PILOT SPIN
Spin Zone => Spin Zone => Topic started by: asechrest on October 22, 2018, 07:46:23 PM
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Especially for @invflatspin, but all welcome.
I have an '80s 28" Snapper rear engine rider with the 11HP white I/C Briggs & Stratton motor with cast iron bore. Electric and pull start, though pull is broken.
It runs and cuts but has some issues. Having trouble with this carb. At least I think it's the carb.
I have the horizontal flo-jet carb. When I got the mower, I took the carb apart and cleaned it, including cleaning the main jet holes. I verified inlet needle function. Inspected all the parts. Float was in one piece with no holes. I did not replace the gaskets.
When I got it all back together, I tuned it "by the book" -- from the manual. Didn't run well - it would only start and run in a small "band" of the upper throttle range. The next time I used invflatspin's method. It ran great for one weekend, and I was able to get a nice low idle and all the way up through the throttle range. Last Saturday it was back to only starting and running in a tiny band of upper throttle range. Max throttle (choke) and it dies, which I guess I can understand given it might not need chock. But in 90% of the rest of the throttle range it dies.
I probably ought to go ahead and do the carb tuning from scratch at least one or two more times. But any other thoughts? I believe I can get a carb rebuild kit for this thing if needed.
Other issues I'll eventually tackle:
- The blade belt keeps jumping off the pulleys when the blade disengages. I've adjusted belt tension to book specs, still doing it. I found the way this thing works to be super interesting - the entire front of the mower "stretches" away from the rear!
- The blade I think vibrates fairly much. Maybe a blade balance issue.
- It doesn't cut as uniformly as my Honda walk-behind, but I think that might be expected given the limitations of the Snapper RER.
- The primary blade belt pulley is bent. I've got a replacement pulley in the garage but I've heard the spindle nut is a total bitch to get off, and I don't have a wrench big enough to handle it at the moment.
- Need to fix that pull start. I like the idea of not fussing with electric start if I can get the engine tuned so I don't have to pull my arm off.
- I've got an oil leak from the fill tube to engine junction when the mower is on its back. Didn't realize until recently that the fill tube is plastic and must have a gasket or washer.
- My fuel shutoff valve is broken (and not original). Finding an exact replacement is annoying.
- The mower lurches into gear. But maybe that's an effect of how the drive system works - two discs coming into contact?
Thanks.
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Belt jumping is from the deck vibrating, and an old belt. Check the mandrel is tight, and not slopping around by jogging the end of a blade up and down. It should not move at the mandrel. Replace the blade and belt. It should stop vibrating. And the belt should stay on. Because of the center pipe, the frame will twist a bit, and it's more sensitive to rough ground. They just aren't as solid as newer front eng types with articulating front axle. Spindle nut is a pain. I use a pipe wrench but that is not according to the book! Plastic fill tube will have an o-ring, maybe on each end. I never tip mine up vertical, so never had an issue. TSC or most O'reilly will have the inline red petcock fuel shut off, and also the little clear plastic fuel filter. Get both, and put the valve and filter inline from the tank to carb. Lurching means the clutch is not separating the drive disk from the plate. There are youtube vids on replacement of the plate, and the disk and adjustment of the cable. Some have two cables, one for clutch and one for brake. Some have one cable for clutch and brake(fully depressed). If you have single cable, may want to switch to the double cable with another pedal on the right foot pad. Once adjusted right it will work smooth.
Now, the carb. Take if off again, and clean it again with carb cleaner and compressed air. Check the throttle shaft for play. If it's loose in the housing, you are getting air past the throttle shaft. Some have a bushing, some don't. Bushing is easy to replace, if it has one. It might be easier to just replace it, but kind of costly. Replace the gasket to the engine, and also the gasket around the float bowl. Go back and tune it my way, and keep it lean, not too rich. When you are done using it, don't shut off the key, turn off the fuel petcock you just installed. Let the engine die due to fuel starvation, and keep it dry between uses.
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Thanks! Will read a few times to digest.
By lurching into gear I meant that there is no easing the clutch out. I can depress the clutch (single cable btw), shift into 1st, mower doesn't move, but you can't ease the clutch off and expect it to go gently into gear like a car would. There is a single defined point in the pedal ease-off where it lurches to speed. But I'm thinking that's an effect of how the system works - you're simply bringing two discs together?
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I have a 1985 Wheel Horse 312-8 tractor with 42 inch mower deck. Love the old stuff.
