Vintage Horticultural and Garden Machinery Club

It is a 350cc JAP , I have the same engine in an Emery rotavator , as posted earlier it should have an Amal carb(with choke incorporated in the slide) , not exactly a common engine by any means.Magneto should be Wico series A.

Andy.

Grahame , firstly I respect your enthusiasm , and ideas. The mag tester I have access to does not rotate the mag , it tests whether the coil/condenser is functioning as it should , obviously if
either fail , they are replaced. After coming away from the test and all is good , then there is simply no need to rotary test. All larger dealers had…[Read more]

Regarding the testing with a multimeter or a proper purpose built tester , with the purpose built tester you eliminate all the “probablies” or “maybes” , and get a concrete definate answer. It’s down to personal choice , mine based on lifetimes experience(well over 50yrs) is trusting 100% the purpose built tester.

Andy.

David , to be fair that isn’t the fault of the machine , if you start it up in gear these things will happen. My Father-in-law had an MG6 , with hydraulics , I fully rebuilt the engine for him , and it started extremely easy , and ran like a clock. The SA engine you have are first class , and if all is right will start and run lovely.

Andy.

Grahame , there is no throttle linkage , the SA engine is ungoverned , just has a simple and reliable slide type carb.

Andy.

David , have tou tried Neil Jarret , if it’s the same float as in an MG2 , he may have one.

Andy.

David…….Knights , that’s a blast from the past , they used to do some of our boring work , but we mainly used Plumsteads , who really were a class act. “Sniffly” Plumstead had absolutely draw fulls od mixed rings , all labelled in inch increments , even he didn’t know what they fitted , wish I had them now!!

Grahame , interesting post , out of all the countless engines that have been built over the years , rings from some engines will fit others , it would be interesting to pool all our knowleddge onto a permanent topic on this site , one example that I stumbled across a few years back , Anzani Super Single outboard are the same as Shay120cc. Another…[Read more]

Ransomes used Sturmey engines quite alot , the MG2 crawlers for example.Piston material…..well I think you’re trying to get too technical , remember many engines we play about with originally had cast iron pistons , but replacements such as hepolite etc. etc. went over to alloy , with no modification to any components. Just one of many examples…[Read more]

Dents in your float will make significant issues on running , engine appears to be Sturmey Archer.

Andy.

Sorry David I can’t make alot of sense with that , there’s no way a 2A would rev to 4000 , it would simply blow up after VERY short time.Assuming you had both engines stripped out , did the ungoverned one have any sign of the internal govenor components.When correct they are one of the easiest starting engines , I’ve just finished one on a Howard…[Read more]

I’ve worked on quite a number of 2As , and have seen both types of camshaft , but have NEVER seen one without govenors , out of interest is the block machined to take the govenor shaft. I can’t envisage a 2A lasting very long at 4000RPM…… something doesn’t seem to add up here.

Andy.

Grahame , Cox and Turner should be able to help you with SV54 rings.

Andy.

It’s quite a common problem with the 21/Osprey models , having the Duralinium disc , they tended to “bend a small set” where the blades bolt on (see pic 2) , take the carrier off and simply hammer back into shape using a suitable anvil/block, in other words until perfectly flat , the blades should rotate freely through 369 degrees.When these…[Read more]

Well done again Robert.

Andy.

That’s a good start , next thing is remove flywheel , THOROUGHLY clean and reset points , and you should have a spark.Clean out Carb and tank , and most importantly fit new diaphragm.

Andy.

Valves usually stick “open” , check again , as you say it appears to turn over OK , in which case the valve should at least be seen moving.

Andy.

George at villiersparts has a reasonable stock of Allen Scythe parts , he’s well worth a try.

Andy.

Dave , personally I would give it one more go at removing the boss give it as much heat as you reasonably can , and immediately pour cold water over it , if it doesn’t “sizzle” then apply more heat and repeat , then try your puller , tighten it up , and give the puller a brisk tap with your hammer.
There’s nothing to say your existing…[Read more]

To paint or not to paint always divides opinions among collectors.For me personally I prefer not to paint, unless I absolutely have to , indeed only one of my machines in my collection have I painted , and that was because it was really rough when I aquired it. I’m far more interested in mechanicals, whether it starts ,runs and performs as it…[Read more]