OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Repairs and Maintenance Questions on Engines Questions On Victa Two Stroke Engines 550 SP Powertorque

Hi Guys
Thought I would share this one with you all . . . .
I got it 2nd hand some 4 years back, had it serviced, new blades filter etc.

2 weeks ago after a decent run she started revving high then cutting out.
Last week she started once but only ran for maybe 10 secs.
Today, no go.

My research suggested either fuel or compression issues, so I checked
1] Fuel cap & filter clean, good flow from tap & line.
2] Cleaned carb & jet, ensured all else looked OK, noticed no O ring on the manifold, so greased.
3] Checked decompressor, appeared to be working as it should.
4] Checked other vacuum outlets, all clear.
5] Took top cowling off, checked muffler for blockage, no gasket but no probs.
6] Checked large starter O ring, looked intact & OK.
7] Checked plug (again) for spark this time, looked good, a good few pulls to clear any flooding.

Tried a start, no go. Let off a few choice words, went & had a beer.
Should have had lunch, but had another beer, & a smoke & a think.
OK, so I couldn't check cylinder compression or the bottom bearing seal but based on the state of the innards when I took the starter off, and everything else generally, I reckon there was only a very slight chance of any issues there. So back to basics.

Checked the plug again (3rd or 4th time), hello - that gap looks pretty thin! I held it electrodes down & the insulator slid right down to completely close the gap. Previous checks were electrodes up so I didn't notice. Shot down to the local Stihl shop for a new one. The guy reckons he has seen that maybe 8 times in 5 years.
Threw it in, tried a start, no go, FawK! In desperation I yanked out the small kill wire and away she went. Yeeha!
Spent another half hour getting the kill wire probes set right, more swearing, then finally a good 40 min run to check all was well, & it ran like a Victa should!!

So for me, who has in the past had things fixed, this is a triumph, & it only took 3 days! Hope it helps someone out there.

Cheers
Pat

Hi Wolfie, and welcome to the forum. Thanks for sharing your experience, i'm sure it will help someone along the way.
You've obviously done all the usual checks for a dead or non running 2 stroke and it's good to see you came out on top, but i'm gonna throw in my 2 bobs worth anyway. Experience tells me a couple of things:
1) replace the oring on the manifold, the grease will only last so long before it's sucked in and overrevving becomes a problem again.
2) replace the cut out boot and grommet, theyre about $3-$4 and will save you a lot of grief in the long run.

Thanks Big Ted
All of you provide a wonderful service, a mine of info & I am grateful to have found it.
It's been a right bggr having problems over Xmas/New Year.
Yes, the greasing is a temp measure only. The oring will be replaced.
The cut out boot is just under a year old, the previous one had perished & split. When I went to reset the probes I eventually found that the grommet had popped out from the carb body so I'm pretty sure that was a major factor. Once I re-seated it, all good!

Cheers
Pat

Hi Pat, bigted, and ODK members,

Pat, we would like to give you a warm welcome to the forum. It's nice to have you aboard.
We all like to learn new things and tinker here.

Thankyou for sharing your experience with the 550 SP, it will help someone in future and is terrific for the forum archives, as it shows logical, step by step diagnosis, until a successful outcome is achieved.
Well done mate!

Once again Pat, to OutdoorKing.

Many thanks Deejay
I guess it helped that the powertorque is a relatively simple design that operates in a way, I as a nubee, could understand, even if it took maybe a week to "get it". Actually, I think it's an amazing design and its longevity is testament to that. However, I'm pretty sure you guys would have had my issue sorted within an hour if it was on your shop floor.
I also want to check later on the correct jet for this model. The local Stihl guy replaced the carb body maybe 18 months ago, I recall the original jet had some rings on it, the current one is plain, no rings.

Next up is my Rover XL Suzuki, but thats for another sub forum.

Cheers
Pat

Hi Wolfie33, any chance of putting a photo or two of this 550 SP powertorque .
Cheers.

Hi Roebuck, can do, but it'll take a few days, probably. Camera bats nearly dead, now on recharge, mem stick chocka. Any limits when uploading snaps? And anything in particular you would like to see? She's an older blue 22 inch self propelled single speed mulch/side throw with the larger tank on the bars. I guess around 10/15 years old???
Cheers, Pat

Thank Pat , that will be good . Not sure how much you can upload,but any photo or two etc, of that model would be appreciated. Sounds like a pretty gutsy machine. 22 inch.Cheers,
Rob.

Hi All, the issue with jets has been bugging me for a while now so i did some digging and found what i believe will be useful to a lot of us. Pat you will see your machine requires the 4 ring jet.

Hi Guys
Thanks Bigted, I found the same thing in a Gregorys manual from our small local library a few days back. For some reason it was in a different section!!
About the same time a 4 ring turned up on our Trade Me. So that's on its way along with a new wavy washer & carby O ring. I found my old carb body, the jet was a 2 ring. So I will shortly have the full set.

Roebuck, the camera is now go, just have to find my USB cable & then pics can be uploaded.

Thought I might do a stocktake of the "stuff" I've accumulated over the years and maybe include it in an intro post. Could be a bit eye opening . . .

Cheers
Pat