Hello all.
First post from me on here. It's the beginning of summer (or what passes for it) over here in the UK. I have a 15 year-old Victa AF055 two-stroke rotary mower which used to be very reliable. In recent years it's got progressively more difficult to start - but usually only for the first cut of the season. Once it's been run, it would normally start first-pull for the rest of the summer.
Anyway, for the last couple of years I couldn't start it at all so I took to using an electric mower. I now want to revive the Victa and need some advice.
My first question is about this issue of 'stale fuel'. It was only on reading the owner's manual today that I saw the advice to drain the tank and use fresh fuel at the start of the season. Is this really necessary? What happens to the fuel that causes it to be 'stale'? Is it something to do with it being a two-stroke and having an oil-fuel mixture?
My second question is about the spark. I've tried checking the spark by removing the plug and cranking the engine. There is a spark, but it's very small and yellow. Not the nice big fat blue spark that I would have expected. Is that normal for a Victa with a magneto type ignition system? Is there anything that the DIY home mechanic can do without special tools like flywheel pullers, etc.
Thanks for any advice you can give me.
Mike
