[davidbliss]

A DC motor just change over the brush wires, done it on a two brush set ups on generators and quite a few old motors and often found wrong rotation for a engine so saving to have a crossed belt often just changed the rotation. A good way to check rotation is just using a 12v battery, even one of the high DC 400+ voltage motors or generators will motor on the 12volt and the direction it turns is its also the way it generates, and old generators often need a flash of voltage if have had long period of inactivity. My old 1953 generator is direct DC Dyno-Start and if hand started is reluctant to generate, if its really big it can take a few minutes to come on load so never leave a dc generator with a open circuit running not connected to a load. I once thought it odd a generator would motor but no voltage just standing looking at it to then see it show a few volts, in a spit second went sky high even with a load on and not thinking broke the connection there was a good two plus inch ark, voltage metre maxed out at 2,000 volts, luckily the insolation was good and I had my wooly hat on as a bit hair razing to say the least. Biggest reversing DC motor I saw working near me was a 50HP planer motor would brake stop and change direction that a small car would fit on the planers bed, road was closed the other day so done a short cut through the village and recognised one of the last workers I think still alive that used to work there so I stopped a had a good chat.

[davidbliss]

I agree with side valve be careful and have it apart, things to lookout for on some mags is the spark gap protecter, if not removed will break a bit out of the insulation of the pickup ring and the odd carbon earthing brush so just ask but don’t touch any part if you are a bodger with poor tools it will only cost you lots. I would say multi metre is a waist of time, unless someone is paying you to use it. A known good condenser and magnet with clean points and give it a spin and if it works. I will make most things on the mechanical side and get the coils rewound and magnets re-magnetised. However we have lost most of the really good re-wind boys, I had two coils done a few years back, one lasted 300 miles and the other about a thousand, and the magnetiser was nowhere near powerful enough, magnetising is like staining surface of wood with a brush and not done properly will very soon loose its strength, and unbeknown to me they had both coils fail they done first time and never told me they then glued and baked the two fibre boards on that hold the pickup, so to get them done again would need new parts making, there are some supposedly experts out there but idiots in not looking to understand how things are made or put together and work. I am now back on dated 1916 coils that are still going and they have had almost constant use for 108 years. Bit on the Splitdorf, there early system used a engine driven dynamo, dash mounted coil, started on battery and then changed over, so no problems starting the early large car engines like the aircraft engines, the later Splitdorf Dixie is extremely superior away ahead to any mag made back then as the coil units do not rotate and can if need be changed in minutes, with coil and points moving as one unit they can run on full retard ignition all day without doing damage to the coil and still produce a very good spark as they had to back then as most were hand started and the self starters were size of a small car engine today turning very slow, so mag is turning at 50rpm at idle. The down fall of the Splitdorf and many early mags today parts are made of Zinc die-cast so you just have to make parts. someone said they are Poler induction? that’s why they are better, to me parts are turned through 90% but inside work no differently and just make and break the magnetic field.

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[davidbliss]

I wonder is it to get insurance to be on the road, going back fifty years we never taxed our farm tractors but had an exemption to say done less than 15 road miles a year so was easy back then. Had a reply to say Briggs & Stratton took over Murray to try them,it would be a miracle I would have thought but you never know.

[davidbliss]

I have posted info wanted on the US Bolens web site. several people have the Murray lawn tractors, this is the web site if it helps. https://www.mytractorforum.com/forums/bolens-forum.18/
I just read the manufactures plate, Date looks like a 2000 date of manufacture. also found this. https://www.mytractorforum.com/threads/my-murray-lawn-garden-tractor-collection.1391448/

• This reply was modified 1 year ago by davidbliss.
• This reply was modified 1 year ago by davidbliss.

[davidbliss]

yes like Charlie said heat helps, but be careful if its a large lump of cast iron, heat, soak with paraffin or WD 40 and walk away, do this several times is better than loosing it and trying to do it in one hit. Often people try removing the key with an ordinary chisel, it may work if not tight but does harm to the key head, I use a C shape key remover its inner edge is chamfered so it pulls down into the base of the key head so it can generate a good pull without bending over the key head. With experience and if I feel its going to be very tight I weld on a piece of threaded rod, using a piece of pipe to bridge the shaft so one part is being pushed back while the key is pulled, have made a bridge so can use the key drawer at the same time. Sometimes pulleys can be driven further back onto a shaft again its a be careful and have drilled down the length of a key and works, however keys are normally tough and if you start drilling wrong, you could destroy the lot.Photo note the curved and chamfered shape.

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[davidbliss]

some of the linings to start with are very soft and pliable like thick rubber so not a problem, once fitted you can set the cure by heating in a ordinary oven, the longer its left in the harder the lining gets, so once heated it sets to that time its left in and if taken out early will be soft, and no amount of heat after that will make it hard.

[davidbliss]

That sounds quite a bit, however it depends where you go, just remember with a cone it isn’t a strait strip, but a flattened C so it just lays flat, just try a strait strip of paper to see what happens, of cause you can use brute force. A friend wanted to renew his cone tin-work on his cement mixer barrel, plenty of cardboard scissors and gaffer tape, rapped round then you have a pattern.

• This reply was modified 1 year ago by davidbliss.

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[davidbliss]

On those it makes no difference as long as they don’t slip. more the same with plate types, grease going very gummy isn’t good, I sort out car cone and plate clutches, some are dry others are wet, however the bit in-between can cause thousands of pounds damage, this is because the know it alls change the material as is very critical, some leather clutches can have a modern material used from a conveyor belt and works dry, where the leather needs treating a few times in 60 plus years. you need a very deep pocket to put things right.
I think it was a 350 that was baptised for a few days, with age grease was dry and add water it had locked up the clutch, I can’t remember, but to preserve the pulley wheel as hadn’t be moved in years, had to remove part of the flange on the splined hub with a die grinder to be able in getting at the cir clip it then was able to be taken apart, once apart removed the remaining flange and used a thick washer I believe the spring sat on it, worked a treat, only part needed was a condenser coil was still ok.

