OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Repairs and Maintenance Questions on Engines Questions On Victa Two Stroke Engines Victa Charger 1983-84: Not used in 20 Years.

I have just been given a Victa 2 stroke that the person throwing it out claims has sat in his basement for 20 years without being run.
It is the last full crank with the first steel base, with side starter and Super Start logo. Probably dates from 1982 -84.

I just want to ask what precautions and steps I should take in attempting to get it going again. I am concerned with lack of lubrication on initial start up. The starter rope turns the engine fine, so is it right to prime and go?
The condition of the mower really does suggest a time capsule, albeit a humid one as there is a lot of surface rust on the deck and engine cowl, but the labels are all in place and in remarkable condition! The tyres have very good tread, not to mention the wheel covers are in good nick and axle bushes look new with no loose movement on the front axle.

Will post pics soon.

PS. The blades are in good shape, but are very loose on the bolts. You can hear them as you pull the starter. Do I need to tighten them? The nuts feel like they are all the way down on the bolts.

MF what I do in this situation is remove the carb, bring the piston up to TDC, with the mower tipped on its side I pour in a few teaspoons of fuel in through the inlet, rotate the mower so a bit of fuel gets to the top and bottom bearings and a bit gets on the bore. Depending on how much fuel you put in through the inlet controls how long it will take you to get the crank cleared. Pull the plug out and pull it over a few times, put the plug back in and give it a try. As for the blades it sounds like they need new plastic washers fitted

Thanks. I was just about to ask the same question, only for a 4-stroke Tecumseh.

I have given old engines a good spray inside with water dispersent in the past, which is basically hydrocarbon. I guess "Start ya bastard" is a similar product. Then I've cycled the engine a few times by hand prior to starting. Probably someone will tell me this is "bad practice", but I've never had any problems. A mate of mine uses a small amount of oil and gets everything lubricated prior to starting. Then sets it to idle until the oil has dispersed. Of course you get a fair bit of smoke after starting. He swears by it, but personally I don't like all the smoke and wonder if it is actually doing more harm than good. Probably is, because it just blackens the plug to start with!! Norm's advice sounds the most wise to me.

Can we have some photos please?

Ok here are some.

G'day Mowerfreak and all.
Yep, This is a Victa Charger.

MU342 A3 is shown here. Date 1983-84.
https://www.outdoorking-forum.com.au/pages/Victa/Models/Models_1970_1991.pdf

Also in brochure here:
https://www.outdoorking-forum.com.au/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/70751/brochure-victa-1983-84-range.html

Hope this helps.
--------------------------------
Jack

Thanks CJ for the links confirm that Victa sold the full crank along side the Powertorque, which allowed Victa to capitalise on it's long running proven 160 2 stroke design as the PT took hold.
I always found this model ungainly looking but from front on, it has quite a mean stance. Definitely has grown on me somewhat and is a solid little performer (as long as it runs!). The high mounted fuel tank aids fuel flow.
I

MF I doubt they were sold alongside the PT intentionally, I would think they were just left over old stock they had to get rid of and they put a different looking tank on them to make them look a bit different to the previous model

Hi Norm
Ah ... no ... Factory documents make it clear the PTs were introduced gradually across the range.
This is typical marketing for up-selling. Victa had been doing it for decades, the most obvious
example being the 125cc / 160cc thing. Another would be the low / high arch thing.
All very deliberate and intended stuff.

Cheers
Jack

Well there you go Jack reverse marketing, keep pushing the old models while bringing in the new. I doubt that would ever happen these days, it is hard to keep up with what a manufacture is selling today because tomorrow they have a different model. I guess they could do that back then when brand name was important and Victa had sold good products for years to the domestic market. These days brand name is only relevant to people such as contractors who want quality and are prepared to pay for it. Even then they struggle to find good quality products because they are also driven by market forces that push manufactures to try and produce cheaper products

As you say the rust pitting is evident but the decals etc make it clear that it hasn't done a lot of work. Thanks for the pictures.

Hi all,


It certainly goes to show that Victa haven't learnt a thing !

Even as far back as this machine they had that stupid method of attaching the handle bar, something they still have to this day.

Without a doubt this is just one of the most deplorable examples of ultra poor design which inevitably has become planned obsolescence if nothing else.

Cheers,
BB.

BB I guess they had to find a way so people would have to replace their mower, we all know the motors will go forever

That's only the case in 2 Strokes that have oil used in their fuel supply, 4 strokes are very prone to failure and also 2 strokes without oil. Funny about that, but that's the case with all 2 Stroke power equipment used by the uneducated.

All in all the handles in Victas have never felt solid like Rovers, Masports and Greenfields. Sadly Victa just became a rubbish product over the years with it's blatant cheapening of design.

Cheers,
BB.

One of the handle stems on one of my 80s alloy base Victas has a fatigue crack almost half way around. I have temporarily solved that by drilling 2 mm holes at each end of the crack and hope the remaining metal will be strong enough. if not, I'll either replace it or get someone to hit it with a welder.

