OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Repairs and Maintenance Questions on Engines Questions on Other Engines Sanli OHV400 starter

I have this Chonda that needs a new starter. Is a grey mower with a mostly black engine with the words "4 stroke, overhead valve, OHV400" in the centre of the starter. No ID at all but there used to be a sticker on it that may have said Sanli.

The starter looks like the 4 bolt sanli starter in the catalogue. It looks good enough for me but someone with a Sanli might know what their statrer looks like.

The current starter catches somewhere and jams. Easier to replace I think at the advertised price.

Hi, I did not get any replies but I solved the problem myself. A quick visit to my local Sanli revealed it was indeed a Sanli engine. I took the starter off to compare it. They were quite expensive up there and I was resigned to winding up a rope, there is already some notches in the top of the starter cup.

I put it back on though but before i did I lubricated the pawls that fly out on the bottom of the starter. It works well now.

All the best
Jeff

Starters seem to be a weak part on these Chondas and usually makes them not worth repairing

Thanks Norm,

Yes I know what you mean. Local mower shop quoted about $65 for a starter but only $ 200 for a complete Sanli engine.Not hard to see which way most would go but its probably easier just to wait till somebody has a special on complete mowers

Yet the engine seems to run very well and has been very reliable. If my lubrication of the starter fix doesn't work in the long term, I'll just go to the old fashioned cord with a knot at least in the short term.

Thanks for your comments
Jeff

Hi Jeff, drill with a socket on it is pretty good as well And I have used these on a couple of mowers, a few careful measurements and I get them to work and a lot cheaper.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/391485773770?_

Besides $65 AUD is too much; unless, shipping is high within your country. Here is a source in Australia for the 1P60-110000.


1P60-110000 Starter Housing

Hi Jeff, I have not bothered looking at the Sanli mowers but since you sparked my interest I can't believe the number on ebay/gumtree that are missing the pull starter, obviously that is their weak point
AVB that is a good find, but Jeff went to the dealer and that will be their selling price

NormK, That might be that particular dealer pricing but I have the same problem here of over pricing especially on Stihl parts. One local dealer was eating me alive on part prices. Now in with another where the prices are reasonable. On one particular part I was needing they nearly triple in price when compared to my current supplier.

It does pays to shop around sometimes. As a regular repair shop I am always on the outlook for suppliers that can lower my bottom end which I also pass along to my customers in the form of reduce resale prices. No reason to pay 14.00 for 1.55 bearing which I just ordered 20 ea.

ABB, I'm hearing you,in this game a few cents makes the difference as to something being worth repairing or not, I would find it impossible to attempt to make a living from it, I just do it to keep my mind active and use the grey matter for problem solving. I find it is one hobby that actually doesn't cost me money

"Besides $65 AUD is too much; unless, shipping is high within your country. Here is a source in Australia for the 1P60-110000.


1P60-110000 Starter Housing"

Hi Thanks for all the replies even from Tennessee. I can not imagine anyone in the US even knowing what a Victa Rotomo is let alone how to work on it.

That price is about the same as Outdoorking. If I need to I would probably get it from them. There is a few other things I need as well & if you do that postage is not much of an issue.

I wondered about those Honda starters as well. They look about the same size but seem to have 3 or 6 holes compared to the 4 on the Sanli. Its probably not worth it for $10 or $15.

I have not been able to actually buy anything from that local dealer for years. Way too expensive. But they are very helpful even though they never get a sale. These guys are all going broke. New mowers are just cheap.

Thanks again for all the replies. I'm really impressed.

Jeff

Jeff I recently wanted a pull start for a Victa with a Tecumesh 207cc motor on it, that was about $65, got one of the $14 Chinese ones, drill the new holes, bolted it on and a great mower saved again. Only downside is they take about 6 weeks to get here

Jeff, That attitude is why I couldn't get a job after I was laid off in 1996. At that everyone was wanting me to be certified to do repairs; didn't trust my work history. I finally found a small office equipment company that was in a real bind as their copier technician just walked out and left a big mess behind. He was one of those techs that if there was a left over screw he just can it. I spent so much time replacing screws it got to where it wasn't funny anymore.

You would be surprised what I have worked on over the years. If you ever heard of Friedman Rotary calculator or the IBM Selectric typewriter you know they are way more complicated than a lawnmower engine. At one time I could nearly put them together blindfolded. It is just those tiny part is so hard keep track of when you got a hundred or so pieces laying on the work bench. Having a near photographic memory and the ability to assemble things in my mind really helps too.

