Small Engine Tech and Classifieds
- Thread starter MScruiser
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MScruiser
obsessive-compulsive oppositional-defiant wise-ass
- Thread starter
- #62
Not much new to report with small engine stuff.
I did a rebuild on a Tecumseh, and came to find it needs a new head gasket, so I had to order on Amazon. It was like $6 shipped. Unreal. I'll take some pics after I get it.
I sold a few mowers this weekend too.
Also fixed a carb leak on an 123cc OHV MTD. Now I know its no Briggs, but that engine has a pretty nice build quality, and cranks on the first pull. That ain't bad if you ask me! I got it cleaned up real nice too. Used simple green and a magic eraser to get it shiny, and then used 303 Aerospace on the plastic. Looks almost brand new now. I will take some high quality pics and post it on CL later this week.
I am supposed to be getting a scooter today. Lady said it stopped running last year. I am guessing it has a fouled carb. I am looking forward to fixing it for her, but not as much as I am looking forward to taking it for a spin before I call her back!
I did a rebuild on a Tecumseh, and came to find it needs a new head gasket, so I had to order on Amazon. It was like $6 shipped. Unreal. I'll take some pics after I get it.
I sold a few mowers this weekend too.
Also fixed a carb leak on an 123cc OHV MTD. Now I know its no Briggs, but that engine has a pretty nice build quality, and cranks on the first pull. That ain't bad if you ask me! I got it cleaned up real nice too. Used simple green and a magic eraser to get it shiny, and then used 303 Aerospace on the plastic. Looks almost brand new now. I will take some high quality pics and post it on CL later this week.
I am supposed to be getting a scooter today. Lady said it stopped running last year. I am guessing it has a fouled carb. I am looking forward to fixing it for her, but not as much as I am looking forward to taking it for a spin before I call her back!
MScruiser
obsessive-compulsive oppositional-defiant wise-ass
MScruiser
obsessive-compulsive oppositional-defiant wise-ass
- Thread starter
- #64
Got my hands on another Honda today. The owner said "It kinda stopped working last season. I only used it a few times."
My butt.
This is/was one of the dirtiest filters I have ever seen.
Cleaned the filter, rebuilt the carb, and changed the gas (gas was brown it was so old).
Now it purrs like a kitten.
It's a shame to see such a nice mower in such poor condition.
My butt.
This is/was one of the dirtiest filters I have ever seen.
Cleaned the filter, rebuilt the carb, and changed the gas (gas was brown it was so old).
Now it purrs like a kitten.
It's a shame to see such a nice mower in such poor condition.
I have a Craftsman 5.5 hp 3-wheel edger that needs your talents.
Guess I should try a few things first.
Guess I should try a few things first.
fj40charles
SILVER Star
"Lousy Chinese" is rather redundant. Chinese made is crap, POS, garbage.
nuclearbeef
SILVER Star
If you run across a Stihl ms200t, I call dibs.
JW
JW
MScruiser
obsessive-compulsive oppositional-defiant wise-ass
- Thread starter
- #72
Got a few calls yesterday.
Picked up a Murray with a 6hp briggs. Its gonna need a bunch of work. New plug, new fuel tank, carb work, etc.. Also grabbed another Lawn Boy with 5hp engine. I need to buy a new drive cable for it; the original one rusted in half. Grabbed a junky Troy Built weedeater (needs carb rebuilt), and a nice old Stihl Blower (needs carb rebuilt).
This will keep me busy for the next few days.
This repair side job has been great. I have made almost enough money to buy a full ARB 200 series tire carrier in about 3 weeks of work, working only an hour a day or so.
Picked up a Murray with a 6hp briggs. Its gonna need a bunch of work. New plug, new fuel tank, carb work, etc.. Also grabbed another Lawn Boy with 5hp engine. I need to buy a new drive cable for it; the original one rusted in half. Grabbed a junky Troy Built weedeater (needs carb rebuilt), and a nice old Stihl Blower (needs carb rebuilt).
This will keep me busy for the next few days.
This repair side job has been great. I have made almost enough money to buy a full ARB 200 series tire carrier in about 3 weeks of work, working only an hour a day or so.
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fj40charles
SILVER Star
This repair side job has been great. I have made almost enough money to buy a full ARB 200 series tire carrier in about 3 weeks of work, working only an hour a day or so.
Nice job. I'm sure the wife likes that. Funny how wives don't like it when you "need" money to buy stuff related our LC or other not so cheap hobbies.
Not a bad gig.
Kind of Cool. I think I may have read it somewhere, but would you say most of the troubles you are repairing are the result of he use of ethanol gasoline in the engines? I try to always run 100% pure gas in all my small engines and a testament to that is that when I pulled my Tanaka trimmer out for the first time this spring I noticed it still had a full tank of fuel. I know I shouldn't have done that, but between the Sta-bil and the real gas, after I remembered to push the kill switch to run, it hit on the first pull.
Other than using real gas as much as possible, can you give any pointers on keeping the small engines happy?
Other than using real gas as much as possible, can you give any pointers on keeping the small engines happy?
MScruiser
obsessive-compulsive oppositional-defiant wise-ass
- Thread starter
- #76
@jynx ,
Besides running non ethanol, and doing preventative measures like air cleaners and oil, not much else you can do.
