need to find a new one (rebuild kit). But this doesn't necessarily sound like your problem. Still something to look out for.
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Dec 3, 2021 23:44
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Oh for Pete sakes. My pull cord just started breaking. I hate mowers.
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Dec 3, 2021 23:58
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I've had a Greenworks cordless mower for the last ~4 years. It uses two 40V batteries that recharge in about an hour and are big enough to do my front and rear lawns. No oil changes, no carbs, no gas, no pull cords, and I could mow my lawn at midnight if I wanted to without pissing off the neighbours.
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Dec 4, 2021 03:33
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So my dad is abroad until the end of December, and I promised him to look at his snowblower so it was ready for snow season. It's a McCulloch that he bought brand new, but the oil was apparently chocolate milkshake-ish (I have no idea how old it is, a guesstimate would be "a couple of years"). First off, the manual simply won't give me an oil capacity, it just says "fill it until the dipstick shows full, be careful not to overfill it". That seemed incredibly unscientific to me so I spent several hours on the internet trying to chase down a number, no dice. So I'm like "ok, ill empty it and see how much comes out". Out comes 0,4 liters, so I put 0,4 liters in and it doesn't show up on the stick at all. I've dumped the whole liter I had bought in it now and it still won't show on the dipstick. Gonna start over on Tuesday and see if I can figure this out.
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Dec 6, 2021 01:13
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Small engines not being specific past "on the dipstick" or "dribbling out of the fill hole" isn't at all uncommon. It's crappy, but there are a lot of different configurations and they (manufacturers) just don't seem to care to do better. What engine is on it? Can you find a data plate past just the stickers that have a general brand/model? Also, if the oil looked like that it's not a surprise, but it's probably been too long since it's been changed. It wouldn't hurt to fill it to minimum, make sure it runs and run it for 15-20 minutes, dump that oil and fill it again. That's probably overkill, but I'm like that. And even being like that scroll up to see what happens anyway.
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Dec 6, 2021 01:22
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The fill on dipstick thing is still making me grumpy thinking about it, but I guess that's how it is. I *think* there's a Briggs & Stratton on there, but I was too pissed/stressed/whatever to check for an engine code, will look tomorrow. At least there have never been any fueling problems, I'm glad he runs it exclusively on alkylate gas.
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Dec 6, 2021 13:50
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Nidhg00670000 posted:I *think* there's a Briggs & Stratton on there, but I was too pissed/stressed/whatever to check for an engine code, will look tomorrow. Lol, if it's B&S you can just stop right there and not bother with the data plate. I just bought a brand new one and the manual was for like two different major models and a whole load of submodels and nothing that came with it had oil capacity listed, just weights for various temp ranges. You'd thing for $650 for a little 8 HP engine they could at least give you better docs, but no........
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Dec 6, 2021 14:13
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How can I tell if an oil is detergent free? I need to fill up a new generator motor, which did have a capacity listed which is annoyingly slightly over a quart. Anyway, it calls out detergent free 10W-30. I grabbed a no frills synthetic (not high mileage or extended life or anything like that).
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Dec 6, 2021 17:49
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carticket posted:How can I tell if an oil is detergent free? I need to fill up a new generator motor, which did have a capacity listed which is annoyingly slightly over a quart. Anyway, it calls out detergent free 10W-30. I grabbed a no frills synthetic (not high mileage or extended life or anything like that). It has detergent unless it specifically says it doesn't. E: and I've never seen non-detergent multi weight oil. It's always straight 30. Motronic fucked around with this message at 17:56 on Dec 6, 2021 |
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Dec 6, 2021 17:54
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Sorry, I read wrong. Additive free, not detergent free. E: and they say 5W-30, 10W-30, or 30 depending on temperature range, but then specifically recommend SAE 10W-30 Manual E: it was the old B&S L head on my tractor that asked for detergent free 30. carticket fucked around with this message at 18:43 on Dec 6, 2021 |
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Dec 6, 2021 18:39
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Huh. Not sure why that would make a difference for a small engine like that. I'd be curious as to why that is. They're all going to have additives and almost certainly some type of friction modifiers unless it's like JASO MA rating for wet clutches.
