OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums General Discussion Forum Off Topics Gregory's Service Manual - Small Engine Repair

Hi Outdoorkingers

I'm fairy new to the craft of lawn mower repair. Still finding my feet and getting some good advice from sapper, normk, mowerfreak on the forum etc.

I vaguely remembering seeing a thread about this but couldn't find it.

What does everyone think of the Gregory's Small Engine repair manual ? Attached a photo and link below.

It it worth buying?

Can a lot be learnt from it?

Seems to be geared towards Australian mowers and not yank stuff

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.automotobookshop.com.au/amp/small-engines-series-2-workshop-manual/

Thanks
Ted

Hello Ted12

Gregorys is part of Australian history.
They made street directories, maps, manuals and more.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Publishers_(Australia)

A trusted AUS company that clearly relied on OEMS
and expert advice. Australian as meat pies, kangaroos,
and an AUS historical car manufacturer ...

Is it worth buying? Can a lot be learnt from it?
Seems to be geared towards Australian mowers and not yank stuff

YES!

Hope this helps
------------------------------
Jack

G'day folks,

It's a worthwhile book for later model engines, but the No. 199 edition is far better for earlier stuff, e.g. the 'full crank' Victas.

This might be the thread you recall? https://www.outdoorking-forum.com.au/forum/u...s-scientific-publications.html#Post81688

PS: I have Nos. 103, 199 [1982 edition] and 424.

Thanks guys, yes that was the thread. Thanks also for that Wikipedia link.

I saw some stuff online that Gregory's is owned by Haynes now so didn't know if it was an English or American company originally but now your post clears that up.

Yes the one I saw was the 426 edition.

I have book 199 feb 1982 - very good book - Anything g3, g2 up to the g4 as Gadge has said

Briggs vertical pull with vacujet, villiers, kirby etc.

No powertorque, Briggs pulsaprime, Honda, Briggs Quantum, so it depends which direction you intend to head in

Yeah I'm mainly interested in Victa powertorque 160 at this stage

They are a good choice

Although I must suggest getting your hands on one of the last full cranks with side pull starter and super start electric ignition - preferably alloy deck.

Amongst the best mowers ever made

G'day Tyler,
It depends if you want the performance edge of the PT or the longevity edge of the FC.
That side pull starter is a bit ratty as another regular contributor here has said, and the parts situation way favours the Powertorque over the SPFC.

MF,
what I believe will eventually kill off the F/C's is the lack of coils. Motors themselves( bearings/bores) can be kept going for ever but it is the lack of coils that will end them. I still have a few of both types but once they are gone they are gone, probably not a problem for me in my lifetime.

Remember how many 186 engines used to be out there ? Fast forward 20 years and now............bugger all.

Many were chained together and tossed overboard to make mooring points at the Outer Harbour Yacht Squadron etc.

Cheers,
BB.

BB,
I used to be able to pick up any amount of good running 202's for $100, can't find them for that anymore. Still got a few here that need rebuilding that somebody may want in the future. We dumped a couple of sidewacker Fords in the septic tank when my parents house was hooked up to the sewerage in the mid seventies. I also dumped V8 Chevs up the tip because it was cheaper to just grab another motor and put it in

Not just Holden 6's; it seems to be getting harder to find older V8's, in at least rebuildable nick, too.

There's a Landcruiser FJ45 trayback taking up space in my Garage ATM, that won't be going back on the road [chassis issues, that wouldn't pass a roadworthy to the current standard]. I'm thinking I should pull the engine/trans out, and get rid of the rest to a local specialist Cruiser wrecker.

That vehicle was my 'young bloke's folly' back in the 80's.

The engine is a 350 Chev with '4-bolt main' heavy duty block, Carter AFB carby plus some other minor HD 'fruit' , and it's mated to a 'kitted' Turbo-Hydramatic 400 auto box, adapted to the original transfer case.

Somehow I don't think that donk is losing value!

