Fuel in Oil

slomo

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How long should I leave it sitting to check for a leak? So far I’ve sat my carbs few hours each and saw no leak. I then sat one over night with a 1 psi drop over 10 hours.
You should see no drop. Any drop at all indicates a leak.

Run the pressure pump to 7psi and retest. If the needle blows off try at 6psi. What ever the pressure is where it holds, run that pressure for several hours. Also the carb needle needs to be wet with say pb blaster or any spray oil while testing.
 

slomo

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Should there be gas settled below the carb at all?
Take some pictures of what you are seeing. Post them up here. Words can get mixed up and the message doesn't get across. Of course a video of everything wrong would be priceless.
 

Forest#2

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Like bertsmobile says, try solving one problem at a time.

You mentioned that the surging might be the governor. Do not monkey around with the governor yet.

To get an idea if it's the governor causing the hunting/surging manually move the throttle lever AT THE CARB BY HAND AND HOLD IT IN A STEADY POSITION. Doing this will take the governor out of the loop.
If it still surges you then know it's not the governor. (It's fuel/air related.


If it still surges when holding the throttle shaft manually in a steady position
try adding some choke slowly and carefully little bit at a time while it's surging. If you do not have a helper to slowly pull the choke while you are holding the throttle shaft manually you can simulate adding some choke yourself without a helper by just placing some fingers across the top of the carb throat to restrict the air while you are holding the throttle lever steady place with the other hand. Leave the breather pan off the top of the carb for better access.
Do not use a rag or towel for adding choke it can get sucked inside.

What you mention about the throttle lever not quite touching the low idle adjust screw, just ignore that for now. It has nothing to do with the surging issue.

Let us know the results of bypassing the governor and adding some choke????
Also as slomo says a video with sound of the surge would be good.
 

rancher_mac

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For sure. Here’s a link to it running. Takes a while to start as well. I also did realize the needle valve is very slowly leaking, so I’m going to be taking it apart and working on that. Only had a short bit to work on it so haven’t been able to mess with anything yet like the throttle.
Also, I did clean the needle valve and seat on one carb so I’ll be letting that sit for a while and see how it does.
 
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Forest#2

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What do you mean by this statement??? (are you talking about the engine or the video or what???)

You say: Takes a while to start as well

AND take the breather off and look into the carb throat while its running and see if you see a stream of gas when it's running at idle. Leave all the breather metal OFF THE TOP OF THE CARB while testing, it's just in the way for seeing things visually. The reason I ask you to do this is if you see any stream of raw gas in the carb throat at idle the engine is trying to run rich and flooding. The engine is intermittently loosing one cylinder and we need to try and determine if it's due to fuel/ignition or what. I've heard them Briggs twin L-heads lope like that at low rpms due to carb flooding (needle not seating when idling) and/or a magneto not firing on both cylinders strong. Most generally the 3/4 cam sound loping engine due to flooding at low rpms and can be seen as raw gas being sucked into the manifold throat.

Also post up a video of the engine at idle????(and leave the top of the carb exposed)

AND the test suggested in post #33 only take couple minutes.


I hear symptoms of a engine that is maybe flooding and only running on one cylinder for while and when both cylinders run it picks up speed is why the surging up and down

In your VERY FIRST POST you said:

I SHOULD ADD THAT IT'S RUNNING ON BOTH CYLINDERS.

What made you so sure of this???
 

rancher_mac

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What do you mean by this statement??? (are you talking about the engine or the video or what???)

You say: Takes a while to start as well

AND take the breather off and look into the carb throat while its running and see if you see a stream of gas when it's running at idle. Leave all the breather metal OFF THE TOP OF THE CARB while testing, it's just in the way for seeing things visually. The reason I ask you to do this is if you see any stream of raw gas in the carb throat at idle the engine is trying to run rich and flooding. The engine is intermittently loosing one cylinder and we need to try and determine if it's due to fuel/ignition or what. I've heard them Briggs twin L-heads lope like that at low rpms due to carb flooding (needle not seating when idling) and/or a magneto not firing on both cylinders strong. Most generally the 3/4 cam sound loping engine due to flooding at low rpms and can be seen as raw gas being sucked into the manifold throat.

Also post up a video of the engine at idle????(and leave the top of the carb exposed)

AND the test suggested in post #33 only take couple minutes.