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Dec 6, 2021 19:45
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The engine can run gasoline or propane, don't know if that would make a difference. I have no idea if that affects the engine design or if it's all in the fuel delivery.
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Dec 6, 2021 20:50
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Wrong thread
Covok fucked around with this message at 22:53 on Dec 6, 2021 |
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Dec 6, 2021 21:45
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I might have done something stupid... Its either a 1956 or 1957 Massey Ferguson FE35. Rare for all the wrong reasons. In the workshop for 10 mins and already marked its territory in the shed. Why the rusty water came out of the bell housing is still a mystery. 
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Dec 8, 2021 09:00
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When can we expect a rebuild/restore thread?
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Dec 8, 2021 12:40
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wesleywillis posted:When can we expect a rebuild/restore thread?
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Dec 8, 2021 12:53
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Ferremit posted:I might have done something stupid... You're going to need a blasting cabinet, friend. Please link the thread as well. 
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Dec 8, 2021 14:25
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So, uhh, anyone know of a direct swap for a 9hp Tecumseh LH318SA? I bought a used Craftsman snowblower a few months ago. The pull start was jammed yesterday, and the electric start would just hum. Took the flywheel off tonight, and it looks like the alternator/stator/whatever you want to call it got caught up behind the flywheel, and managed to rip off one of its mounts.  There's a hole to the top left of the crank, and I'm guessing that leads right to the cylinder. Anyone know of a direct replacement motor?
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Feb 7, 2022 01:58
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UGH, I just went through this with a leaf vac cart. I started with the HF predator motors. They diagrams aren't great but you can get basic numbers to figure out clearance and mounting. In my case, the cart was so old that I had exhaust clearance issues on the shaft side interfering with the exhaust placement on pretty much all of the new chonda clones including the HF motor. I found a Briggs that was better but I still had to make spacers.
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Feb 7, 2022 16:53
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Captain McAllister posted:So, uhh, anyone know of a direct swap for a 9hp Tecumseh LH318SA? I think Briggs and Stratton makes snow specific small engines these days. I would start there. But you probably won’t find a direct replacement.
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Feb 7, 2022 21:09
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So internet detective-ry resulted in finding out that a company called LCT (Liquid Combustion Technologies) took over a lot of Tecumseh's stuff, so they would likely have the most similar specs. However, I found and called a distributor who confirmed that there wasn't a bolt in option. I took a look at my motor, and realized that the hole isn't in the cylinder head, but in the crankcase, so if I patched it then the repair would only be dealing with crank case pressure, not enslaved explosions. Out came the JB weld. I haven't tested it yet, but I figure if it holds, I'm good and if it doesn't then I'm no further ahead OR behind. My engine model # is an LH318SA. I've found someone with a complete LH358SA (+1hp) for $200. The Tecumseh manuals I've found are for 318/358s, leading me to belive it would be a bolt on option. If not, I can probably sell it for what I paid to someone else who needs a motor.
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Feb 10, 2022 04:07
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The battery on my mower's been dying for a few years and we're not sure why, and it's getting worse. Now the mower will die while it's actually running. This is a battery I bought last month. Could it be the alternator? When it died the alternator felt hot.
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Jun 18, 2022 04:10
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If you ran it with a bad battery, you can cook the alternator. Charge the battery, start the mower, and check the voltage.
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Jun 18, 2022 13:39
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NotNut posted:The battery on my mower's been dying for a few years and we're not sure why, and it's getting worse. Now the mower will die while it's actually running. This is a battery I bought last month. Could it be the alternator? When it died the alternator felt hot. What mower/motor? It's unlikely you have an alternator unless its quite large.
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Jun 18, 2022 14:59
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sharkytm posted:If you ran it with a bad battery, you can cook the alternator. Charge the battery, start the mower, and check the voltage. I'm pretty sure the battery's fine since I just bought it last month, and this has happened with other batteries. But I'll check if it's the advertised voltage with a multimeter I guess. Motronic posted:What mower/motor? It's unlikely you have an alternator unless its quite large. It's a mid-sized rider mower. I'm not sure what the model is off the top of my head and I'll check tomorrow. But I tried turning the headlights on with the engine running, then turning them off, and they were brighter when it was off. So that seems to indicate there's something wrong with the charging system, doesn't it?
