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The blade tip speed never gave us to much trouble as I taught 4 or 5 different tachometers. But the students seemed to like the round plastic briggs viabrating tach or the pencil vibrating tach. Those were to two they always used. The problem I had with the feds rules was the engine had to die within 3 seconds or something like that. After the third blade sensor got ruined I had welding class make a steel wedge that I mounted in front of the sensor for the softer blades with the high lift which would cause the blade to bend down and hit the sensor at operating speed.
The first briggs flywheel keys with the round corner monal keys I bought Stens aftermarket keys for $3.00 a pkg. of 100. If the students didn't torque the starter ratchets to specs., the engine on dieing would sometimes kick back and there was a nick in the key that would throw it out of time. Then briggs went to that harder #222689S key with the clipped corners. As I recall, that one didn't nick as bad. I hadn't thought about that stuff for 20 years.
Last edited by Bluff_Dweller; 09-01-2015 at 03:14 PM..
Reason: spelling correction
The blade tip speed never gave us to much trouble ........
It was a serious problem when our government first announced the rule. If a customer had a 22 inch push mower that ran great and they wanted a tune up; I had to reset the RPMs to 3298 or less. Of course I warned the customers about this before I worked on their mower. But if you had a mower that ran 300 RPMs faster before the 'tune-up' it did not feel like you got your money's worth; especially when you stalled out in heavy, wet, grass.
Well, not any good news. Took the carb out and cleaned it out good with carb cleaner. There was gas in the bowl and it looked good, no crud, etc. Also put in a new air filter.
Put it back together and it still won't start.
I'll be taking it to the shop tomorrow. I can't go too long without cutting. I'm sure it's something simple but I'll have to pay to fins out.
Well, not any good news. Took the carb out and cleaned it out good with carb cleaner. There was gas in the bowl and it looked good, no crud, etc. Also put in a new air filter.
Put it back together and it still won't start.
I'll be taking it to the shop tomorrow. I can't go too long without cutting. I'm sure it's something simple but I'll have to pay to fins out.
I had asked you before and you did not answer. Did you hit anything the last time you mowed?
Just because you have gas in the bowl does not mean that gas is getting to the motor. Pull the starter a few times with the mower on choke and then take out the plug. See if it is wet with gas; do you smell gas?
Still let us know what the shop tells you.
Good luck and we hope it doesn't cost you too dearly.
A lesson to all the Noobs that read this thread. If I had a small engine/equipment problem I'd be hooking up with fisheye directly. I've been reading his posts for a few years and their is no one giving out better advice in this department.
I'm a landscape contractor that has my own mechanic and if I was a doit yourselfer on here I'd enlist him first.
There are other forums specifically dedicated to these types of questions but since I'm a CDr ill let you find them.
Quite frankly I don't know why your not a $500 winner yet stinkeye... Er I mean Fisheye.
Thank you! But nobody is perfect and all of us make mistakes. It is hard to troubleshoot problems without taking a good look. First hand information beats third hand information. Furthermore; I have not received service bulletins in many, many, moons.
I did want to ask you if you have ever used Small Engines Distributors that I mentioned in post #32? All you need is a retail Sales Tax Exemption Certificate to purchase. When I was in business I only got 15% off on most parts and I had to stock thousands of dollars of parts to be a registered dealer and qualify for that discount. Small Engines Distributors offered prices on selected parts and engines that are considerably lower than what dealers pay the OEM.
Thank you! But nobody is perfect and all of us make mistakes. It is hard to troubleshoot problems without taking a good look. First hand information beats third hand information. Furthermore; I have not received service bulletins in many, many, moons.
I did want to ask you if you have ever used Small Engines Distributors that I mentioned in post #32? All you need is a retail Sales Tax Exemption Certificate to purchase. When I was in business I only got 15% off on most parts and I had to stock thousands of dollars of parts to be a registered dealer and qualify for that discount. Small Engines Distributors offered prices on selected parts and engines that are considerably lower than what dealers pay the OEM.
Yes fisheye, for the 27 years of teaching small engines I bought several new 3 1/2 h.p. vertical shaft engines from Small Engine Distributers for the students to practice working on. Schools in Missouri aren't required to have the sales tax exemption certificates to purchase from wholesalers. Neither do schools pay sales taxes in Missouri. If memory serves, the engines were $29.95 each in the early '60's. Each month SED sent a 4 page flyer for overstocked items at a much reduced prices. Having my own marine sales tax certificate allowed me to purchase from all wholesalers but I never had to use it for anything at the school and also I didn't enjoy filling out any Missouri Use Tax monthly forms on items I bought to use instead of selling to the public. As you know, the private sector has far too many governmental forms just to stay in business. And no one paid us for the time we spent just filling the forms. IMHO
I was hoping to hear the OP state he tried to leave the air cleaner off and with the cleaner cover on in a clean area, wheather the engine started or not. Simplest items first. Often times, in our haste the simple items are overlooked and on the disassembly and reasssembly of an item can cause a further problem. As you well know fisheye, expierence teaches that!
Often times, in our haste the simple items are overlooked and on the disassembly and reasssembly of an item can cause a further problem.
I had trouble with mechanics trained by the Vo Tech. The younger mechanics were not good around with the white metal - many would over torque and my shop was stuck with the bill to remedy the situation. Sometimes I could save myself with the Heli-Coil. But I never liked to use the Heli-Coil on small motors; just too much vibration. Of course there was always somebody that would over tighten the needle jet screws on the carburetors - could not do a lot to save that one. But we live and learn; it is just in business you cannot afford to have too many mistakes. Word of mouth is the best 'free' advertisement any shop can have.
I had trouble with mechanics trained by the Vo Tech. The younger mechanics were not good around with the white metal
It doesn't surprise me. The longer I taught, the quality of the students grew less and less. I was going for a full retirement at 30 years. i quit at 27. The last 2 years I got several dis-advantaged and handicapped students. Now I will ask you, "what would you think that the administration thought about my program"? Yes, I had taken several students to the national Vocational Industrial Clubs of America (V.I.C.A) which had won our district and won at the state competations which allowed them to compete in the nationals. But to make mechanics out of D&H students was an insult to our profession. After my retirement I began searching and determined that each generation, the kids actually learned less in school then their parents did. In searching why, I determined it was mostly due to governmental interference as it was when the government tries to fix anything else "that isn't broken" in the private sector. Of course this is just my opinion of 20 years of searching the internet.
Thank you! But nobody is perfect and all of us make mistakes. It is hard to troubleshoot problems without taking a good look. First hand information beats third hand information. Furthermore; I have not received service bulletins in many, many, moons.
I did want to ask you if you have ever used Small Engines Distributors that I mentioned in post #32? All you need is a retail Sales Tax Exemption Certificate to purchase. When I was in business I only got 15% off on most parts and I had to stock thousands of dollars of parts to be a registered dealer and qualify for that discount. Small Engines Distributors offered prices on selected parts and engines that are considerably lower than what dealers pay the OEM.
I use a local Stihl distributor that sells me parts at cost as we buy all our small engine equipment thru them. I really don't buy that many parts other than filters, sparkplugs, carb kits, fuel filters, etc...My mechanic scours the Internet looking for equipment to part out and keeps a pretty good working stock of parts that way. Anything he can't find we go to our local equipment guy. It a good symbiotic relationship.
By the time a piece of equipment that I own needs a major overhaul it's has depreciated out and we just clean it up and sell it on Craigslist.
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