Thanks guys, reading all this nostalagia talk I better pick up the Gregory's 426 small engine repair manual before it goes out of print and become a collectable item

Hi Gadge,
I have a 253 sitting here, think it has a burnt valve been sitting here for 20 years since I pulled it out of my sons Diahatsu truck after he moved to NZ. The re-drilled turbo 350 was sold with Jeans SS Torana 12/13 years ago. Should have kept all that stuff but life moves on

and if we had all the stuff still laying around what about hanging on to used Toilet paper ? wouldn't that be worth something atm ?

BTW I was merely using 186's as an example as back then there were so many dead engines laying around in various states of disrepair, just like Holden Alloytecs do now. The only difference with these is that you just don't repair them................just send em to mixed scrap metal.

Cheers,
BB.

I knew someone with a 1976 Land Rover that had a Holden 186 with a Yella Terra head fitted running on dual fuel and what a punchy and ultra smooth motor that was. It topped out at 80km/h which explains why it was able to lug all that weight with relative ease. I'd rate it higher than a 202 -at least the pollution stifled one the HZ got.

The 186 certainly always had a far better reputation that the bored out 202 that it originated from.

I guess the only 202 that had any real clout was the JP Blocked LJ XU-1.

I knew a Fijian fellow who once had an HT with three on the tree manual he got for $50 and he said it was very reliable.
I bet he now wishes he'd kept it.

My first car was a 1964 built EH Holden Special sedan; three on the tree [the old 'no synchromesh on first' box] and 179HP engine.

That was the first Holden Red 6 engine that had the steel [vs nodular/SG cast iron] crankshaft, which was much in demand back in the day, for building a variety of motorsport competition engines.

Don't regret getting rid of it, although it was a reliable, economical [easy 30mpg or ~9L/100km, highway] car, but it had started its life on the SW Vic coast. So by the late 70s the bodywork had some serious metal cancer, and off to the wreckers it went...

Got $40 for it, which paid for a pair of used S&W aftermarket shocks, for the Honda CB250K4 I was then riding!

Can't imagine getting anywhere near that with the pollution stifled HZ or early Commodores. Maybe the VK with EFI motor was able to claw back economy like that. It certainly have it a power boost. They also fitted a computer feedback system to their carburettor engine similar to the CM Valiant's ELB.

The grey engine, while having low peak power, accelerated well due to good torque. They could be made to go very fast with some mods.

G'day MF,

Interestingly, my 1988 built current daily driver also has a 3L inline six in it, and gets very similar economy!

Much higher level of technology than the old EH though; it's a Mercedes 300CE coupe...

Ahh, back when Mercedes meant something. Must feel special -excuse pun haha.
I thought you were going to say an Aussie built Nissan Skyline when you mentioned 3.0 litre six.
I imagine more heft and an automatic transmission, plus much more power than the Holden contribute to no better economy.
My 8v B6 engined 89 Laser Ghia is lucky to do that well even with EFI. The manuals do much better apparently and the auto Lasers of that era were known to chew the juice I have read.

I was expecting VL haha

Pretty sure the R31's were still made at Centre Road Clayton, Victoria alongside the Pintara before Nissan pulled the pin on Australia.

Cheers,
BB.

Yer, it's surely an interesting beastie. Almost a 'collectable classic', so worth hanging on to. At some point I'll relegate it to 'backup car' status, on Historical Vehicle Permit [allows up to 90 days use per year in Vic], rather than full rego as it is now.

One thing about it, though; it does demand an owner with a fairly high end skill set, to carry out the maintenance/repairs and parts sourcing for the 'minor system' faults. That, or deepish pockets, and access to a really proficient independent Merc workshop.

Things like rubber/plastic parts that that have gone brittle and failed; electronics developing 'dry joints'; instrument repairs [odometer internal gear failure in this case; the clock wasn't running, but suddenly decided to come back to life one day!]; the list goes on...

The major stuff like the driveline is pretty bulletproof on this model [touches wood as he says this] - it has the 12V SOHC engine.
The early versions of the later 24V DOHC 3L I6 engine had a propensity for dropping valve guides, apparently.