OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Repairs and Maintenance Questions on Engines Questions On Briggs & Stratton Engines Victa Tornado with B&S 190cc engine terrible clanging noise

Engine number 122T02-2003-BT-09412457

Just wondering what would be your best guess as to what is broken inside. Good spark and compression.

* If I spin the engine by hand there is no clanging sound
* If I spin the engine with a drill and no spark plug - there is no clanging sound
* If I spin the engine with a drill with spark plug connected there is horrendous clanging sound (and there are little, slow puffs of smoke from the exhaust).

I don't usually do any internal repairs except valves. Tempted to have a go. Funny how it only does it when there is compression from the spark plug being fitted. I don't know much about the mechanics inside.

Grateful for your guesses.

Without hearing it I would go with big end failure, compression with plug in pushes rod back against the crank pin, exhaust/down stroke pulls the rod one way, compression stroke pushes it the other way giving the clunk

I have also seen a broken con rod in these, remove the head and check that the piston is traveling up and down the bore as you rotate it.

Hi Sparker, i have to agree with Norm on this one, sounds like a big end clunk probably due to long term over revving and lack of oil.

Hi Sparker so another way of putting it, this motor is junk, you can pull it apart if you just want a look but as for repairing it, not worth contemplating it. Base and wheels look good so they are worth keeping,good Victa wheels are really hard to come by, I always liked getting a Victa with a 4 stroke on it, wheels and base usually in good condition but the motor is worn out. The situation is the complete reverse with a 2 stroke Victa, motor good but everything else worn out

Hmm, maybe it works different in Victoria, but only yesterday I found a blue Victa steel base mower with spent B&S motor and the wheels were well worn front and rear.
I took it for the body. I removed the B&S boat anchor and gave it to someone, with the intent to right a wrong with a PT motor and replace wheels with better ones I have off another wreck. This one has seven inch wheels on the front, which means I can get a pair of good seven inchers from the rear off another mower.

MF that is easy to work out, must be at least the second B&S motor that has been fitted to that base, the only explanation why the rest would be worn out

Thanks. I agree it's not an economic proposition to repair that B&S engine. I was going to do it as a challenge. There was no oil in the sump so I guess big end failure is the consensus. The base is good so I will just keep an eye out for a similar engine. They're $20 at the recycle centre if I am quick enough.

As for Victa two strokes, they're getting rare now. What I am seeing a lot of are the $190 bunnings type throwaway 16" base mowers with OHV chonda's. These are like second hand line trimmers - not worth your time and money on.

It won't be getting a third (or fourth??).
Sparker, a Powertorque should bolt straight on if you can obtain one.

Only thing to bear in mind with putting a PT on it is that you will need one off a Tornado base, as the have the longer crank. Anything off an 18" base will have a short crank and so the blade will sit too high up in the deck to actually cut grass effectively.

Thanks Bigted, I've been caught with that one before.

I didn't even realise there were two shaft lengths with the trusty Victor Two.
Does this mean you could fit it to other makes of mower frame? I imagine this longer shaft engine is quite rare.

Any of the non standard Victa bases fitted with a Powertorque have this longer shaft, all the odd ball later ones, and some of them Victa cheaped out so much on them they didn't even fit bearings in the wheels, real cheapies

Will they bolt onto a SupaSwift or Masport chassis with no trouble?

MF, short answer is no, apart from the fact the 4th bolt hole is missing the motor orientation is wrong because the Victa head goes to the left and The others face the front. You say, big deal I can turn the motor, but you can't because the Victa head will hit the lower section of the chute and the exhaust would head into the chute. If you try the motor in the standard Victa position, the bolt holes are wrong and the head hits the height adjuster bar, where on the Victa the bar steps under the head

Explains why you resort to welding those rubbish Victa decks then!

Must admit that I have cheated on some, providing the area where the left handle bolts on is sound and it only has a rust hole in the side I put 3 layers of fiber glass matting over a big area in there and once dried the whole corner gets fish oiled to stop any rust getting in under the glass. Bit of body filler on the outside and you can't see where it was repaired. At least the glass stops the grass from doing any further damage to the base in that problem area

Here's the chassis I removed the B&S from.
The wheel bearings are worn and the wheels wobble as you push it, but they are usable.

MF I make new bushes out of Delrin rod for these wobbly wheels that just run on the plastic, doesn't take very long and it is a good feeling to have wheels that don't flop all over the place. Victa really cheaped out on these

I'd say as soon as I take them off, ball bearings will fall everywhere.
The tyres are made of a plastic material. Still, they're not too bad and your trick would be worth doing on them for a life extension.

I had a Tornado the other day, my grandson wanted the wheels fixed on, they had no bearings but only a very thin sleeve or what was left of it, of plastic in the middle, I doubt it would have been Delrin though

There's abit of play in the front axle. Will those U shaped metal shims you can fit on fix the movement?

Sorry MF no idea never tried them, I just weld the worn area us with weld and grind it back to fit the bush, it makes a big difference, nothing worse than sloppy wheels, makes them feel like they are falling to bits

Might get a bushing kit for it. It worked wonders years ago on an alloy version of this base.
You're right. A sloppy front end makes the mower feel like a crap heap even when it isn't. Not unlike a car.

A clang is not the same as a clunk. On one mower I once owned I found out the starter cup had come loose and was hitting against the mesh guard which was hitting against the winder. This in turn had loosened the bottom of the winder. I was sure it must have been something internal until I took the cowl off and realized the problem. That created a definite clanging sound. However, in your case, the smoke you mention is a fairly sure bet that your problem is internal, as others have already said.