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I have a Stihl chainsaw and a Stihl brush cutter and they both went TU this fall. These POS machines couldn’t even make it to 25 years. I bought them both in 1994. Stihl simply doesn’t make some engine and other parts any more.
Of course I kid. These are the most reliable tools I’ve ever owned. Bulletproof. They survived ethanol-infused fuel, and heavy usage.
I’m replacing them both with Stihl products.
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I've got an Echo edger about 10 years old, and an Echo string trimmer a few years old. Pleasantly surprised with them, actually. Little 2 strokes. Not even sure who makes the engines.
My current hilarious idea (I have many of them) is to use this build method (http://www.small-cabin.com/forum/2_599_0.html) to build a log-cabin style shed/workshop under the canopy of the conservation area that abuts my property. I find the build method fascinating, and bought the guy's $15 booklet. I've been planning it all in my head. It'll have a gable roof, "cathedral" ceiling.
I've never built a structure in my life. Which would be obvious to those who have, since until a day or two ago, I was planning my roof to have rafters (as opposed to trusses) and a non-structural ridge board instead of a structural, supported ridge beam. Which I think would have caused my shed's waistline to grow over time as the roof bowed the outer walls outward! Haha.
My free time is an endless string of funky ideas that I may or may not pursue. I think it's an illness.
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What I'm using: 1949 Ford 8N tractor with 1953 Wagner front loader, and custom made truss forks. there is a pipe truss on the yoke of the front of the truss being lifted into place on the base frame.
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What I'm building; 40x30x10 hangar. Here are all trusses on base, and 40'x10"x4.8" I beams. All steel was put up with the old tractor, and welded with a 1966 Johnson Blevins stick welder. I will start on the purlins and R-panel next month.
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Welding on a 6' ladder on a 10' platform on the back of a 4x4 truck while a storm is coming over the mtn from the west. 20 min later we had 50MPH winds, rain and light hail.
edit; you can see here I'm all about Osha safety. T shirt, shorts, sandals, on a rolling platform 16' up with a stick welder while lightning/wind/rain is coming. I did have a spotter down there below, just in case I started a fire, he has a water tender with hose.
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Nice!
Now that's a project. Are those I-beams welded to the top plate? And is their purpose for structural rigidity? And since I've been exploring roofing lately, aren't most of those not trusses but technically rafters? Or will you be completing the base of the truss triangles with rafter ties? Or is the rigidity provided by the I-beams enough to not need rafter ties? And are those collar ties for lateral (in the plane of the rafters) rigidity? What's the pitch on that puppy? Any snow load to consider?
See, now I'm full of questions. I've been reading threads like this (http://www.small-cabin.com/forum/2_882_0.html). But of course we're talking stick-build construction vs. steel.
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I beams are welded to the round eave pipe.
Yes, for structural purpose, the dead load(no live load) on the roof will spread the rafters out, and the I beams keep them from spreading.
Yes, right now they are rafters. There will be vertical pipes from the rafter down to the cross beam then technically making it into a truss, although many roof trusses are individually reinforced with a ladder framework or similar.
The collar ties are also for lateral rigidity.
5 in 12 pitch.
We have a modest snow load at this latitude and elevation. I'm supporting the rafters with vertical pipe down to the crossbeams to transfer any minor snow loads down there. The I beams are the main load carriers. In the event of a wet snow of 3 feet, I've calculated the deflection of the I beam as about 4 inches over 40', presuming the load is equivalent across the roof span(it never is, most time loads slide to the eave section).
I don't often work in construction with wood, but sometimes I build smaller things with wood. I did a gazebo over a hot tub a while back. I'm mostly a metal guy. I built a carport with flat roof last year and used a mix of steel for the supports and wood for rafters, then metal R-panel for roofing. It came out real nice, but switching between wood and metal takes some special materials.
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Thanks. I'll stick with wood for my building at the moment.
But I would love to learn how to weld. When I was fixing up my Derbi GPR75, I needed a pair of frame sliders in order to participate in owner track day at the local go-kart track. My buddy welded (TIG) some nuts onto the swingarm. It was at that moment I knew I would need to learn how to weld if I wanted to get into any sort of fabrication.
BTW, here is me on my (very) cosmetically challenged Derbi at my first (and so far only) track day at Bushnell Motorsports Park (http://bushnellmotorsportspark.com/). At the time of this video, I had about 45 minutes of total time on a geared bike of any sort. I really enjoyed it, and attribute my ability to drive the thing at all to a love of stick-shift cars. You'll see a couple of Aprilias in the video. One is my buddy Matt, and the other is his Dad. They're riding an Aprilia RS50 frame with a Honda CR125 engine swap.
