Hi,
Im a shadetree muscle car mechanic who has started to tinker with lawnmowers some because I have a big yard and keeping a mower going these days is a real challenge.They just dont build them like they did in years past.They build a lot of planned obselesence junk.I tinker mostly with push mowers cause I baby my riding mowers and take push mowers into mean places.
I was given a Briggs 5HP Troy Bilt mower that had the air vane auto choke system on it.My friend who isnt a mechanic , has a temper and little patience pushed it over in the weeds left for dead when the thermostat on the exhaust/autochoke system seized up like they all do with time.He would stop the mower for a minute, try and restart and the autochoke would keep it flooded till it cooled down.I'm lucky he just pushed it into the weeds instead of taking a hammer to it.
Why is it Briggs wants to, or any of them want to. "new and improve" simple systems like a throttle cable you can move to the choke position, or the primer bulb carb? I've heard EPA mandate, I've heard no input easy operation , I've heard more parts to break equals more parts to sell.I hate that autochoke #$%@.
When he gave it to me I got rid of the thermostat on the exhaust , zip tied the air vane choke and away we mowed.The only problem with that is the only way to prime it with no autochoke and no primer bulb was unscrew the air filter cover and hand prime.Pain in the behind.
Anyway, I ripped out all the autochoke @#$$ %$#$ today and put on a primer bulb carb and primer bulb breather plate.Now the idle is very high. Ive set the governor.I'M 100% positive I did it right, watched three videos and set it wrong once so I know its right.Throttle all the way open, observed governor rod movement, loosened locking nut turned governor shaft till it lightly bottoms out, tighten lock nut back down.The governor spring has hardly any tension on it.I bent governor spring tab to reduce tension.Anyone know how I can bring idle down more?Throttle shaft on this old primer bulb carb seems to have a little play in it.If it were sucking air there would that cause high idle?One other thing I noticed, when I put the air filter and air filter cover on idle increases more.Seems like that would decrease idle if anything. If Im missing something completely stupid please excuse me and correct me, again, Im just a tinkerer.
