[forger0n]

Thanks to Andy – my enquiry to Villiersparts gained the response <no stock>. Never mind, my
search continues, and meanwhile no doubt I can construct something to do the job. Not too difficult to change over if I find the right thing.

Dave

[forger0n]

Modest progress on flywheel assembly. I and Mark ,my long suffering associate, have re-installed the points assembly, and determined that points appear to open at prescribed 5/32″ before TDC. We await delivery from UK of coil etc to determine that there really will be a spark.
Meanwhile, looking at the cutter bar, we are short of one Blade Pad – the triangular casting that is adjusted to keep the blades in contact with the “fingers” (don’t know correct term) I wonder if anyone knows a supplier, or has one for sale.
Regards Dave Seabrook

[forger0n]

Many thanks to Andy and Kevin for their posts.
After great attempts I am sure that I will not be able to get the flywheel off the crankshaft.
Cutting it off with an angle grinder does not appeal, and would need a correct replacement and the need to set the timing
The plan is to take the remains of the brass wheel off the crankshaft (drill out the rivets :see photo) and replace it with the wheel from a flywheel assy from Ebay (cost £17) Before fitting the replacement wheel I will have access to the points but not to the coil fixing which is screwed from the back of the armature plate. The original cam on the flywheel boss should be correct for
the points timing. Proceeding to the Kettering system, I will not connect the capacitor or the coil, as these will be fitted externally, and the coil needs one wire from the points. A coil
will cost about 30€ compared to th VilliersParts rewind for £80 plus carriage to & from France.
I already have a battery and of course it will have to be recharged on the bench
Thanks again for your interest: no doubt there will be ups & downs. I will, if I may, let you know how it goes
Regards.Dave Seabrook

[forger0n]

Hi Andy,
Here are a couple of photos of story so far. Visiting family have helped me dismantle the old boss which, as you can see from the photo, is still stuck on the crankshaft, and we now have prepared my ebay flywheel to replace it without disturbing the boss, and hence timing.

The next phase is to reinstall the points and check the timing and, if OK, wire in a Kettering type ignition system. This way we abandon the Villiers coil and capacitor, using only the points to time the spark.
Best wishes…… Dave

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[forger0n]

Many thanks for yet more useful facts and suggestions. To Andy – yes you are right : my photo shows me holding the outer rim of the flywheel which I have cut away in an attempt to get better access to points and for heat. My post on Feb mentions this . The steel shaft of the f/wheel assy. is still siezed onto the crankshaft.
To Grahame: Thankyou for telling me about Mr Kettering. The site of DENSO shows a neat drawing
of the circuit. I find that Mr Kettering was American, probably not connected to the town in
Northants – which I know well having lived in Market Harborough for may years. Thanks also for pointing out that a six volt ign. coil will be just as good as 12v. I happen to have a 6v recharg.
battery salvaged from some long forgotten scrapped machine
If I might digress, I am intrigued by the need for contact breaker points in the system. On my 2 – stroke strimmer and my Briggs & Stratton 4 – stroke lawn mower. the ign, coil is similar to Villiers, and the magnet on the flywheel whizzes past it (as close as card thickness) and this makes a spark; there are no opening contacts and, I think, no capacitor. Similiarly, on DENSO circuit for Mr Kettering, no capacitor is shown. In the Old Days I used to think that a cpacitor in this sort of circuit was included to eliminate high frequency static which would interfere with reception on the newfangled television sets. Maybe that was for some other machines.
Best wishes to all……….Dave

[forger0n]

Many thanks to everyone for sharing their knowledge and experiences. I have now pretty well conceded that my flywheel assy is permanently seized onto the taper. I even resorted to cutting away the outer of the wheel to give me access for heat, and hopefully the contact points. For the next move, I have ordered an Ebay flywheel – not knowing if it is the right one, as mine has no serial No. on it with a view to detaching my brass wheel from its hub, and fitting the “new” one.
The logic is that there must be some sort of flywheel to give inertia for running the engine, but more importantly, the flywheel carries the fan and the wheel for the pull-start. Having restored some sort of flywheel, then I plan to fit some sort of external magneto. The timing of the contact breaker should be OK as this relates to the cam on the seized flywheel shaft. One possibility is to make a circuit with an old fashioned ignition coil, as on cars of yesteryear,
wit a rechargeable battery and capacitor, using only the Villiers contact points to time the spark.Idon’t think the MECO unit can be used because my “replacement” flywheel may not have the magnet in the right place, and I don’t have much access to the coil . My next task is to find a small reasonably priced 12V rechargeable battery. I live in France and stuff the comes from UK can incur customs duty as well as hefty carriage costs.
Wish me luck……… Dave

[forger0n]

Many thanks Andy for your post. A friend of a friend told me about the clever captive nut in the flywheel assembly, and I also found a S/H slogging spanner of the right size. The slogging hammer certainly shifts the nut – to the extent that in anticlock mode it seems to have stripped the thread of the nut &/or the crankshaft. Before running free it had deformed the centre of the bronze part of the flywheel My last attempt will be to borrow a big bearing puller.
I’ll look up George at Villiersparts.
Thanks again for your help

Dave

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