OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Repairs and Maintenance Questions on Engines Questions On Victa Two Stroke Engines Starter pulls ok when no spark plug installed

hello again tiger,
Just read your 2nd last post, you say the cord will only pull 6 to 8 inchs out of the starter.
There is something else going on here then.

Starter cord should pull out to around 1000 mm.

I am not sure, I will have to think about that.
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The valve off a later victa may be different, there are different lengths.

Can you check the wire part on your pull starter.
When you pull the cord, does the wire come out into the groove as per the image below?


Upper wire should be in the groove / Lower wire underneath.

Friction spring is as per your photo, maybe there's some type of compression lock.

G'day again tiger, a question: is the blade plate on & done up tight?
I know this was mentioned earlier by other forum members, but just checking.
The engine relies on the inertia from the blade plate to turn over correctly.

Hi Mark, the blade plate has been taken off because the nut did not do up tightly. When the blade plate was on it behaved the same way.

Tiger,

If you don't put the blade plate on correctly we will just go around in circles and you will never solve the problem.

Tiger, turning over that engine without a working decompressor will call for a fairly serious effort, and a properly coupled blade plate. Otherwise, unless you are meatier than average in the arms, it will just stop when you get to the first cylinder compression, and you will think there is something wrong with the engine, when there isn't. The decompressor is there for a reason: without it, the engine is much too difficult to turn over. Since your decompressor is not working, and your blade plate is not there to give you a reasonable amount of rotational momentum, it would take an accomplished body-builder to turn the thing over. Just pray it doesn't fire, because with no blade plate, it might break a couple of your fingers on the starter handle when it inevitably kicks back.

I'll put it on as best I can but the thread is rusted so not sure I can do it up tight.

Wire-brush the thread first, then check that it will screw right down to the end of the crankshaft without the blade plate fitted. Then you can be sure it will pinch the blade plate when you reassemble it with the blade plate in place. Finally, ensure the screw is tight - you don't want broken fingers.

I have attached the blade holder and it is a little easier to pull the cord but still jerks a bit. I tested the decompressor valve and it does suck closed so I'll assume that it works. This blade holder has the nyloc nut but there was no washer so I used a slightly oversized washer to take up the slack and get a tight fit.

Tiger,

Until you follow the complete directions that we supplied to you will not get the correct result. The washer is a special one which is concave which is like a spring washer but better. You can see the washer HERE.

The original owner has taken that washer off so I don't have it, I can see from your website that it's a special washer. The Gregory's manual on Victa mowers book just shows a round washer. Anyway being Boxing day it will be hard to source the washer, is the one on the Victa Corsair Powertorque the same? If so, I'll substitute that one.

The one on the other victa will be the same

Changed the washer and guess what - it fired up!!!
It only fired up after I stuck some petrol in the spark plug hole. It still needs work, the carby is gummed up but I'll give it a clean. The lead attached to the spark plug is frayed and the previous owner had insulation tape around it, is this a common item and what exactly is it called, I couldn't find it in the manual? The muffler is not on securely, there was a perished washer between the muffler and the exhaust hole, is the washer essential? The petrol tank has old stale petrol in it, what is the best way to get this clean.
Finally a big thank you to Bruce(you were right
), Joe, Grumpy, Mark and others for helping me with this, I had written this mower off and would have if it wasn't for your encouragement. Who would have thought that the timing was so sensitive on these machines that they would not operate without the blade holder on securely? Anyway you live and learn.

These engines are better than the powertorque once fixed up, I have plenty of them around here if you need a new ignition coil (I am sure the lead is fixed to the coil, but still have my christmas cheer on to remember fully) I can scrap one from an old engine for you. Matter of fact I have just about any part that isnt available new from the online store.

Just clean out behind the primer cap, replace the O ring (around $1) be careful not to lose the needle from the primer cap, flush the fuel tank with fresh 2 stroke and it will ook after you.

Going by the compression you have described (the starter jerking) the engine is in great condition and will last for some time yet.

