howard gem power

[vhgmcbuddy]

Well I have my Gem up and running, only took five years to restore! The British Junior engine looks ok, I de coked it, fitted a new bottom ring and lapped in the valves, It has very good compression, and I think I have set the carb jet right and it seems to run ok, and starts easily….BUT it seems low on power, When rotervating I have to keep the depth bar down, so I only skim the top of the soil, If I try Deep cultivation the engine stops, I must have restarted it twenty times today on the allotment, It seems to have no guts for the job which surprised me given this machines reputation, I fitted new tynes at the time, I am at a loss, any ideas out there? Plonker

[darmic1]

Could be timing slightly out? Have you set piston to 5/16ths before TDC, set magneto to just prior to trigger and that should be right……. Fuel should be set so engine idles nicely and revs right up smoothly, no stuttering……

[andyfrost]

I’d go along with Darrens thoughts , It sounds as if it is too far retarded……is it running very hot ??

Andy.

[hortiman]

Could also be worth checking that all the tiny holes are clear in the jet tube, and that the needle is not out of true. soak the cerb in brake cleaner and blow with a good air line. ( mind your eyes )

[charlie]

Like any rotavating job, several passes at increasing depth is the way to do it, not try for maximum depth in one go.

[stuart]

Are the blades correctly fitted so that only one enters the ground at a time ???

[vhgmcbuddy]

Well, Thank you all for your suggestions, I will get to it this weekend and report back, The timing suggestion is a challenge, drove me mad trying to get it right when I restored it, got quiote confused about wether the timing should include the “Impulse Starter” spring or not! so that probably does need a look, and YES it does run HOT!, I will clean out the carb and have a look at that as well, the suggestion from stuart regarding the tines is a new one on me, Is it possible to fit them wrong?.. In the meantime… Back to the Merry Tiller!…

On a different subject.. Took my grandson Go Carting, Noticed that all the machines that rip round the track flat out all day have Honda GX engines, asked the chap if he had tried any of the “Chonda” Chinese copies, He laughed and said he had, and they had fallen to bits! had to replace with original Honda engines.. Tell us something I suppose. Night All.. Plonker

[andyfrost]

As you have confirmed that it’s running hot . that to me confirms that it is timing too far retarded.
Check and reset it , leave the tines as they are , and get back to us.

Andy.

[sidevalve44]

On the subject of “Chondas” I have a Chinese Honda copy on my Wizard Rotovator. It’s been on about three years now and is fine. In fairness though, it only gets used now and again at low revs !
If I were using a machine day in day out I’d fit a genuine Honda—–

[vhgmcbuddy]

Thank you all for your help, I have retimed the magneto, Interesting, I have two Howard Gem handbooks for the BJ engine, and also the Wico instruction sheet on this magneto, and all three instructions on timing are different! It is running well and I have delayed stripping the carb until I can try out the machine rotervating, Rain has stopped play at the moment, but will report back when it dries out. Regrds Plonker

[Author]

Posts