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Jun 22, 2022 09:54
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NotNut posted:So that seems to indicate there's something wrong with the charging system, doesn't it? Yes, but that still doesn't mean that mower/motor has an alternator. To get specific advice about troubleshooting you'd need to know what it has, which is more likely to be a stator than a discreet belt driven alternator. Engine model number is probably sufficient.
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Jun 22, 2022 14:03
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I figure its probably just wear.. but maybe someone here has a different idea. I have a 21 year old Bolens riding mower with a 17HP Briggs Intek on it. Far as I can tell it is the original motor. Over the past 2 years it has drastically lost power... It starts and runs perfectly fine. But it seems to struggle with load. It struggles to mow through even the shortest grass unless the deck is all the way up. It bogs down going up a slight incline, even worse if the blade is engaged. It doesn't sputter during this , just runs slower. So far what I've checked: Pulleys - The deck and transmission all turn freely and easily. Governor - working fine, pulls the throttle on the carb all the way to the stop when under load. RPM - With the throttle in mowing position I get about 3200rpm under no load, and about the same with the blades engaged, which from what I have read is correct. Would the carb be suspect? That's the only thing I haven't messed with.. I just didn't initially suspect that, because it starts and runs fine. Throttles up and down smoothly and without stumbling. But I'm not a small engine expert by any means. stevewm fucked around with this message at 16:55 on Jun 22, 2022 |
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Jun 22, 2022 16:52
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Have the valves ever been adjusted? I'd start with that.
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Jun 22, 2022 17:08
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Motronic posted:Have the valves ever been adjusted? I'd start with that. Yeah I had to adjust them last year as it was getting hard to start. They where pretty far out. I'll check them again tonight.
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Jun 22, 2022 18:10
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Fuel filter(s)/screen(s) and then take the carb apart and spray everything down with carb cleaner, particularly the needle and any air passages. Ethanol does a real number on small engine carbs.
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Jun 22, 2022 18:18
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Taking apart the carb to my chainsaw, some running issues that are likely, but might not be carb related, but I might as well have a look. Things look... not terrible, not great. Will need some cleaning, but I think I will survive without a rebuild kit for a while. Just disassembled it this morning before work and gave it a quick once over. The real problem IMO is that the previous owner of this saw (its from 1976) bubba'ed up the idle adjustment screw and possibly the lever too. I think that part's simply not adjusting properly, looking at the carb and adjusting the screw, it barely touches the idle lever even when fully seated, so there's basically no idle adjustment like this. So I will have to fix that.       
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Jun 23, 2022 10:50
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Motronic posted:Yes, but that still doesn't mean that mower/motor has an alternator. To get specific advice about troubleshooting you'd need to know what it has, which is more likely to be a stator than a discreet belt driven alternator. Engine model number is probably sufficient. Looks like it's a Briggs & Stratton ELS500.
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Jun 24, 2022 00:14
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NotNut posted:Looks like it's a Briggs & Stratton ELS500. So that's a stator, not an alternator. This is a long winded but good explanation of how to start diagnosing this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sb1bVmnIqHk&t=7s
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Jun 24, 2022 00:34
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Motronic posted:So that's a stator, not an alternator. Thank you.
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Jun 24, 2022 00:58
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Chainsaw back together, working properly now. The idle screw buggery was the main culprit.
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Jun 24, 2022 07:08
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Ferremit posted:I might have done something stupid... Ok you've had 6 months to 'wrastle with this thing, what's the story
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Jul 8, 2022 05:39
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Hadlock posted:Ok you've had 6 months to 'wrastle with this thing, what's the story There was a thread. Look back a page or two.
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Jul 8, 2022 15:01
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I'm about to replace the blades, spindle assemblies, blade pulleys, and belt on a Craftsman 42" deck. Would it be easiest to assemble the blades, spindles, and pulleys on the bench and then install the whole assembly to the deck, or is there a different order of assembly that would make my life easier? Also, in lieu of a pressure washer or access to a car wash with a pressure washer, what is the easiest way to clean the underside of the deck which hasn't been cleaned in years? I scraped the bulk of the gunk out, but would like to clean it down to the bare metal.
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Jul 29, 2022 02:12
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