Small-engine maintenance success

[Joel_BC]

Okay, well a guy in the neighborhood was having rototiller problems. I knew he likes to avoid shop-time fees, when he can. So I checked out the tiller, which is not too old. He says it had been running stong - but within a few minutes, while he was tilling in his household's garden, it quickly got weaker.

At his place, I tried starting up the engine, and I was pleased that it started on the second pull of the rope, but even after it warmed up it sounded slightly rough. Also, the rpm the engine would run at, with full throttle, seemed kinda low to me. And I tried tilling with the machine, and it seemed to have maybe half the amount of oomph I'd have expected. The engine never actually died, but did not run strong.

Long story short... I checked the gas tank, and gas line - no dirt, scaling, or obstruction. Ran some gas out of the line and it was clean looking, and he told me he'd gotten it from the gas station within the last couple weeks. I took the spark plug out, and it was quite carboned up. I had him go buy a new carburetor air-filter cartridge and a can of Seafoam. Meanwhile, over at my shop, I sandblasted the sparkplug. Then I gapped the plug. I got the specs for adjusting the overhead valves ("valve lash"), and adjusted them. Put the new air cleaner in, put the plug back in. Started it up (second pull) and it sounded much better. Stopped it, added some Seafoam into the gas tank, and restarted it. It ran for about 25 minutes, until all the treated gas had run through the engine.

Result: now starts on the first pull and runs with impressive power.

I just did the basics I described, and all concerned were happy with how it turned out. Yahoo!!

 

[Flytyer24]

Those old tillers rarely have anything major wrong with them. It's amazing the ones friends and family have junked only to give them to my father and I and we ran them for another 10 years.

Best thing I think I do is drain the gas every spring. So many people just try and run them.. Escpecially now with the ethanol.

Keep it up Joel

 

[Joel_BC]

Those old tillers rarely have anything major wrong with them. It's amazing the ones friends and family have junked only to give them to my father and I and we ran them for another 10 years.

Best thing I think I do is drain the gas every spring. So many people just try and run them.. Escpecially now with the ethanol.

Keep it up Joel

Thanks for the encouragement, Flytyer. Yeah, I've been finding that this general approach works well for an overhaul (as differentiated from a rebuild, of course): deal with the air filter and the plug, and use some Seafoam. With flatheads, no need to check valve setting, but with OHV then you do that, too. With older carbs that have jets, you adjust those, also.

 

[mississippifarmboy]

I really envy you and your mechanical skills. That's one thing I never learned.

 

[Joel_BC]

I really envy you and your mechanical skills. That's one thing I never learned.

You're fairly new here, correct? Anyhow, I've posted a bunch of online resources that take you step by step though a lot of these understndings/skills. Other people have posted some too, I believe. Check out the Tool Shed and the Do It Yourself sections here at SS.

I've posted a lot of links for excellent, short (2-5 minute) Youtube instructional videos where things are both explained and shown.

 

[mississippifarmboy]

I really envy you and your mechanical skills. That's one thing I never learned.

You're fairly new here, correct? Anyhow, I've posted a bunch of online resources that take you step by step though a lot of these understndings/skills. Other people have posted some too, I believe. Check out the Tool Shed and the Do It Yourself sections here at SS.

I've posted a lot of links for excellent, short (2-5 minute) Youtube instructional videos where things are both explained and shown.

Thanks Joel... I'll check it out. Not much I can't do, just never was interested in mechanical stuff. Now that I'm getting older I realize I need to learn some of the simpler stuff at the very least.