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Murray 42828X8B restoration project

Oct 8, 2014#1

B

blues124

Greetings!
I was given a Murray model 42828X8B for free and I am going to use it to teach my kids about engines and maintenance. The previous owner said the mower hasn't run in 4 years. The "Mfg. Date" is 96057, so I believe that would be in March 1996? The engine (Tecumseh Enduro OHV16 204211B) appears to be in decent shape, but the body has quite a bit of rust and the tires are dry rotted since it was stored outside. I haven't tried to start the engine. The gas tank was flooded with water. Both it and the carburetor are fouled up with nasty black tar, but the engine oil was clean enough. The carburetor bowl has a pin hole rusted thru it, and was filled with something that looked like sand. I don't think I can rebuild it, I'll have to buy one.

The owner didn't have the key. I assume this is no big deal; I can either 'hot-wire' a new switch into it, or possibly even turn it with a screwdriver. Any ideas?

Any advice, warnings, etc before starting this project would be appreciated. I don't intend to sink a lot of money into it, but I don't mind the labor. My shop is reasonably equipped with standard tools. Let me know if there are any specialty tools I must have.. I'm sure I'll be posting several requests for assistance in the near future.

Thanks!
-Steve

Oct 11, 2014#2

gfp55

blues124 said:
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Greetings!
I was given a Murray model 42828X8B for free and I am going to use it to teach my kids about engines and maintenance. The previous owner said the mower hasn't run in 4 years. The "Mfg. Date" is 96057, so I believe that would be in March 1996? The engine (Tecumseh Enduro OHV16 204211B) appears to be in decent shape, but the body has quite a bit of rust and the tires are dry rotted since it was stored outside. I haven't tried to start the engine. The gas tank was flooded with water. Both it and the carburetor are fouled up with nasty black tar, but the engine oil was clean enough. The carburetor bowl has a pin hole rusted thru it, and was filled with something that looked like sand. I don't think I can rebuild it, I'll have to buy one.

The owner didn't have the key. I assume this is no big deal; I can either 'hot-wire' a new switch into it, or possibly even turn it with a screwdriver. Any ideas?

Any advice, warnings, etc before starting this project would be appreciated. I don't intend to sink a lot of money into it, but I don't mind the labor. My shop is reasonably equipped with standard tools. Let me know if there are any specialty tools I must have.. I'm sure I'll be posting several requests for assistance in the near future.

Thanks!
-Steve

You can use just about any riding tractor key for the ignition switch. Parts are cheap on ebay. You can watch utube videos on carb rebuilding and replacement, adjustments. I would change the oil and filter. Do not overfill the engine oil. Make sure the battery cables are good and clean so you get good contact. Take the spark plug out and turn the key so the starter turns the engine over a few times and that will move the oil around inside the engine, don't hold the key no longer then 10 to 15 seconds, then let the starter cool for a few minutes, then do it again (2 or 3 times and the engine should be good and free spinning.) Make sure the plug is gaped to specs (you should do able to download a engine manual for your engine with the model number off the engine) That should give you a good start on you project. Keep us posted and have fun.

Oct 12, 2014#3

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blues124

Thanks for all the great advice! I did take out the spark plug and could easily turn the engine, and now I've taken off the piston head and it is in great shape. The oil coming our was very clean, but I am changing it anyway, and a new filter of course. I also found a replacement key at Sears! Now I'll need to hunt down a replacement carb. The old one is really shot.
Thanks again.

Oct 12, 2014#4

gfp55

blues124 said:
Thanks for all the great advice! I did take out the spark plug and could easily turn the engine, and now I've taken off the piston head and it is in great shape. The oil coming our was very clean, but I am changing it anyway, and a new filter of course. I also found a replacement key at Sears! Now I'll need to hunt down a replacement carb. The old one is really shot.
Thanks again.

When you say "piston head" I think you mean to say cylinder head. The part that the spark plug screw into, right? If the answer is yes then you will need a new head gasket and when you tighten down the head bolts you will need to torque them to spec in the right sequence or the correct order. Keep us updated.

Oct 12, 2014#5

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blues124

Yes, exactly, the cylinder head. Thanks again, I knew the torque was important, but not the specific order. I do know to use a star pattern in general. I was also going to reuse the gasket (it's not damaged). Is that not acceptable?
Finally, the carb is shot. Online I'm finding them to be about $100. I've seen non-OEM manufactured carbs for a lot less, but not the one I need, which is Tecumseh part number 640000. Any ideas? FYI, when I say the old one is shot, it is completely corroded and the bowl has a hole in it, so it's not a simple rebuild.
Thanks again for all the advice!

Oct 12, 2014#6

gfp55

blues124 said:
Yes, exactly, the cylinder head. Thanks again, I knew the torque was important, but not the specific order. I do know to use a star pattern in general. I was also going to reuse the gasket (it's not damaged). Is that not acceptable?
Finally, the carb is shot. Online I'm finding them to be about $100. I've seen non-OEM manufactured carbs for a lot less, but not the one I need, which is Tecumseh part number 640000. Any ideas? FYI, when I say the old one is shot, it is completely corroded and the bowl has a hole in it, so it's not a simple rebuild.
Thanks again for all the advice!

Its always best to replace a head gasket once it been used.

Oct 13, 2014#7

B

blues124

gfp55 said:
Its always best to replace a head gasket once it been used.

Sure, it's easy and cheap enough. Anyone have ideas on the carburetor?
Also, any advice on how to get varnish out of the bottom of the gas tank?

Oct 13, 2014#8

gfp55

blues124 said:
Sure, it's easy and cheap enough. Anyone have ideas on the carburetor?
Also, any advice on how to get varnish out of the bottom of the gas tank?

