Fix'em all

Despite the weather I still nearly finished this project at the weekend

You will also find that older Briggs & also Tecumseh engines around 5hp open the exhaust valve slightly on compression. As the engines wear this can cause starting issues due to low compression. On OHV engines I have countered this by increasing the gap on the exhaust valve & on side valve engines I have removed the exhaust valve & ground a bit off the valve stem (not too much). I am sure Wristpin will not necessarily approve of this practice but it has worked for me on several occasions.

The last time the country was this divided was the English Civil War. It's all very painful & I will be glad when it's over & the news headlines start with something other than Brexit

& Didn't mention Brexit once.

He probably means a crankcase seal on a 2 stroke. It will run but throttle response is vague & lacking power

I think Ral3001 Signal Red is close but I may be wrong.

Does anyone know anything about the Versatiller MK3. I don't think it had the same engine as the first 2 models but interested what engine it had fitted.

Is it one of the Mountfields with a one piece fuel tank & pull start assembly. They always leak & the best bet is to find another engine

The non EP gear oil is GL1

Could be Paul !! I think i am correct in saying you already have one of these, so it's good to share The book mentions a separate manual for the 75 engine, that would be a nice to have.

Lucky enough to pick up this rare 1950's manual to go with my equally rare Versatiller Mk 1

Hi John & welcome to the group. I believe these have a clutch with a friction plate & it has probably all rusted together. You need to strip it without damaging the components if possible. I have never worked on one of these, but assume it may have an asbestos clutch plate that won't want to be soaked in wd40 if you want to re-use it. I am sure one of the other members will be able to give you more detailed advice, but a couple of photos will be useful if you can.

Happy Birthday Paul, have a good un

In amongst a job lot of Kohler & Victa new spares is this piston. It appears to measure 2.5/8" diameter of just under 67mm. Any ideas?

Search for Colwood on this site and you will find out more info from previous posts. With older machines like this, you just have to gather snippets of information by searching.

Happy birthday Norm !

Presumably this is a 172cc 2 stroke. The fan looks heavy enough to replace the normal flywheel that would have been used if fitted on a motorbike

I think I am right in saying it is an Atco W8 & the Aspera engine is a LAV35. If you need Aspera parts you may be best searching for Tecumseh.

Have now finished the Merry Tiller Spartan & looks so nice it will be a shame to get it dirty

Fitted new tank gasket & still the same. Looked again at the choke & although it looked closed there was a tiny gap both sides of the flap. Slight mod to the set up and it closes tight now & started second pull. I should have checked it properly, thanks guys

Happy birthday Angus, thanks for your advice through the year

I took the air filter housing off & put my hand over the carb & fuel came up straight away. I have put it all back together and put the air filter cover on but it still takes about 10 pulls on full choke to get it to start from cold. Runs lovely when it it starts. The only thing that is different is there was a foam & mesh filter in the air filter cover that was rotten so I removed it. The paper filter is all good so don't know if not having the additional filter is enough to cause this. The new tank gasket should arrive in the week. It does weep a bit so it may be sucking air in & preventing the fuel drawing up.

The choke flap is fully closed so I don't believe it is the issue with this. The tank to carb gasket does seem to weep a spot of fuel so my thinking is that it is also sucking air and preventing the fuel from being drawn up from the upper tank chamber. Am I right in assuming this ?

Nigel, thanks for the parts breakdown. I wondered if I am getting a good enough seal between the tank and the carb, so I ordered a new gasket first thing this morning. Only trouble is I have ordered part no 272996 & your breakdown shows 692241. They look the same but not sure on dimensions. Reiver - the choke does fully close, but I did notice that if the screw fixing the air filter base plate to the choke lever plate is too long it stops the choke lever before the choke flap is fully closed.

Am I correct in saying that the diaphragm only draws fuel up from the main tank to the upper section in the tank. If so then it is doing that, but is it the vacuum of the intake stroke that draws it up into the upper part of the carb.