Vintage Horticultural and Garden Machinery Club

Had a similar problem with a Kohler K181 engine after inspection when I took it apart. Got a rebuild kit from the USA with an oversize piston and struggled to find an engine reconditioner that would do the rebore. They had the machines set up for large engine blocks and one said just breaking it down and setting it up for a small block would…[Read more]

Brilliant advice, especially about water getting into gearboxes. Have a Toyota Hiace and have to have the gearbox oil changed every year because it has water in it. No one who has looked at it could understand the reason why, but now David has explained it. As air cools it becomes denser and reduces in volume. Its why the float contracted then…[Read more]

When I have recovered carb’s that have been left outside for years, found the opposite affect to expansion on the float. Some have crumpled due to the action of contraction in extreme cold. Put one into a cup of boiled water to see if it would recover its shape, but bubbles came out instead.

The ultrasonic cleaning did improve the Zenith’s per…[Read more]

Think before I use something I am not sure about on a carb I will trial it with some scrap material. Some carbs are made from different alloys, so need to be careful.

Just done a quick google search about things to use for removing corrosion from ali. What ever you use, its got to be acidic, not alkaline. So caustic soda if definately a ‘no no’. Will be getting an ultrasonic cleaner at some point. Its good to know what cleaning fluids I can use with it. Have some brick cleaning acid, so may give that a go…[Read more]

An update, the adjustable tapered screw does work very well with Zenith 24T2 carb that has a fixed jet. The Jap 6 in my newly acquired Trusty was obviously running rich. Had to take the head a barrel off as part of the re-commissioning and there was a lot of sooty type deposits. It was not hard baked on carbon, which I would have expected if it…[Read more]

Many thanks for the replies. My old Trusty Jap 5 has now done its time, the transmission is worn out. Had rebuilt the engine and it was working very well before the transmission system broke. Have a Clifford Mk1a, so am going to put the engine on that and scrap the Trusty. The Jap 6 Trusty has a graunching sound from the very slack primary…[Read more]

There were a couple of errors on the original post. The Villiers engine was a VIIIC and the top ring gap ½” up from the bottom of the cylinder 0.063”, the second ring in the same position 0.054”. Also should have said the Hastings recommended clearance between the axial height of the ring AND THE GROOVE should be between 0.001” – 0.003”. A…[Read more]

Dear Andy,

This is going to be my last reply on the subject. I do not wish for the conversation between ourselves to descend in acrimony.

Am glad to say we do have an area where we share common ground. Have too amassed a large collection of horticultural pedestrian machines and mowers. A lot were rescued from redundant market gardens that…[Read more]

Dear Andy,

OK, I think at this point we need to discuss some facts about magnetos, their construction, operation and testing.

Copper is a superb conductor of electricity. But over long lengths of wire they offer some resistance to an electrical current and this can be measured with an ohms test. Its a very basic tenant of electrical…[Read more]

Dear Andy,

I do agree with you that there is a lot of rubbish on the internet. But the primary sources of my information was obtained from the repairer’s The Magneto Guys and the supplier of the capacitor, Brightsparks. Please view their websites to see what they do and advise. I would NEVER post something on the forum that I would think is d…[Read more]

Hi Andy,

Yes, thats the best way to go and there is no need to get irritated by someone else having a different opinion to yourself. Its part of life and we all have to rub along together.

Out of respect to yourself and George’s experience, also because I wish to gain additional knowledge in this area. I have spent an hour or so researching o…[Read more]

Hi Andy,

You are bang on saying that proper magneto testing equipment is rare nowadays and I expect it will be only produced in very small quantities, possibly only with an order, by specialist electronic equipment manufacturers. It will therefore almost bound to cost a fortune. Which is one of the reasons why it costs so much money to get a…[Read more]

Hi Andy,

Firstly, none of the multimeter test figures came out of my head. I certainly do not have the expertise to recommend them. A lot came from published material from magneto repair specialists that I have collated and used very successfully on several instruments. I fully agree with you that just finding continuity with multimeter…[Read more]

Thanks Andy. Well know I was done over with the cleaning. I asked my garage if they had a ultrasonic cleaner, but they did not, but said a neighbour did. So used him. Later chatted with a mechanic from my garage and they said he was not up to much and struggled for work. But thats yesterdays news and have moved on. Have a storage facility…[Read more]