[vhgmcbuddy]

Hi Wristpin,

Jon Cruse has advised he should have the parts to repair the fuel leak. I’m waiting on him for a price.
Re. The governor. Am I correct in interpreting what you said as meaning, the governor should be holding the throttle wide open when the engine is not running ?
I have since found out that the metal cover that goes over the top of the carb was fouling the operating rod from the governor arm and stopping it from moving. I’ve fixed that issue, I just need to reset the governor. I’ve noticed that the spindle is square so it is not possible to rotate the arm on it. The arm is attached to the spindle via a bracket and screw that can be slackened off to enable the position of the arm relative to the spindle to be altered.
Most of my prior experience has been with B&S air governors, so this one is a new experience for me !

[vhgmcbuddy]

If your tap has a “ gland nut” a fraction of a turn may cure the leak. Also it used to be possible to buy a new “ packing” for the spindle – similar to old plumbing taps. In the past I’ve effected a temporary repair using a bit of well greased starter cord as a packing.

[vhgmcbuddy]

Thanks.

After I get the new fuel tap etc. I’ll run her up and see how she performs and adjust as necessary.

One thing I did notice when I ran it yesterday was how noisy it was, even with a new “silencer!” (Tiny little pepper pot thing with about one baffle !)

[vhgmcbuddy]

That’s good, as I suspected. The movement of the arm on the shaft is a basic setting, not an adjustment, meaning it’s either correct of incorrect – no partially correct. The usual procedure is as follows, but consult the workshop manual wherever possible.
Slacken the clamp just enough to allow the shaft to be rotated. Then move the governor arm to give full throttle on the carb. Then holding the governor arm to maintain that position, turn the shaft fully in the same direction direction that gave full throttle and fully tighten the clamp.
That will give the full governed speed for any throttle lever position. The principle is that when the engine is running the internal governor mechanism is always trying to close the throttle, that action is opposed by the throttle lever via the governor spring, the result being the governed speed.

[vhgmcbuddy]

I think I may have cracked it. The Governor arm can be adjusted a little on the spindle to the left or right. I had a look and found it was too far to the left, meaning it was holding the throttle open at all times regardless.
I slackened the screw and it moved slightly to the right and immediately the throttle shut. Operation now seems to be normal. It had probably got knocked at some time.
Haven’t run the engine to try due to the fuel leaks, but I’m pretty certain it’ll be alright now.
Thanks for the advice, it pointed me in the right direction.

[vhgmcbuddy]

One reason why it may have been running flat out was I had not connected the gearbox. It has no clutch, so the drag of turning the gears would of course slow it down a bit.

Na, erroneous thinking! Correctly set up that engine should start, idle and run at full throttle under governor control with no external load. Let’s see a decent image or two of the governor / throttle linkages.

[vhgmcbuddy]

Thanks for the advice, pump cleaned out and new diaphragm put in for good measure. After a little fiddling with the magneto to get the timing right it now starts and runs nicely.

[vhgmcbuddy]

One reason why it may have been running flat out was I had not connected the gearbox. It has no clutch, so the drag of turning the gears would of course slow it down a bit.

[vhgmcbuddy]

Sounds as though someone may have messed with the governor, hopefully only the external linkage and not a problem with the internal mechanism. A decent image of where the governor shaft emerges from the crankcase and the arm clamped to it will help with suggestions for resetting it.

[vhgmcbuddy]

£11.26 for a coil is cheap I know, but it fits and it works, so I’m not complaining.

Villiers coils are expensive.

Tecumseh ones were about £30.00+

[vhgmcbuddy]

They made winches and modified tractors for timber extraction. Eventually they were absorbed by T.H.White and moved to Devizes in Wiltshire.

I believe that their winch tractors were also used for handling barrage balloons during the war and also to assist with stringing cables between pylons for the National Electricity Grid.

I guess that the name Automower is no longer protected as Husqvarna are using it for their robot mowers.

[vhgmcbuddy]

Thank you all for the help wristpin is right that my machine has the 3piece cup race fitting
I will try the contact that has been suggested
Thanks and save safe

[vhgmcbuddy]

The early ones had a three piece bearing, cup, race and cone, on each side of the wheel. They became difficult to find many years ago. May be worth trying Jon Cruse at the Hailsham Mower Centre. The later ones had a pressed in capsule one piece bearing on each side of the wheel. The later ones were used in the front wheels of the Harrier 48 etc and as far as I know are still available as a Hayter spare. I seem to remember that they were “ impossible” to match with a pattern part but things may have changed. You can still buy the complete wheel and bearing assembly as an original Hayter part ; last time I did so, about £10 a corner. Central Spares do?/ did? A “near as” wheel assembly at around the same price – may still do.

[vhgmcbuddy]

Many thanks, hdtrust,
There are a few hardware stores within a 25 mile radius.
Whenever I’m in their vicinity, I’ll see what they’ve got.
I appreciate your tip re the vaseline. These things matter!
Best regards,
R

[vhgmcbuddy]

Hi there just noticed this post, you should find that most internal parts are uniform on these old brass sprinklers, washers are easy to replace if you know where to look, you need to go to a hardware supplier and get an assortment of tap washers they come in many sizes.
Even the famous Pluviette sprinklers that Lloyds made were all made up with British standard pipe fittings.
It is always best to just coat the washers with a little Vaseline, but dont use KY jelly as its not water resistant, keep that for internal door hinges!

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