OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Repairs and Maintenance Questions on Engines Questions On Victa Two Stroke Engines VICTA 18 SPECIAL HOT START PROBLEM

Hi all,

I hope someone could help me with a problem I've got with my Victa 18 Special Toe Cutter. Its an old mower that was used up until about 3 years ago as a working mower. When I got it I cleaned the carby and connected a clean temporary plactic fuel tank. The mower now starts first pull when its cold but if I stop it or it cuts out the mower wont start again when its hot. If I just leave it alone and come back a few hours later it starts first pull. Also it doesn't seem to want to idle really low although it will idle but if you try to idle it really low it wants to cut out. Does anyone know what the problem might be?

Thanks vortex_vulture

could be well down on comp' if you can ? pull off the exhaust have a look for scoring and rings condition . they never did idle too well at low end . easy enough to rebuild though .
does it lose power when it warms up too ?

Thanks for that, the compression seems good and the mower doesn't lose power when it warms up but if I stop it, it won't start back up. But say 2 hours later it starts first pull when its cold.

might be a condenser too . but have a sneak peek inside though , its free and still might be a problem , easy and cheapest place to begin
cheers , Dave
i take it it is an 18 ? alloy exhaust ??

Yes it is an 18 with the original alloy exhaust fitted. I'll take the exhaust off and check it

goodo mate , easiest place to start , push rings gently with a small falt screwdirver , see how much they move , if stuck ? might be a problem and a good look for scoring move piston down out of the way and see inlet side too , if allgood ... then let the fun begin

Sounds like she could be wearing out.I had one not so long ago did exactly what your is doing.What I found was due to the heat of the engine it was evaporating the fuel in the carby and couldn't and wouldn't run when hot.I also had another with similar problems but it had very worn rings.
One way it could solve the problem was a part Victa made for them was this.

It pulls the carby any from the engine as well as putting a little barrier between them.I'm not saying it will fix the problem but it did help in my case.

Thanks for the responses so far. I pulled off the exhaust and the piston looked alright to me but I'm no expert so I will post up the pics. Today I mowed a fairly large section of the lawn with it. It started first pull but what I found was it didn't want to run in the run position (choke off) so I had to cut the grass with it in the choke position the whole time. After about half an hour it cut out when i hit a section of long grass and i had no luck starting it back up.

One thing i forgot to mention.... when i had the mower running and turned the filter into the run position the rpm would go up a lot and then want to cut out.

Sucking to much air....As previous members have stated the engine sounds low on comp. The hot start issue, again as stated is a common issue. And in most cases Evaporation is the culprit. The heat shield may help so may over fueling on a full thottle start to get you by, but Id say its probably just tired. A strong engine should have a good idle and a nice smooth progressive throttle range with no backfires or flat spots. Close of the choke if it splutters under acceleration, this may also help temporarily.

After youve done all your engine checks, clean and reset your electrics, before you go any further and see if it helps.

You mentioned sucking in too much air. When I fitted the car by back on I noticed there was no sealing washer... It was just relying on the screw clamp. Is that OK?

Sucking to much air as in through the choke. Remember its just brass gauze , not a filter like later mowers. If its fully open and you hit full throttle it will bog or flat spot, then rev, then possibly die until you close the choke to suit or decrease the throttle.

The carby has no seal, it only relies on the clamp as you noted, it is rarely if at all a problem, as it seals well.

Basically your trying to find the best air fuel ratio by adjusting the choke, not just by the throttle alone. When new, you would have started it on choke, warmed it then set to run. Then you would increase the throttle to suit....But its old and tired and needs fine tuning to get it to run well.

piston looks ok but i little hard to tell , did you give the rings a little push too ? they shouldnt go it much really , from memory they didnt have any sealing on carby just make sure its on all the way and tighten .
but its sort of pointing to wear though , getting too hot , vaporising .
some of the later machines had a thin plastic type insulator , fitted over the inlet and carb' over that . carb could also be a little blocked that would account for running better on choke too

Hi again, i gave the rings a gentle push and they definitely have movement. I put a brand new spark plug in it this afternoon and gave it another test on the lawn. As usual the mower started first pull and i was able to mow with it. It was hard trying to get it to work in the run position but i was able to fiddle around with it and bring the throttle nearly all the way back and have it fully in the run position. I also had no problems hot starting it today. Is there any little trick that could make it run better. ATM i'm tossing up whether to restore it or not?

to be honest mate , i think before you do too much damage it might be time to do a restore or just an engine rebuild ? by the sound of it seems maybe too much movement in rings '

for the cost of a rebuild (if no piston needed) just rings bearings and a few gaskets maybe$30 /40 depends on where the bits come from , online here is a good place to begin though , in the store . they ask all the right questions too oh yeh , and top n bottom seals too while your at it , not a hard job and the pleasure you will get out if it is a great feeling

and i bet as soon as you see the base engineless the bug will bite

Dave

Could some please help with how you set the magneto and adjust the timing on these victa 18s. I pulled the flywheel cover off but I'm unsure how to set it.



