[andyfrost]

Charlie , take comfort , you are not alone. I recently took on another allotment , sprayed and burnt it off……..really clean already for ploughing. I’m working on the Rowtrac at present , which is still in a thousand bits right in the main doorway , and it seemed a mammoth task to move it to get one of my ploughing machines out. Her who must be obeyed is not overly ammused as I promised loads more produce would be coming home from the new plot.
Her handbags and shoes always seem to manage to be neatly stored in cupboards…..where do we go wrong??

Andy.

[andyfrost]

Jim , I fear you may be looking at problems that may well not exist. My first action on any Villiers twostroke , is a complete stripdown , firstly, and in my opinion , get the ignition unit tested on a proper purpose built tester , if the coil shows ANY sign of weakness , renew it , the condenser will either be OK or Duff….no half measures.
Next step(assuming the big and little ends are OK) is to asses wear on the main bearings and seals , yours will more than likely have the far better brass gland bushes for seals (later 25Cs had conventional oil seals) , if either the bearings and seals show any signs of wear , again renew them.
Lastly check the cylinder for wear , more often than not a new set of rings will cure the problem.
I’m fully aware this may sound expensive , but trust me in the long run it is money well spent , it will put the machine back into service for many years to come , and will give effortless starting.
I have a 25c on an Auto Culto , that I gave the full works to , admittedly I had all the parts already on the shelf , but it is now a joy to go to it , and see and hear it start first pull every time.

Andy.

[andyfrost]

First things first , MAKE SURE your ignition system is all A1 , it sounds to me as if that may be your problem.

Andy.

[andyfrost]

Personally I’ve never regarded the lubricator as being vitally important , but the points cover is , they are readily available.
You would be as well to be patient and wait for a new coil to become available. I’ve been through the topic of testing coils/condensers with a multimeter before , and I’ll say it yet again , they are a waste of time , that is the reason purpose built ignition testers are made.

Andy.

[andyfrost]

Yes , that’s correct Jim , be EXTREMELY careful to get the cylinder dead inline before lowering onto the piston (making sure the rings are correctly located in the pegs in the piston) twisting the cylinder to line it up will result in broken rings.

Andy.

[andyfrost]

Two slightly different models , the original posters having a Villiers MK25C engine fitted , Hortimans above having a Villiers Midget engine , which goes some way to explaining the relative lack of power (147cc against 98cc)

Andy.

[andyfrost]

Very nice , I’d much prefer to see a ” cosmetically ok” machine working and running as it should , rather than a fully painted job doing nothing.
Keep them at it.

Andy.

[andyfrost]

Jim , yes it’s a 25C (twostroke).

Andy.

[andyfrost]

Can’t echo Charlies words enough , it may appear costly to completely renew the magneto components , but in the long run it will be the difference between losing your temper trying to start it , and having a machine that will start FIRST pull.
Speak to Paul Childs at Meetens , he will have all the parts you need.

Andy.

[andyfrost]

Got mine today also , big big thanks to all involved.

Andy.

[andyfrost]

Pete , coils are no problem , they are readily available new. They may appear expensive , but are worth every penny , you should then have effortless starting , I would go as far as to say , the modern replacement coils are better than the originals.

Andy.

[andyfrost]

Almost same as mine apart from wheels , and a slight variation in the plough. Mine having the slightly smaller barpoint plough. That certainly appears restorable.

Andy.

[andyfrost]

Thanks for sharing those pics John , yours is different to mine. On your casting it states “Junior” , mine just “Coleby cultivators” , my wheels are also different along with the axle.

Andy.

[andyfrost]

Firstly welcome , stick around , the wealth of allround knowledge on here is astounding.
I wouldn’t go as far to say that there are “quite a few” Colebys remaining , they are relatively scarce , with possibly only a handful that are in running order.
Information on them is quite patchy and scarce , from what I have gleaned , Mr Coleby , either had relations or close friends who farmed on Jersey , and a fair number of them were used there ,hence the Jersey model fitted with the 420cc BSA engine one garage on the island specialised in their repair.

Andy.

[andyfrost]

Panic over , it was on a keyed taper , VERY luckily a very light blow with the toffee hammer and it flew off.
Clutch all working A1.
Again many thanks

Andy.

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