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

I am getting a powertorque going, the reason it stopped was starter. I am just going to do a decoke, rings are good.
But that starter was hard to unloosen. I tried as in manual, hold nut in vice and use spanner , wouldn't move. I put a socket in the vice and it held the nut much more securely and used two spanners to loosen the nut... worked.
speedy

Speedy, good trick. I like it. Thanks for sharing.

I still get a lot of powertorques through for refurb so your idea of the socket in the vice will be used!

Ta

Is that wire brush head your tool of choice for the coke removal?
Was the skinned knuckle the motivator for the socket solution?
I would have thought that a round item like a socket would be prone to slip inside the jaws of the vice.

Jaffa, when you say you refurb a few Powertorques, I find it is completely uneconomical because of the hours I spend on them but it fills in time till I die so it doesn't worry me too much, just keeps me from going crazy.I can't imagine any shop bothering with them

While we are discussing Powertorques, I have a few that just won't start. Using a known carby that works fine, have spark and compression. Top "O" ring replaced, so the only thing I'm thinking is bottom seal. Any thoughts?

hi Mowerfreak,
I use a few different brushes and a file to clean out the exhaust port.
Skinned knuckles , guess they helped me think. Big vice will squash that socket.
speedy

Hi NormK,
It it priming? You waer yourself out on the pullstart. Why not try electric easy start with a socket , have to weld a bolt onto and old socket sharft.
speedy

Hi Speedy, I'm testing with a known good carby so I know it is priming. If I can't get a Powertorque to start on the first pull, not worth fixing. You can't use the drill start method on a Powertorque.

Norm, I have never really had to much trouble with the Victa Powertorque engine. It was actually the first engine I started repairing a few years ago. Generally in about 1.5 hours I can fully service and fix any faults on a powertorque and ensure it is ready for a new home. Rarely if ever to I get any complaints about their reliability. They are my favourite engine to refurbish and repair due to their simplicity. They are also a cost effective engine to service. Many cut corners with servicing however that�s not something I promote.

There is a few peculiarities with the carbs that I have worked out but things like over reving and easy starting are pretty simple to get right.

I have narrowed down a couple of good cost effective suppliers for parts and don�t have too many issues with them.

I�d be happy to share a few things I have learnt over the last few years via a call if you would like. It would take too long to write them all done.

Note: I am still learning stuff everyday!

Regarding your query on bottom seals � these are protected by the flywheel and rarely are the cause of over revving in my opinion. Others may think differently.

As for swapping carbs its not really needed if you get a right replacement parts.

Hi Jaffa, , I guess you are not getting Powertorques in the condition mine always come, most of mine are pretty trashed and I usually have to strip them down, find a base that is not rusted out, strip it and paint it and then re-assemble with a motor that has reasonable compression and then get it up and running and the mower in a good presentable condition, with 4 good and matching wheels etc. This usually takes me about 2 days to achieve. As for the carbies I have a set way of setting them up and I can almost guarantee that once I set one up it will work fine. The things that kill me trying to get right is the stupid kill switch setup that will sometimes ride up on the cam and get stuck if somebody pulls too hard in switching it off and the other thing that really does my head is the rubbish float needles, that sometimes work and sometimes don't and nobody seems to have a fix for that. PM me you phone number and tell me when it suits and I can give you a ring

With Powertorques I don't use the cut out switch on the carb but hot glue the hole closed. I usually find if you close the throttle it will stop or just turn the fuel off. Too expensive all the extra new boots and new wires....
I am a bit rough I know
speedy

Well Speedy,I would love to do that because as you say all those little Victa rubber bits add up fast, but I try to get these to work as close to original as I can. If you don't use the kill switch rubber and pin, how do you stop the cam from turning too far and popping the cable out.

There's an adjustment screw on the throttle housing that lets you reduce how much you can pull the cable back.

The cable has never popped out, try it...
Now I am having a major problem. I took the starter apart cleaned it, it was full of dust and shaft was dry. Now I can't get the friction spring back in properly, It seems to just jam against the body....... I have read the manual on this site , bit confusing...
speedy

Speedy, I usually set up at least one Powertorque carby every day and every one of them will pop the cable if I don't fit the kill switch pin. I'm now in the habit of fitting the kill switch before I re-mount the carby and I don't touch the throttle, remains in the full run position, till the carby is mounted on the motor

I have left the plug in sometimes, maybe a cable has popped out as i think of it. You could fit just a plug.
I still am having trouble with that friction spring, Have you ever installed one? Looks like the shaft needs grease now and then. I also replaced the small o ring next to barrel under manifold. I shou;d do that on all rebuilts.

speedy

Speedy the small "O" ring I have come across some missing (been removed by somebody) and sometimes I have needed the manifold for another motor, or if I have honed the bore, apart from that I usually just check that the screws are tight. As for the friction spring? do you mean the return spring in the pull starter. Never bothered with them, I have so many motors sitting here if I have a pull start problem I just put another one on. They are probably the easiest pull start to replace a cord on.

Besides that speedy a new spring will cost you $20, I pick up another mower for that and end up with a bucket load of parts as well

Haven't heard this before but sounds interesting.

hi NormK,
I had to take apart, the starter that is. It was full of rubbish, no grease on shaft, and a little rust on starter spring and the spring was not in the locating area. I was told at mower shop that putting the friction spring back in place was a pain and he had a special tool..... I don't want to pay him to show me how.
speedy

I found this video that helps me solve the problem putting the starter back together.

speedy

Got the starter together pretty easily. I didn't replace the o ring inside as local mower shop didn't have one. And ordinary o rings of that size are too fat..... so a bit of grease and a clean.
Now I'm just soaking the base in mixture half and half molasses and water for two weeks.....
I'll have a holiday on this one.... and work on the Queenslander.
speedy

You don't need to use 1+1 dilution with the molasses bath. Anywhere from 1+5 to 1+10 seems to work well, too.
Being a tight arse, I mixed my first one at 1+10, and I've seen no reason to change... Though it can take a while, if the rust layer is thick [earth tools etc].

Thanks Gadge, I will fill it up a bit more.....hard to find a large container laying around.
speedy

Speedy your trick worked a treat last night on some pretty tight starters I fixed up. The socket in the vice trick gives a lot more leverage.

Cheers.

After reading this, I think I would prefer to just scavenge another starter from a dead motor.
Total respect for those prepared to go to the trouble though.

after 11 days in the soup........ I will sand the rest off. It was a major test , works well. I just need a bigger bath.....
speedy

Got the module from another motor and assembled. I did't want to start, but did with a another plug and another LM carb with a primer bulb......
Ran so well, mowed the back and half the front....
I had to norrow a spoon from the kitchen to make a spark plug guard, we don't use too many spoons at the dinner table, we hardly ever eat at the dinner table anyway.....
speedy