[davidbliss]

We had a BMB plough mate with all the tools with no diff lock but did have independent oil immersed brakes, it was easy to use, that is until reversing even with a plough on would lift me off my feet and the clutch leaver was then out of reach, needs must and fitted a cultivator depth wheel up front, what a difference as used to go everywhere in reverse after that. Its a long while ago now but think it was an Anzani that had no diff but had a independent dog clutch for each wheel, so if needed to turn, disconnect one wheel and it it would turn on a sixpence, all I can remember it was very hard work and a incident when it started in gear out of the shed ploughing as it went and as it came to the concrete path it turned a flag over in that to.

[davidbliss]

Andy
Often people think the two strokes rev higher by the sound, Saab done a 3 cylinder two stroke car in the 60’s and were very torquay and reasonable quick, they ran up to 4,000 rpm at about 90mph, that sounded like 8,000 rpm like ripping canvas but came at a cost of 20 mpg. Auto Union, Mercedes and Wartburg also made almost identical engines.
David

[davidbliss]

Believe pre war there was a twin ported large two stroke Villiers.

David

[davidbliss]

Someone may have at sometime adjusted wrongly the valve clearance by grinding to much off the stem of the valve, this stops the very crude rubbish compression release from working, it consists of small bump on the back of the cam. Seen this done to worn out engines to get better running they do idle better but at a cost to your fingers being stretch if its not done aggressively to get the engine to turn over. and a loose blade causes same issues as there is then little inertia help given from the blade. ignition points opening rather early is another cause, expect its one with short peg that rubs on the crank, measure the clearance under the peg to points arm, just increase the clearance a little and then check the points actually open as it a bit of a juggling act as sometimes with block and peg wear.

[davidbliss]

Going back the 23 years got good backup and sensible helps to a problem, and looks like the new engine might have had known ignition issues and the firm should I would have thought known this and sorted it, and fist engine also had carburettor issues especially at idle, new ones have fixed air bypass adjustments? where as the old were adjustable. The carburettor was changed on the first return and it did run much better at idle but was still running rich at half to three quarter throttle openings on light load however not right. and ran at full speed made a lots of hot air and with loud exhaust note. I was sent a comparison chart why as not of the early 2001 engine to compare they said new engines ran cooler to what, well the old engine doesn’t even get in a sweat and quieter in comparison also very miserly in fuel consumption. So have had this before to save the Planet we seem to make engines to use more fuel to generate heat. We did a side by side test, engines were shown to be cold, started and allowed to warm, temperature shown, both then ran flat out, that showed a huge difference in exhaust temperatures and looking at the plugs of the new one and its doing the same as must have been very hot indeed.

• This reply was modified 1 year, 3 months ago by davidbliss.
• This reply was modified 1 year, 3 months ago by davidbliss. Reason: spelling
• This reply was modified 1 year, 3 months ago by davidbliss. Reason: corrected wrong word

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[davidbliss]

Forgot to attach the bit of info on electronic ignition I was sent this.

David
Here’s a write up on how the Briggs electronic coils work to advance the timing at higher rpms. I suspect your coil on the weak side is out of spec.

“The simple, but very effective, spark control system advances the ignition timing, causing the plug to fire earlier (in degrees of crank rotation) as RPMs go up. The faster you spin the magnet on the flywheel past the trigger and primary windings in the coil, the greater the potential voltage that is developed. Since it only takes about 1.0 volts from the trigger coil to turn the Darlington control transistor on (and off), the faster (in terms of crank rotation degrees) the potential builds to the required 1.0 volts, the earlier the induced current in the primary side of the coil will begin to build. And likewise, the earlier the trigger coil potential reaches the 1.0 volts and fires the plug.”

A standard inductive timing light might tell the story here.

[davidbliss]

This is if any one is thinking of updating something with one of the Briggs & Stratton V twin Vanguard as have had over a year in getting one of those engines to run nearly as it should. I have one of the first now 23 year old V twin Vanguard Briggs that still runs as new and was made in Japan and few people know that, to start with the old engine seems to run on fumes and never seems to get hot, where as the new engine uses more petrol and gets very hot to such a extent it made a pretty good bird scarier if turned off. With my years of tune ears and observations said it was a Wrong’un. Symptoms were, engine oil got black black instantly and was drained by me and by them as smelt of petrol, loud harsh exhaust sound and got very hot almost instantly if ran flat out. Then if run at half to three quarter throttle sooted the left one plug with other burnt white if worked hard, If idled only short times would soot it left plug and on a cold start up would cause spitting until hot. So the a bit of a slog to get anywhere started, I got couldn’t find anything wrong and runs within PARAMETERS? and that to me says anything goes. Well engine been back twice, I think if had got it off the scrap heap would have sorted it myself, just before it went back second time again I did a simple test of removing a plug lead and fitted a spare plug so not to cause damage to ignition coil and ran it at half throttle this showed left cylinder played with the loss of the right cylinder and doing the same reversed the right cylinder was working hard, and just got some info from the US might have been the cause of cylinder difference but not the fuelling. Three weeks ago was sent a New engine, and isn’t a quick fix as has to be stripped of bits not required and built up with dual shaft drive and heat shield and back in the mower took 8hrs. Now I am not impressed the new engine is the complete opposite in that it runs very weak but is usable and with short runs isn’t going to cause issues. This is what was sent from the US, and what I say pluggs tells all, what do people think. photos of plugs the last ones I have never seen plugs burnt that clean or pink but there we will see.

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