OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Repairs and Maintenance Questions on Walk Behind Lawn Mower Frames Four Stroke Lawn Mower Frames Atco 1939 14" need help...

Hi all, new to the show.
Looking for some direction from others in regards to my Atco 1939 14" mower.
Would like to find a manual with exploded diagrams to sort out following issues.
Purchased almost complete bar drive lever.
Clutch does not seem to free wheel in forward motion.
Lever from handle moves but bottom fork doesnt have any resistance.
Other issue is kick start operational but sprocket just free wheels and does not engage.
Any ideas or references would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers, Frank

Sorry, mower will free-wheel in forward but not in reverse.
Regards.

Hello Frank
When you say '1939' I guess this says your 14" mower
is an Atco Deluxe ...

Is that correct?

-----------------
Jack

Hi Frank,

Unfortunately there are no diagrams available for these mowers. Atco parts books did not become pictorial until after WW2. With the clutch, the spring causes the cone to be engaged when there is no tension on the clutch lever and linkage, i.e when the clutch lever is pulled in it disengages the cone. When the lever is pulled in (towards the handle bar) the yoke should come up to the collar, engage and withdraw the cone. If the yoke is not reaching the collar, then have a look at whether you can adjust the length of the linking rod that goes between the clutch lever and the yoke. It is threaded at both ends. From memory, these mowers do not freewheel backwards.

Hope this helps.

Kind regards,
Sir Chook

Thanks Jack, yes mower is same as your photo.
Currently have engine out as I have no spark, are you able to ID Villiers engine so that I can source parts?
Appreciate your feedback.

Thanks Sir Chook, lever on handle bars is missing so I only have linkage and assembly to clutch. Issue is that the spring is not pushing anything against the yolk.
Is it possible that it is siezed? Just dont want to be flogging it if I dont have to.
Cheers.

Is it possible that not having the clutch lever on handle bars that I cant apply enough preasure to clutch assemlbly just by pulling on lever.
Thanks again.

Have removed HT lead and the spring loaded pin that connects to Coil is not in existence.
Does anyone know where I can get a replacement or can I jury rig a new pin?
Thanks for your help.

Hi Frank,

Not having the clutch lever is a big disadvantage as it is possible that you may not be able to get sufficient tension on the linkage to make it work.

The way it works is that when the lever on the handle bar is pulled in it pulls the clutch linkage rod upward (i.e towards the user) and the yoke moves towards the left in the direction of the spring. As the lever is pulled all the way in the yoke engages the left side of the collar and pulls the clutch inner to the left, compressing the spring and withdrawing the clutch inner sufficiently out of the outer to disengage the drive.

The spring acts between the clutch inner and the bearing housing on the mower frame. This results in the clutch being in the engaged position when the spring is not compressed. When in the engaged position, the yoke sits free in the collar groove at the back of the clutch inner.

The lack of lever will make it difficult to get the clutch to disengage as the spring provides good resistance. The spring is well set into the clutch inner and there are limited leverage points in that area making external compression of the spring difficult. You may find that if you try to pull the linkage rod back in the direction of where the clutch lever would have connected to the handle bar you might get it to pull the clutch inner out enough to get it to disengage momentarily. I would exercise caution doing this though as it will need some strength to over come the spring tension. The best option would be to make up a temporary clutch handle.

The engine is a Villiers Midget. Many parts are available still in the UK. As parts like HT contacts were common across Villiers engines, Vintage Air Cooled Engine Spares may have what you need.

Kind regards
Sir Chook

Thanks Sir Chook for your comprehensive reply. Will give it a go and see if I can get clutch movement.
Will check online for HT lead.
Thanks again for your help.
Cheers.

Hello frank,

It may be worth checking your ignition coil too if you have no spark. They are often the issue. Mine recently died on my 1956 villiers mk2 midget and there are a rew good videos on how to test and replace them. I avoided the cheaper taiwan replacement and got a uk made one from villiers spares but they are expensive. Hopefully i will get another 50yrs out of it now.

This video is pretty good.


Let me know if you need any other help with the villiers.

Cheers
Scotty

My coils is this one, part number M1634. Your older engine may or may not be the same, measure the length of it if you can.

https://villiersservices.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=8_18_52&products_id=29

This website will have the lead and other bits too. Piston rings, gaskets, ect...

http://www.villiersparts.co.uk/ignition.html