Engine Sputter

[bertsmobile1]

What kind of governor does the engine have ?
Air vane or mechanical ?
Tipping it back like that prevents the float from stopping the fuel supply .
So I will go with a sticky float needle or a seat that has dropped down a bit.
The white smoke is oil so check the oil level and see if it feels thin.

 

[stevestd]

Have you accidentally overfilled the engine oil?

 

[l008com]

What kind of governor does the engine have ?
Air vane or mechanical ?
Tipping it back like that prevents the float from stopping the fuel supply .
So I will go with a sticky float needle or a seat that has dropped down a bit.
The white smoke is oil so check the oil level and see if it feels thin.

I dunno. I wouldn't know by looking either. The float moves very freely and the needle does too. I don't know what this 'seat' is you are referring to though?

Have you accidentally overfilled the engine oil?

I put 20oz is just as the manual says. So I've only refilled it if the manual is wrong and it only takes 18oz, which I suppose is possible. But I also just changed the oil so I know its nice and clean and exactly 20oz. I warm them up before I drain the oil and I let it drip out for a longgggg time.

 

[ILENGINE]

Being a Tecumseh engine and Tecumseh engines the float doesn't set level, Is the float adjusted at the correct setting. Remove the bowl and the gasket. insert a 11/64 drill bit opposite and parellel to the float hinge between the float and the carb body and the float should just touch the drill bit.

 

[l008com]

Being a Tecumseh engine and Tecumseh engines the float doesn't set level, Is the float adjusted at the correct setting. Remove the bowl and the gasket. insert a 11/64 drill bit opposite and parellel to the float hinge between the float and the carb body and the float should just touch the drill bit.

From memory, I think the float hangs down a lot more than that. How do you adjust the float level? I'm trying to find pics online but they're either with the carb fully assembled or fully disassembled, not many partially-dissasembled pics.

 

[cpurvis]

I dunno. I wouldn't know by looking either. The float moves very freely and the needle does too. I don't know what this 'seat' is you are referring to though?



I put 20oz is just as the manual says. So I've only refilled it if the manual is wrong and it only takes 18oz, which I suppose is possible. But I also just changed the oil so I know its nice and clean and exactly 20oz. I warm them up before I drain the oil and I let it drip out for a longgggg time.

The 'seat' used to be a removable part with a tapered hole in it that the 'needle' would be pushed into to shut off the flow of gasoline into the float bowl. That's how the fuel level in the float bowl was regulated.

Some years back, carb manufacturers decided the seat portion of the needle & seat combo could be incorporated into the carburetor body itself. It's been awhile since I've seen a carburetor with a removable seat. So, you may not have one in your carb.

The smoke is oil smoke. Tilting the mower back like that causes all the oil to run to that end of the crankcase. The oil control ring on the piston can't handle that much oil and some gets by it into the cylinder where it gets burned.

 

[cpurvis]

From memory, I think the float hangs down a lot more than that. How do you adjust the float level? I'm trying to find pics online but they're either with the carb fully assembled or fully disassembled, not many partially-dissasembled pics.

I think he's talking about when holding the carb upside down, i.e., with the float in its highest position. That's where you set float height, not with it hanging down.

You adjust float height by bending the tab that contacts the needle valve.

 

[l008com]

Related to this overall question, how can I figure out what carburetor and/or carburetor rebuild kit I need for my engine. The rebuild kits are cheap but whole new carbs are pretty cheap too. If I end up going that route, not sure which (of either) to get. I have the model number and manual for my mower, but it doesn't give any detail specs about the engine or carb. All it says is, if you think you're having carb problems, bring it in to a shop. I don't even know what year this thing is. I inherited it, it could easily be 20 years old.

 

[l008com]

So today I took the carb off and apart as best I could. Everything looked absolutely spotless inside, which isn't surprising considering how much carb cleaner I've run through this engine. And of course, when I put it back together, it actually runs worse now. It seems to be running at too low an RPM. There was one linkage that had a spring on it, and it was a bitch to get back connected. Does that sound right. That a spring controls the RPM of the engine, and if you stretch it, it will lower the RPM?

So I don't know what anything is called, but this spring seems to pull on this plated circled in yellow. And when I push it with my finger, the engine revs up. It still seems to spitter/misfire, but at least when i push on it, the RPMs seem right.

Soooooo did I just stretch out the spring? If so, how do I figure out what kind of spring to replace it with? Or am I totally misunderstanding what's going on here?

 

[l008com]

Also is there any kind of guide or instructions for exactly how to reassemble this thing if I ever decide to really go nuts with it? Including linkages, and positions of everything? That could be handy.