The flywheel is too light without the blade plate, its more of a cooling fan than anything it took me a long time to learn this.

For future reference, the washer was originally round on older victas, victa changed to square washers at a later date but they all do the same job, just be weary of the new victa 4 stroke washers as they are different.

I hope you had a merrry christmas and bring on the new year

All you need to do is follow the step by step procedures that the moderators and my self give and you should be up and running in no time. Also try to be specific in your description and as well pictures really help the moderators with giving advice to your issues.

1. Rather than use insulation tape you could use victa fuel line which will slide over the cable (I have done this when joining cables a lot in the past)

2. As Joe has said replace the 'O' ring on the carby cover and when replacing the cover make sure that the line (on white cover) is horizontal to the carby body otherwise the fuel mix will be out.

3. Tank you can flush with some fresh petrol but as a suggestion I would replace the fuel tap as well and check the pin hole in the cap is clean.

4. Muffler washer is required otherwise the people living next door will not be happy when you cut the lawn.

All going well you should be up and running soon.

Thanks Joe and happy christmas to you also. May take you up on your offer of the lead but I'll see how I go. Thanks again for all your help.

Thanks Bruce, will follow all your steps, I didn't think that the mower was all that loud without the muffler washer but then I was so excited that the mower fired up that I probably didn't notice.

Update on this, the mower runs but does not stop when you turn the petrol tap off. I suspect that I need to change the petrol tap as advised previously but does it just screw off from the petrol tank, it's plastic and I didn't want to ruin the tank unnecessarily?

hey tiger,
the fuel tap does unscrew from the tank, also its best to use the kill switch set up to stop your engine as turning off the fuel makes it lean out and can cause premature wear to the bore piston and rings. here are some photos of the kill switch set up , just make sure your engine is set to run to assemble or the probe wont go in. cheers, mitch

Thanks Mitch. I'm sure I was told to turn the petrol tap off and let it stop running before using the kill switch, this helps to ensure that there's no petrol that can go off in the carby but now I'm not so sure.

Briggs and Stratton recommends that its engines are run until they stop from lack of fuel, before storage (e.g. during winter). Craftsman and Ryobi recommend that engines have the fuel "removed" from the carburetor before storage. I haven't checked any other owner manuals, except Honda which provides a drain plug in the carburetor float bowl and recommends that fuel always be drained before storage.

I have always made a point of running most 2 strokes until their carburetors are empty, because otherwise the fuel dries up during storage, leaving the oil behind, and the oil is likely to temporarily block the main jet and make starting difficult. That practice was widely recommended back in the days when I used 2 strokes. Of course you make sure to do this at light throttle with no load on the engine, to ensure that high temperatures do not develop for a few seconds as the mixture leans out. I personally would not run a chainsaw or motorcycle engine dry in that way, because those are very high performance engines, which could be adversely affected by lean mixture.

Even after running a victa dry at full speed if the crankcase is opened there is still plenty of oil and fuel in there, they need a bit more to keep running. Over the years I have never seen one damaged from simply turning the tap off when finished mowing.

The fuel tap simply screws in and out but only tighten the new tap until it seats, you dont want to strip the plastic thread.

Changed the fuel tap and gave the carby a clean, now the petrol tank tap works but the start/kill lever doesn't turn the mower off, it revs up a bit at the highest setting but for a large part of its movement the revs don't change.I assume that something must have slipped and that the screws need to be re-tightened. Is there anything else I can do?

Thanks Grumpy for your input into the discussion on how to turn the mower off, I have heard the argument you've advanced before and always done this way.

hey guys,
the fuel thing is a fairly disputable topic , both sides are fair , i normally run a victa dry if its going to be stored for a long period but not when in use regularly.
either way a kill switch is best to be a working one in the event of needing the engine to stop in a hurry , tiger if the switch isnt working the large pin may not be inserted enough into the carb or the rubber plug fowling the pins from touching this can be a sign that the rubber grommet has gone hard.
cheers all

Hi there tomo, the pin is inserted enough, will check the rubber grommet.