PS - The Derbi was a terrible purchase. Craiglist, title issues, cosmetically horrible, paid too much. Lesson learned. Still have it in my garage. I'll get back to it. Promise. ;)
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Fun times. I know nothing about MC tracking. The only thing I heard was when driving hard into a corner, pull back on the outside bar. I tried it once, and it works. Just don't be hard on the throttle when you pull or it'll slide.
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Fun times. I know nothing about MC tracking. The only thing I heard was when driving hard into a corner, pull back on the outside bar. I tried it once, and it works. Just don't be hard on the throttle when you pull or it'll slide.
I retract my Henning comparison in its entirety. :)
Couldn’t get past the painter’s tape on the gas tank. But fun, yes!
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I retract my Henning comparison in its entirety. :)
Couldn’t get past the painter’s tape on the gas tank. But fun, yes!
The thing is ugly. That faux gas tank was busted in half and taped when I bought it. It needed more tape. ;D
And it's tough, and expensive, to replace parts on a small CC Spanish bike that's no longer in production and hasn't been imported to the US for many years. I did eventually happen upon a lot of fairing parts on Ebay and bought it. But I moved on to other projects.
Here is what it should look like -
(http://raresportbikesforsale.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/20160413-2003-derbi-gpr50-malossi-right-730x548.jpg)
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Now that Florida's grass growing season is waning, had some time to work on the mower.
I was able to get the spindle nut off. I soaked it in PB Blaster for a few hours. Then stood the mower up on end. I blocked the blade with a piece of 2x4 and used an adjustable crescent wrench and a hammer to break it loose. Popped the pulley off.
(https://pictshare.net/q0bve59618.jpg)
(https://pictshare.net/1pswwl9e82.jpg)
(https://pictshare.net/xcip7sf8qa.jpg)
(https://pictshare.net/1dgtur4z66.jpg)
While testing the pulley, I noticed my blade brake was rattling. Then noticed I was missing the jamb nut.
(https://pictshare.net/dtrcscsvba.jpg)
I found a nut to replace it but realized the source of the rattling was just that the mower was up on end, causing one side of the brake to drag the top of the spindle. Won't do that when horizontal.
I also added grease to the differential and chain case and snapped some photos while I was under there.
(https://pictshare.net/x52rzoex6w.jpg)
(https://pictshare.net/cwhv19teoj.jpg)
(https://pictshare.net/xih6mnwzx6.jpg)
(https://pictshare.net/at29zgr3s5.jpg)
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Nice.
But now you have me wanting to go out and find a piece of junk machinery and restore it.
Maybe I will by that Chipper/Shredder for $150 on Craigs list.
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Now you see how the 'transmission' shifts. The rubber wheel moves along that shiny disk to alter the speed. The rubber disk is worn, and should be replaced. I mentioned before there are several good tutorials on youtube for this project. It will also get your brake back into good fettle since you have the one-cable type of clutch.
A good way to keep the clutch from wearing is to only release it when you are ready to move off. Unload the pressure on it whenever the engine is running unless you are moving forward. This is unlike a car where one does not want to leave the clutch in all the time and cause wear on the release bearing. There is a brake lock lever down by the pedal that will keep the brake on, the clutch in when stopped. The only hassle is bending all the way over to the pedal with the pedal pushed down.
Double nut the jam nut on the brake adjust and use a large ring washer under. Adjust the jam nut so that the brake will lock just as you can move the brake lock over the pedal. This is also the 'parking brake' and keeps the clutch in too. Your drive belt is moderately worn, might as well do it now too.
Check the bearings on the spindle and if they are bad, replace them. Also put a new blade on because the majority of the wobble is caused by an out of balance/track blade.
You are very close to having a nice running Snapper. If you didn't get the black safety cover for the top of the deck, I suggest you make one out of sheet plastic from orange or blue. Doesn't have to be formed, or pretty, but the Snapper riders will cause damage to fingers, or feet dangled in that deck drive area. Or you could buy a good new one from Jacks Small Engines.
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Nice.
But now you have me wanting to go out and find a piece of junk machinery and restore it.
Maybe I will by that Chipper/Shredder for $150 on Craigs list.