The biggest issue (besides ethanol) is s***ty Chinese craftsmanship. The best advice I can give would be to buy high quality machines, like Honda, Stihl, and the like, but even that is not always fool proof. This week I got a Stihl BG55, and after almost 2 hours of carb work, I gave up on it.
I will say that adding an in-line fuel filter certainly helps, and also installing an in-line fuel cut-off switch before the carb helps too (keeps gas from constantly flowing in the carb, evaporating, flowing in the carb, evaporating, etc.).
Besides running non ethanol, and doing preventative measures like air cleaners and oil, not much else you can do.
The biggest issue (besides ethanol) is s***ty Chinese craftsmanship. The best advice I can give would be to buy high quality machines, like Honda, Stihl, and the like, but even that is not always fool proof. This week I got a Stihl BG55, and after almost 2 hours of carb work, I gave up on it.
I will say that adding an in-line fuel filter certainly helps, and also installing an in-line fuel cut-off switch before the carb helps too (keeps gas from constantly flowing in the carb, evaporating, flowing in the carb, evaporating, etc.).
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MScruiser
obsessive-compulsive oppositional-defiant wise-ass
- Thread starter
- #77
Got a Honda in yesterday. Needed a carb rebuild BIG TIME. There were actually grass clippings inside the main jets. Crazy. Also balanced and sharpened the blade too.
Grabbed an Echo Weedeater that needed a new fuel line. Easy enough.
Also got an Echo backpack blower. Old school. Needed to be tuned a bit, and after about 30 minutes of cussing, I finally got it running smooth.
It was a good day today.
Grabbed an Echo Weedeater that needed a new fuel line. Easy enough.
Also got an Echo backpack blower. Old school. Needed to be tuned a bit, and after about 30 minutes of cussing, I finally got it running smooth.
It was a good day today.
Jackson must be flooded with abandoned small engines. That's crazy! I'm yet to see anything in Hot Springs chillin' on the curb.
I've had an old push mower sold by Kmart in my garage for the past two years that my in-laws gifted (dumped, more so...) to us. I had worked on it when I first got it, but I can't remember exactly what I did. I think I broke the pull starter when I first messed with it, so then I got that fixed, and then it was very difficult to start - almost like it had increased compression or the decompression feature no longer existed. Last night, I pulled off the valve spring cover and muffler to see if anything was sticking. Valves seemed to be working, so I took off the head cover and broke a head bolt in the process. I figured it was at worst garbage at that point, so I kept going. Cleaned off all the carbon on the valves, piston, and combustion chamber. Bolted it back together, and I'll be dang'd if it didn't start on the first pull with zero gas in the tank. Hot dang!
Now, it needs a new blade and the mounting surface for the blade needs attention. It once had two dowel pins in the mount for the blade that are both chewed off, so I'll take the mount to work and put in new pins.
Thanks for the inspiration to finally get back on this thing. Wish Hot Springs had more small engines laying around, but we either don't do as much yard work, or people are a little more desperate to make their equipment work (we some po' people 'round here...)
I've had an old push mower sold by Kmart in my garage for the past two years that my in-laws gifted (dumped, more so...) to us. I had worked on it when I first got it, but I can't remember exactly what I did. I think I broke the pull starter when I first messed with it, so then I got that fixed, and then it was very difficult to start - almost like it had increased compression or the decompression feature no longer existed. Last night, I pulled off the valve spring cover and muffler to see if anything was sticking. Valves seemed to be working, so I took off the head cover and broke a head bolt in the process. I figured it was at worst garbage at that point, so I kept going. Cleaned off all the carbon on the valves, piston, and combustion chamber. Bolted it back together, and I'll be dang'd if it didn't start on the first pull with zero gas in the tank. Hot dang!
Now, it needs a new blade and the mounting surface for the blade needs attention. It once had two dowel pins in the mount for the blade that are both chewed off, so I'll take the mount to work and put in new pins.
Thanks for the inspiration to finally get back on this thing. Wish Hot Springs had more small engines laying around, but we either don't do as much yard work, or people are a little more desperate to make their equipment work (we some po' people 'round here...)
When you say "balance" a blade, exactly how do you do that?
MScruiser
obsessive-compulsive oppositional-defiant wise-ass
- Thread starter
- #80
I will put a nail in a bench vice, sticking out parallel with the ground. I then take the blade off and sharpen it, and then put the center hole of the blade on the nail. I then look to see what side the blade rotates to. If it rotates clockwise, I shave off metal on the right side and do so until it is perfectly balanced on the nail; with the left side, vice versa.
Does that make sense?
I made more money today doing engines than I made being a mining engineer for the state. Go figure.
@Jordan7118 , not all of these are throw-aways; many are neighbors that need work done. I got calls from two people today; one with a mower that needed a bunch of work; head pulled and polished, new oil, tightened blade, carb rebuild, etc. I also got a mower fixed today that needed the self-propelled mechanism repaired. Both people paid me for my services.
Does that make sense?
I made more money today doing engines than I made being a mining engineer for the state. Go figure.
@Jordan7118 , not all of these are throw-aways; many are neighbors that need work done. I got calls from two people today; one with a mower that needed a bunch of work; head pulled and polished, new oil, tightened blade, carb rebuild, etc. I also got a mower fixed today that needed the self-propelled mechanism repaired. Both people paid me for my services.