I hear symptoms of a engine that is maybe flooding and only running on one cylinder for while and when both cylinders run it picks up speed is why the surging up and down

In your VERY FIRST POST you said:

I SHOULD ADD THAT IT'S RUNNING ON BOTH CYLINDERS.

What made you so sure of this???

It can take about 10 seconds of cranking then it sputters to a start. I pull the left wire and it still runs, along with the right wire with the left attached. The left shocks me when the right doesn’t. Tried with two different coils, same thing. Getting spark at both plugs. Gaps have been set anywhere from .012-.008 Still have 100psi in left and 110psi in right. I only get a few minutes at a time and can’t run it at night with the exhaust being so loud. Constantly taking care of the kids and wife right now because of life situation. Getting there though.
when I hold the carb throttle with it still attached to the governor it does not surge. Let go and it surged with the throttle moving. I posted a video now. Right side pipe is smoking at the muffler too, trying figure out if it is from the cylinder or something on the pipe/muffler.


 
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Forest#2

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Do you know how to make a static governor adjustment???

If not re-search such on-line and come back to us with any questions about such.
You can also find some videos of how to probably even showing your engine.
 

rancher_mac

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Do you know how to make a static governor adjustment???

If not re-search such on-line and come back to us with any questions about such.
You can also find some videos of how to probably even showing your engine.

I did check to make sure the bolt was tight and that the governor was turned to the correct position when tight as well. This is the procedure I did.

 

rancher_mac

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IMG_2921.jpeg

digging a little bit and I see gas pooled in both cylinders. Going to keep looking through things some more.
 

Forest#2

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Your one picture is really dark and We cannot see what you are indicating that you see gas pooling in both cylinders????????????

Something to keep in mind on those engines is when they are not warmed up or hot and when you turn the key off the spark stops the governor goes wide open and the carb is dumping max gas into the intake manifold while the engine is coasting to as stop. If the engine is hot you will see gas vapor coming out of the carb throat. If the engine is cold you will see raw gas in the intake manifold below the carb because it's not hot enough to vaporize rapidly.
Some later model engines use a Anti Backfire Solenoid (ABS) on the bottom of the carb and it reduces the gas going into the manifold when the key is turned off.

Also you WILL FIND on some of the opposed twins that some engines ALWAYS require an immediate full choke for a quick start even when the engine is hot. Nothing is wrong, just the nature of the beast.

Do you have the Briggs service manual for that engine????
If you are going to keep that ENGINE you might want to eventually invest in a
Briggs Twin cylinder l-head service manual 02-271172 at about $30

Not to take anything away from this site, but here is a link to a site that has a really good small engine reference library for all kinds of small engine service manuals, but you have to be a member and post for awhile BEFORE YOU ARE ALLOWED TO VIEW AND DOWNLOAD SUCH.
Professional Power Equipment Technicians & Education Network (PPETEN) • Index page



With some searching few years ago I downloaded a freebie Service manual, BUT I also found a used manual on fleece bay at a reduced rate and just purchase such for the shop use.

Just a hint about static governor adjust. Ignore left/right/CW/CCW rotation of the shaft in the videos.
The governor shaft and lever is most generally turned/rotated in the same direction
that forces the throttle wide open when doing the static governor adjust.


Also on that engine the big screw that moves back and forth as you increase and decrease the throttle is the max RPM adjustment screw.
Sometimes this screw has to be adjusted to get the governor engine speed corrected at max throttle. (especially if the governor does not increase the engine speed enough when the engine is under a load mowing.
That bolt's nut that holds the governor arm clamp secured to the governor shaft coming out of the engine on those engines has to be tight. If you limp wrist the nut the lever will slip on the shaft and the governor will not work correctly AGAIN because the arm did not stay secured/locked to the shaft.
But be careful and not twist off the bolt or break the clamp. Use a 1/4 inch drive ratchet and a 6 point socket.

Leave the breather off the top of the carb push it outside and let it run at medium speed until it gets warmed up and do hot engine tests, killing and re-starting the engine checking for running rich, etc.
You are gaining ground for now, but sometimes Murphy will spring up again.

Them are good old engines when not worn out and only require little bit of TLC for long term use. You will find they are user friendly to work on when you get familiar with them.

That is a unusual exhaust on that one. They usually dump out and the muffler bolts in that square slot in front of the engine in the frame opening.
Just unbolt the muffler and it drops down out of the frame and leaves the two exhaust pipes bolted to the engine.
Also do not see a mower deck.

You will find that,
Patience is your friend.
 
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