The only official repair school training I have had was two years of electronics, the rest has been self taught. To me those OEM schools that I have attended are a joke as I already had working the equipment for a good while before my employer sent me to the required dealer schools. I usually knew more than the teacher of the class and was able show them a few things.

I have worked equipment that I have never seen before and repair it as long as I can get the replacement parts. That can be a problem with equipment vendor doesn't sell the replacement parts then if is off to places like this to find alternate source for the parts. The internet has really change things as somewhere the parts are usually available.

This ability to repair stuff is something is something really pissed my brother off as I could fix things that I never seen that he taken apart and couldn't figure out to put it back together or show him how to do it. He thought he was a smart a.. as legally I was the owner of his business and he quit throwing all the unfinished work in my lap. The worst things was he had already took payment up front and struck me having buy the parts out my own pocket. I was only doing the books and part sourcing for him; I wasn't even charging him to that. Most customers never knew that I completed the repairs before closing the business down and reopen under my current business name. That was back in late 2010. Kinda lucky there as I had already most of the needed tools from where I repaired my own and the family's autos.

After he went around telling everyone he quit the business and I had re-open under the new name, he start telling everyone that I stole his business. You can't steal something that the other fellow quit. I just fill in the void he left behind. I just couldn't turn the customers away when I knew how to do the work myself. The biggest problem I had was he was running off the new customers trying cause me to fail financially and he nearly did.

It is the nature for repair mechanic to be able repair just about anything placed in front of them. This last year I started work on ATVs and UTVs even worked on one motorcycle. My problem working on these is the new tools that I got to purchase. Specialize pullers are just one tools cost an arm and leg sometimes.

Some tools that I need are nearly impossible to get so I design my own and send the designs out to the machine to have them make it or I make it myself. Right now I am hand filing myself a new metering gauge tool for the newer Walbro carburetors as their W tool no longer works on the newer designed 2 cycle hand held equipment carburetors. The next project is the driven sleeve removal tool for the General Transmissions RS800. No one wants to sell me the tool but I have the official drawings so off to the machine shop it goes to be made.

Thanks AVB,

I really appreciated your input. It makes such a difference when you get comments from somebody who really knows what they are talking about.

All the best and thanks again.

Jeff

Hi AVB,

Although I now work with small engines and outdoor power equipment, I have had the same experience when previously working at agricultural dealerships on tractors and farm machinery.

It is amazing how many qualified tradesmen are incompetent and do not know how to do basic mechanical jobs, which are often just a matter of scale. There is not much difference between a small engine and a larger engine as far as the operating and service principals are concerned.

Even customers think that if you haven't trained on a particular brand or are employed by an authorised dealer of that brand, you must be ignorant of its working principles. For instance, many John Deere mowers and garden tractors are powered by Briggs & Stratton engines with a John Deere sticker over the fan shroud, but I find that, even though I'm a Briggs & Stratton master service technician, a so called mechanic at a John Deere dealership will get the job to service the equipment before I am asked. I only get the equipment that is out of warranty and not worth repairing at an authorised dealer's workshop rate.

LRT, I agree with this and I could take this topic further the main focus by relating a few my experiences with those highly trained JD mower techs but I leave that for another topic.

I just had to respond to the ability comment. There are many good techs out here on these forums but there is also those that are not. We are getting fewer over the years as the part replacers are taking over as they will work cheaper. There is big difference between just swapping parts and actual repair ability.

Again I apologize for taking this topic off the main subject.

All very interesting AVB and in probably another 10 years nobody will be bothered or be able to repair anything as it has become cheaper to replace than repair

Hi Norm,

What was the Victa Model Number for that mower with the Tecumseh. Its just that the Victa V40 starter seems to be the same as mine. I wonder if the Honda type Chinese starter might be better quality than mine.

I wonder if some of the starter issues here are the issues with the engine itself. It never starts first pull. Always needs about 3 pulls with the choke firmly on. Nothing at all without the choke right on. In fact I got from a guy who could not start it because he did not have the choke on fully.

I do not imagine real Hondas are like this. They usually go first time do not they.

Having said all this, I used it yesterday afternoon. The Sanli just sings along and the starter is fine now its lubricated.