Just the other day we were trying to decide what to do with our vintage chipper. It needs a new switch. I suspect you are a long way from Washington State though. It’s free to a good home!
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Nice.
But now you have me wanting to go out and find a piece of junk machinery and restore it.
Maybe I will by that Chipper/Shredder for $150 on Craigs list.
There's nothing like a good Saturday project! I even almost gouged through the center of my fingernail. What could be better? ;D
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@invflatspin
So, an interesting thing about the cover. I have it. But the previous owner cut a chunk of the corner where the blade pedal spring is. The reason is clear. The blade engagement lever catch would clearly interfere with the deck cover. See photo. Strange thing is, the little metal piece isn't supposed to rise up like that, I don't think. The angle is hard to see but the end of the metal piece where the spring attaches rises up into the plane of the cover. The parts diagram shows it going downward. The spring also doesn't look like the one in the parts diagram. Also, the mounting bolts for the blade engagement lever piece and catch have clearly been removed before. Wonder if I've got a franken-Snapper?
(https://pictshare.net/ulh3lwoe87.jpg)
(https://pictshare.net/oejykwxmcj.jpg)
(https://pictshare.net/2kwpz9f52l.jpg)
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Looks to me like a home brew return spring mechanism.
Or possibly just a workaround after installing the spring attachment upside down.
I used to work at a place where some of my "coworkers" would receive for their hard work. Their hard work was fixing the things they screwed up in the first place.
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Just the other day we were trying to decide what to do with our vintage chipper. It needs a new switch. I suspect you are a long way from Washington State though. It’s free to a good home!
About as far as you can get in CONUS (East Florida).
But even if we make it up to Seattle in June, it probably wouldn't fit in the back of the Bonanza.
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Just the other day we were trying to decide what to do with our vintage chipper. It needs a new switch. I suspect you are a long way from Washington State though. It’s free to a good home!
Try this:
https://www.partstree.com/parts/mtd/chippers-shredders/24a-452g729-2007/general-assembly/
Fairly sure this is the deal.
>edit: That is not the deal. Still looking.
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@invflatspin
So, an interesting thing about the cover. I have it. But the previous owner cut a chunk of the corner where the blade pedal spring is. The reason is clear. The blade engagement lever catch would clearly interfere with the deck cover. See photo. Strange thing is, the little metal piece isn't supposed to rise up like that, I don't think. The angle is hard to see but the end of the metal piece where the spring attaches rises up into the plane of the cover. The parts diagram shows it going downward. The spring also doesn't look like the one in the parts diagram. Also, the mounting bolts for the blade engagement lever piece and catch have clearly been removed before. Wonder if I've got a franken-Snapper?
Here's the deal. The early versions you could press the brake/clutch, and the blade drive would stay engaged. This is a serious safety hazard, as people would get off with the blade still turning and maybe run over something, or themselves when off the seat. So, cheap insurance, on later Snappers, the lever arm and spring were added so that ANY time the brake/clutch was depressed, it would kick the blade drive back and off. Viola! Instant safer mowing. Your black deck cover is for a very early machine, and your deck and frame are the later safer style. The guy who bought the black cover got the wrong one, and did not want to defeat the blade off safety, so he decided to go all 'Wolverine was here' on it with a sawzall.
>Edit; On reflection of how it is attached, this appears to be the kind which prevents the blade drive to engage if the brake is down. There were several revisions of this safety, and this is the in-between version. Likely will not stop the blade if the blade is engaged, and the brake pressed. Either way, it is for the safety when the brake is on, they don't want the blade to engage.
I've seen worse.
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On order from Amazon -
- A new grommet/seal for the oil filler tube to base junction. Hopefully will prevent my oil leak when standing on end.
- A new belt - using the Stens brand replacement
- The "mulching cover", which is basically one of two parts that come in the Snapper Ninja Mulching Kit. The other part is the Ninja blade. I'm going to see how this thing mulches with the original blade. If it's decent, I'll buy a new OEM blade vs. the Ninja Mulching blade.
Also forgot to mention that my throttle slowly heads toward neutral as I mow. I'm thinking this is vibration-induced because of a loosey-goosey throttle handle?
I also bought a Bubba Gump Shrimp Company hat so I can truly look the Forrest Gump part when mowing. I'm such a dork. Funny side-effect - it looks like a maga hat at first glance, and I get funny looks, especially when accompanied by my Latina significant other. ;D :D -- "omg look at that racist wearing the maga...wait whaaaat?"