I've always maintained that the handles need to be attached to the sides just above the rear wheels, this way all the force is placed on the mounting bolts creating a shearing action which won't happen due to the tightness of the bolts opposed to being mounted on a broad flat area of sheetmetal with absolutely no strength being flexed constantly and eventually failing due to metal fatigue.

It's just basic engineering design and how Victa have gotten it so wrong is beyond me. Honestly if Victa were an automotive manufacturer they wouldn't be able to sell a car as no one would buy them.

Also with this type of design used makes the Victa feel so cheap in ones hands opposed to a Greenfield Enduro series mower or even the very common Scott Bonnar 720 for that matter which was made in the 1980's and were as common as muck.

Cheers,
BB.

Same applies to cars. You'd think the amount of time humans have been making mechanical things like cars, all of the problems would eventually be ironed out. Well I know sometimes they create new problems when they try to introduce new technology on to old designs, but when they just keep replicating old problems, there seems little excuse. It really makes me wonder sometimes.

I suspect in some ways poor designing is a good thing from a commercial point of view. Make things last just long enough that they begin to fall apart by the time the next generation of machines comes out. In the old days flaws and weaknesses were probably not deliberate, just the result of bad designing and engineering. Today it is more likely deliberate. How many of us have bought cheap Chinese screwdrivers, only to find the steel end has simply been inserted into the handle, which is soft plastic? After using a few times the steel end part turns inside the handle. Or bought a Chinese made spanner for $2 and had it break in two the first time you've put a bit of strain on it?

I see this all the time in modern chain stores like Bunnings. They will release a prototype edger or trimmer in some unheard-of brand name. Sell them cheap with 12 months warranty. The machine lasts 1-1/2 years. You realize it is "out of warranty". You go back to buy parts, only to be told the item is now "obsolete" so no parts are available. You are told to buy another cheap one in same brand, next generation, on which all parts have been deliberately made a bit different to the model before. Sometimes they have ironed out the problems with the earlier model, other times not. All very hit and miss. Today we are seeing consumerism gone mad and despite "Clayton's" recycling, we have become the most wasteful period in human history.

Well did it start??????????????

speedy

You'll be second to know. I have to get the beast home yet.

Yes some fuel with oil in the plughole , and pull it over a few times with spark lead disconnected... to get some in top an bottom bearing....
even turn it upside down to get oil in top bearing.
nice mower

speedy

Won't putting petrol, even with 25:1 oil mix, just wash away any oil that is left on the bearings? it's a catch 22. You have to start it without oil to get the oil via detonation of the two stroke fuel. Now I'm really confused.
At least with the Powertorque, you can pull the starter off and gain access to the bearings with an oil can.

Took a look at it yesterday and discovered it has no spark. I have tried a spark plug from a working mower and cleaned the magnet surfaces on the flywheel and ignition module to no avail.
Have run a multimeter and got a reading of 6.2 k-olms resistance reading from end of plug lead to both electrodes on the module. Ran it on a spare I found and got 5.95 on both it's electrodes.
Does that leave the chip as the culprit?

MF not sure what you are testing but the usual thing that fails is the module. What chip are you talking about. When I replace the module on these I fit it on the top side of the plate in the hope air being blown over it can help keep it cool. To test I just hook a module up to the killswitch wire, clip the module to somewhere on the motor and then with the plug out give it a spin to test for spark, and it usually has. I did one yesterday an old cup start, high arch with a G4 carb, full crank that had obviously been sitting for years, had no spark (points condensor not working) I clipped a module onto it, had spark, put a modified carby on it and it started first pull and revved hard while I tried to grab the snorkel to shut it down, because it had no handelbar, snorkel was laying on the ground. I didn't want it to fire up like that because it had been sitting so long, but it now seems to be running fine.

This has electronic ignition with a microchip like the powertorques do. You can see a pop rivet in the flat piece of metal adjacent to the fan on the left hand side. With your finger you can feel the microchip underneath and there's a wire leading to it from the earth wire for the kill switch.

So do you have spark now, the Powertorque module is much more compact

MF I got a sidepull full crank this afternoon with no spark, I put a known good module on it, still no spark, put a good known coil, ( had this coil and module on a running motor yesterday) still no spark, what I think the problem is the magnets seem a bit weak so I will have to swap the flywheels over in the morning, then it must have spark.

Let us know what happens NK. I don't have the luxury of a spare flywheel to experiment with. My old man seems to have thrown away the second mower I was going use for parts, unfortunately.

MF I'm on a bit of a mission at the moment going through lots of motors, testing and working out what is worth keeping, barrels and pistons, coils and modules etc have to do another scrap run to the tip shortly. I have a pile of Briggs stuff to dump as well, it just seems to keep building up all the time. Chondas seem to have slowed down so that is a good thing.

Take heart Norm, at least you DO make tip runs on a regular basis. Regular managed disposal is an important factor in keeping your hobby under some sense of control. I imagine a tip run has a therapeutic effect, even if you later realise there are more parts you could have used.

MF I can assure you that when it leaves here it is scrap, and I find nothing about it therapeutic, it is just something I have to do so I can bring in more mowers. I'm watching a show on opal hunters waiting to find their next big find, bit like my mower hunts, always waiting to find my next good mower score