Many thanks to all who contributed

Jeff

Hi Jeff, I would have hoped you hadn't brought up the Honda bit, bought 2 of those on Victa bases brand new about 15 years ago at great expense and what pieces of crap they were, both are still here, from day one they would not start without starter fluid, you could pull them for a week and they would not start.The one my son in law had buggered up 3 starter tops before he thew it outside and I ended up with it back here again. I put a new carby on it of them recently and still exactly the same. I would never touch a Honda ever again and I know they have a good reputation. Not sure what the model number was on the Victa but it was the 207cc mulch n catch, I'm not sure what the V40 had

Thanks Norm,

Looks like the Victa V40 actually has a Chonda on it awfully like a Sanli. Hence the same starter. Must have been in the pre Briggs & Stratton days but who knows.

The 207 cc is actually a Victa Ultima 50. 5hp and quite an animal but obviously completely different. Side valve for starters and mid 90's vintage. You did well to get a Honda starter on that.

So Hondas are not all they are cracked up to be. I'll just keep pushing the Sanli.

All the best
Jeff

Hi Jeff, those 207 Ultimas are a beast, the Honda starter was a surprisingly easy fit, I just ordered another one, never know what I might have that needs a starter and they do take a few weeks to get here. I had forgotten the V40 had the Chonda, they are all the same but different

And Norm, if you leave a Honda GX fuel tap on they usually flood into the sump!

I've had two Honda GX engines that client's thought were seized, but the fuel tap had been left on and fuel had filled up the sump hydraulically locking the piston as though it had thrown a conrod.

Nevertheless, a Honda GX will still start better than a Briggs & Stratton with the Pulsa-Jet diaphragm carburettor. It would have been good if B&S had used float bowl carbies much earlier and saved their reputation and not given Honda a market opportunity.

LRT, I would take a Victa 2 stroke any day over a Honda

The fuel leakage isn't something that is Honda related.

I believe you find the problem with the Honda engines is the soft seating of the needle as it doesn't always seat completely but the Briggs will also flood the crankcase at times due seating problems too. Even Kohler Courage engine with Walbro carbs here do it when the needle seat is worn (actual fuel etched). Kohler had to make available a repair kit just for replacing the needle seat because customers and techs were raising so many complaints about having to replace a $150 carburetor (now about $125) when only the needle seat was needing replacing.

These are the engines that I primarily work on. I just haven't seen any Kawasaki mower engines doing this but you will probably just about every motorcycle, ATV and UTV have fuel shut off valves installed or at least every one that I have worked on does.

Hi AVB,

Thanks for your informative response. Good to hear of and learn from your experience.

It's good to know that Kohler responded to the requests with a repair kit. It is such a waste of resources to replace the entire component rather than repair it. We sadly live in a throwaway society.

Yes, nearly all the small engines here have manual fuel shut off valves except for some ride on mowers. However, most owners don't shut off the fuel after use nor store their engines without draining the fuel out of the carby.

Briggs & Stratton are marketing the Vanguard horizontal shaft engines with 'Transport Guard'. The ignition switch and the fuel tap has been combined together to prevent the engine flooding when the engine is transported.

Also, the carbies fitted on the newer Briggs & Stratton engines look suspiciously similar to the Keihin carbies used on the Honda GX's.

The new Chinese made Briggs & Stratton CR series engine even uses the Honda GX ignition switch!

You no doubt know even more about such copies and exchanges. Some outsourced engines & components are of course well made. I recently was asked to rebuild a Daihatsu (subsidiary of Toyota) built B&S Vanguard V-twin that had done over 8,000 engine hours and the cross hatch was still visible and only needed new piston rings & valves. It is powering a 240V industrial generator operating a heavy duty wool press in a shearing shed & is still doing a great job.

LRT, something to keep in the back of your mind on any ride on with a battery you can fit a cheap fuel shut off solonoid so when the ignition is switched off so is the fuel

Hi Norm, thats a great tip. I'll keep it in mind. When I think about it, the diesel stationary engines that I service all have shut off solenoids.

Of course diesels have these valves so that they can be shut down easily.

The only other way of stopping them is to shut off the air supply, and diesels for use in 'flammable atmosphere' environments have to be fitted with that method as well.

Yes Gadge, you are correct. As you are no doubt aware, the GM Detroit 2 stroke diesels have an intake flap built in for an emergency shutdown. However, when the emergency flap is used, the suction can pull the blower seals in, and if there is still an air leak, the engine can runaway on its sump oil causing a rapid and spectacular dismantling of engine components!

Yep, there's some vids on YouTube of Jimmy's having runaways, until they hand-grenade!