Have you taken the carb off yet? If its not off maybe you should take pictures so you know where the springs and other things go when you put it back together. To see if you can save the carb, maybe you could take some pictures of the carb, the parts that you say bad, you may be able to rebuild it, a rebuild isn't that hard. the parts are cheap also. Is the gas tank metal or plastic? I have removed rust by removing the tank and putting about a half cup of pea gravel in the tank and shaking it for some time and the gravel will knock the rust or varnish off the bottom of the tank. After you shake it for awhile and check to see if the rust/varnish is broken loose, you dump out the gravel and rinse the inside of the tank with water and let it dry in the sun upside down. Keep us posted OK.

Oct 14, 2014#9

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blues124

I have removed the carb, and did remember to take some pictures before doing it.
When I opened the bowl, I found it full of something that looked like sand. I assume something disintegrated, but I dont know what it was. The bowl has a hole, and the bottom bolt it frozen on with rust. The main jet looks pretty nasty and the throttles didnt want to move, but I've used some carb cleaner on them and now it's looking better. The float looks OK but I would replace anyway. The needle valve is shot. All the main body seems OK, so maybe I could rebuild. What so you think?
Also, the battery is totally dead and the part number is obsolete. This is a 12VDC system, right? Can I just buy a replacement at Sears/WalMart or wherever?

Thanks again for all your help. Good advice on the gas tank too - it's plastic. I've sprayed it with a bit of degreaser to get it started and then will try gravel. Hot water might help break it up too.

Oct 14, 2014#10

gfp55

blues124 said:
I have removed the carb, and did remember to take some pictures before doing it.
When I opened the bowl, I found it full of something that looked like sand. I assume something disintegrated, but I dont know what it was. The bowl has a hole, and the bottom bolt it frozen on with rust. The main jet looks pretty nasty and the throttles didnt want to move, but I've used some carb cleaner on them and now it's looking better. The float looks OK but I would replace anyway. The needle valve is shot. All the main body seems OK, so maybe I could rebuild. What so you think?
Also, the battery is totally dead and the part number is obsolete. This is a 12VDC system, right? Can I just buy a replacement at Sears/WalMart or wherever?
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Thanks again for all your help. Good advice on the gas tank too - it's plastic. I've sprayed it with a bit of degreaser to get it started and then will try gravel. Hot water might help break it up too.

Your right about the carb, its pretty bad. You could try putting the whole carb in a bowl of automatic transmission fluid and letting it soak for about a day or two and then clean it up with carb cleaner and see how it comes out. If it comes out OK, you can get a rebuild kit that will have all the parts you will need to rebuild it plus you will need a bowl. You will need to clean the three tiny holes in the venturi, I use cutting torch head cleaning wires. The holes are small, so small that a pin is too big to fit in the holes. If you have a wire brush, you can pull one of the wires out of it and use needle nose pliers to put the wire in the holes. Lets see how it cleans up before you go any farther with the carb. Yes it is a 12 volt system and you can get a battery at Walmart, Just make sure the positive and the negative posts are on the correct sides. Take you old battery with you so you get the right one and you won't have to pay the core deposit. Keep us posted OK

Oct 30, 2014#11

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blues124

I soaked the carb for over a week in transmission fluid and then did a little cleaning with carb spray and a tooth brush. I didnt spend alot of time on it though.
It definitely looks better. So now the question is do I just buy a rebuild kit and a new bowl, or a whole new carb? How can I tell? I dont want to buy a kit if I'm just going to end up buying a new carb, but the new/rebuilt ones I've seen online are around $80.
I rebuilt the carburetor on my Toro 20071, with a Tecumseh LV195XA and a series 11 carb, which was pretty easy, but I dont see how to remove the main jet on this one.

ALSO, if I do need to buy one, can I use this one? Tecumseh 640330A - Tecumseh Carburetor
The current one does not have the solenoid nor a connector to the solenoid, so I don't think this is right, but this place swears this is the replacement. You can clearly see in the pics that it is a Walbro LMK, and I believe the part number is LMK41 or Tecumseh # 640000. Any ideas where to find?

Thanks and Happy Halloween!

Nov 4, 2014#12

gfp55

blues124 said:
I soaked the carb for over a week in transmission fluid and then did a little cleaning with carb spray and a tooth brush. I didnt spend alot of time on it though.
It definitely looks better. So now the question is do I just buy a rebuild kit and a new bowl, or a whole new carb? How can I tell? I dont want to buy a kit if I'm just going to end up buying a new carb, but the new/rebuilt ones I've seen online are around $80.
I rebuilt the carburetor on my Toro 20071, with a Tecumseh LV195XA and a series 11 carb, which was pretty easy, but I dont see how to remove the main jet on this one.

View attachment 23786 View attachment 23787 View attachment 23788 View attachment 23789 View attachment 23790

ALSO, if I do need to buy one, can I use this one? Tecumseh 640330A - Tecumseh Carburetor
The current one does not have the solenoid nor a connector to the solenoid, so I don't think this is right, but this place swears this is the replacement. You can clearly see in the pics that it is a Walbro LMK, and I believe the part number is LMK41 or Tecumseh # 640000. Any ideas where to find?

Thanks and Happy Halloween!

From what I see it doesn't look like the that is going to come out so you may have to go with a new or used, finding a used one is going to be hard. I guess if the people say it will fit then you have to take their word for it. I looked on ebay and they get $47 and change with free shipping for the same carb.

Nov 4, 2014#13

B

blues124

Once again, thank you very much.

Nov 4, 2014#14

gfp55

blues124 said:
Once again, thank you very much.

Keep us updated OK

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Murray 42828X8B restoration project

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