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0.020 in' is the points gap . check its at TDC look feel or use a screwdriver , but if head is off then beaut' ! then rock gently to make sure its at top dead centre .
then at 1/8 in before tdc points should just begin to open o.001 to 0.002

if adjustment is needed loosen the 2 screws , one has a slotted hole adjust until points do as required and should be alldone ! simple huh and be sure to clean points when your done (to be sure to be sure) nothing worse that go through all that and got a spot of dirt in there .
hope that sorts it for you .


or i can quote it from the book ? oh yeh , how does the spark plug look after all this ???

Sorry about the late reply. I adjusted the points and now the mower will run in the run position and has not bad throttle control. It also seems to want to run when hot so good news. I was thinking about decarbonising the engine to help it idle a bit better down low. Is that a good idea or will i risk losing compression if i do that?

depends how bad the idle is ? might just start a new set of problems for yourself too though , they were never a real smooth idling thing really

Agreed.....They are a rough idler,and a decarb may make it worse. Also you will probably need to reset everything again. It looks as though youve done a good job of getting the best out of a tired old engine. Id be happy you dont need to rebuild it for now.

If its just a bit shaky and tinny at idle,but smooth through the throttle range,then you wont get much better... Your call if you want to play around and learn, and also how far you really want to go for a perfect runner, which in my opinion is unachievable. They are Just naturally a rough old machine.

Thanks for the info boys by the sounds of it i've got the mower running well enough so I'm going to restore it and post up some pictures once its done. I've got all the bits and pieces and even have the original victa special sign. I've got the option of either the old fashioned pullstart or automatic rewind starter. I'm unsure on what one to use.... Which do you think would be the better one for the restoration?

if its a resto' use the old pullstarter . whats on it now ? depends on really what model it is could be either

Hi I've just finished restoring an old VICTA 18. I've got a problem with fuel leaking around the petrol cap which isn't any good for the paint on the tank. I've got 2 fuel caps and they both seem in good order. I've tried both but the petrol squirts out the little vent hole in the top of the cap. This happens very quickly as soon as the mower kicks over. I've even got a clear plastic sealer for between the tank and the cap and this didn't help. The petrol tank is only about quarter full certainly not over full. Any ideas on what might help because this is driving me nuts and already the tank needs repainting.

Punch out or cut a circular piece of 2-3 mm cork sheeting that will be a slip in fit in the clear plastic cap baffle. Make sure it doesnt go higher so it still retains an air gap when you put the baffle back in the cap.

Pierce a 1- 1.5 mm hole( or same size as the cap vent hole) halfway between the centre and the rim, and place the cork in the baffle recess, then fit the baffle in the cap.

The cork will absorb some fuel and the offset hole should also slow it.

Not perfect always,but Ive not found a much better way.

Another option is to make a vented cap using a small inline fuel filter incorperated into the cap, or an overflow system. Both will work,but at the cost of orginalty. Use the Filtered caps for mowing and original cap for display?

Try the cork and see if it works for you first.

Thanks HT6 for your help. I put the cork in like you said which helped but the petrol was still running out the sides. I was lucky enough to find a plumbing washer that was a perfect fit to go into the fuel cap. Now with the cork and washer it seals perfectly.

Well done VV, I love a good outcome....

Sorry Id missed the part about it coming out from under the cap and focussed solely on the breather spraying problem and would have suggested an oring seal or washer for the issue. But you worked that bit out on your own

I also use washers occasionally as the hard plastic cap is not always a good seal even with the baffle insert, especially if the tank neck surface has any imperfections.

The metal rotomo caps just usually require a perfect fit cork washer with offset hole to seal.

With this issue sorted, I can now say....WOW! What A fantastic restoration of your Model 5 S1 Special. Beautiful paint and detail, Well done.

Thanks.... The electrical points seem to be a bit of a headache for me as the engine has lost spark and I'm going to have to pull it all apart again. Has anyone put an electronic ignition module on a Victa 18. Are they trouble free and do they perform well. I see they are available on the site

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