OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums General Discussion Forum Off Topics Sanlis

I have been working on 5 Sanlis over the past week, 3 of them had been here since the first lockdown early last year and they looked pretty decrepit so I hadn't bothered about them. I had a couple dropped here for repairs and I started to think these were not a bad mower for a Chonda. I had experienced this previously when I had a few Lawn Beetles here, plastic bodies are rubbish but the motors didn't seem too bad. Anyway I pulled the other 3 I had here, got them running and I was surprised how smooth and how well they run. All needed new carbies because as usual idiots put E10 in their mowers and wonder why the stop running. Luckily one of the ones dropped here had only just stopped running and the carby had not had time to start rusting and it only had a teaspoon of water in it. Anyway my opinion on the Sanlis has changed, they are in my opinion the best of the Chondas

E-10 is not all that bad once users get use to the E-10 storage needs. Can't be stored in open containers at all. In the last year here my biggest fuel problems has been stale and fuel left in open containers.

Just fill an open pint glass jar and sit it out on a humid day and watch soak up the moisture when E-10 is in it. Here it looks like 1/2% milk before the water and ethanol settles out.

Personally I have been using E-10 for many years and just don't have the problems that many users have. Now long term storage is a problem but it is also the same with regular not ethanol fuels.

Water in the fuels here are mostly introduced by the user adding fuel. One time here I got nearly a quart of water in 5 gallons that I just purchased from the fuel depot. What worst have gotten three times water in my vehicle fuel tank which is a pain to remove when they are full of fuel as they provide us no way to drain them.

I have an 89 Ford Laser 1.6 injected model that runs happier on 91 or 94 octane E10 than regular 91 petrol (gasoline) . It feels a bit more sprightly and doesn't ping under load as much.
Most Aussie Ford Lasers (really a Mazda 323 underneath) were carburetor at the time. Injection was an option on the highest Ghia trim level like mine.
I hear you can't run E10 in a carburetor.

Hmmm. I haven't an automobile engine in years that has a carburetor but nearly every lawnmower here has a carburetor. I had to suffer through all the pains of the industry getting fuel injection right. Boy it was a pain too. Now mower engine manufactures are going to try it again after the Robin failure.

Lucky for me I had 6 new Chonda carbs sitting here that I bought sometime ago so I was able to use 3 up and that makes the box of carbies look a bit better. There was a lot of carbs (Briggs/Chondas) that I bought by mistake when I say them on some ebay special deal. I wish petrol companies would put a sticker on all the E10 bowsers that it is not suitable for motor mowers, but that is not going to happen because they don't give a toss about the customer

Hi NK and AVB,
Ages ago I found a Sanli chassis and thought it was well made except for a broken off axle end. The wheels were solidly made though I don't know why the rears were ball bearing and the fronts not.
What do you think of the Victa V40?