Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Chatting => Equipment Shed => Topic started by: ukpaul28 on February 21, 2007, 16:52

Title: rotovator help
Post by: ukpaul28 on February 21, 2007, 16:52

hi all

i have bought a old briggs and stratton rotovator a cupple months ago and i keeped it in my shed at home started up most days and it was fine, i took it down to my allotment as i have this week of work i fill it up with some petrol i have had in a can in my shed for 12 months it wont start at all i even bought a new spark plug and it still dont work i have wasted 3 days on my plot to try and get it running. could it be the petrol thats the problem?

thanks
paul

Title: rotovator help
Post by: Bigbadfrankie on February 21, 2007, 16:56

if the petrol is 12 months old YES. Try some fresh petrol before much mechanical fiddling.

Title: rotovator help
Post by: ukpaul28 on February 21, 2007, 16:58

ok thanks for that i will have to try and but it back together first :shock:  then give it ago

Title: rotovator help
Post by: WG. on February 21, 2007, 17:01

Is it the correct fuel?  Two-stroke or otherwise.   Also, as Frankie says, old fuel won't help matters at all.

Title: rotovator help
Post by: Bigbadfrankie on February 21, 2007, 17:01

You already have it apart :shock:

Title: rotovator help
Post by: Gwiz on February 21, 2007, 17:03

unleaded petrol goes off in quite a short time. as bbf says above, empty petrol tank on the rotavator, and fill with fresh. you may need to give it a few pulls to suck up the fresh petrol. if it still wont go, remove the spark plug, and just rest it against the engine cooling fins on the top of the engine, pull the starter and look for a spark. if you cant see a spark,give another shout for help. :D

Title: rotovator help
Post by: ukpaul28 on February 21, 2007, 17:06

thanks guys

yes took it apart never thought of the petrol.
it takes unleaded petrol  i have tryed the spark plug and theres a good spark

Title: rotovator help
Post by: ukpaul28 on February 21, 2007, 18:23

hi guys
got it back home now,put fresh petrol in it and still no look and theres a good spark to, i cant work it out :(

Title: rotovator help
Post by: Bigbadfrankie on February 21, 2007, 18:43

Put petrol in the spark plug hole and give it full throttle. Not loads of fuel just a thimble full. It should at least fire. Rub the lead from a pencil on the spark plug electrode. if it was going previous to the duff fuel it cant be much wrong.

Title: rotovator help
Post by: ukpaul28 on February 21, 2007, 19:02

i  have just tryed that apart from the pencil bit and still no luck i think i should just give it up as a bad job

Title: rotovator help
Post by: leeky on February 21, 2007, 19:13

Is the plug getting wet? If not it could be a sedimentary blockage in one of the carb tubes? Give it a good blow out through all the internal orifces.

Maybe the cut off valve on the float is stuck shut.? Give it a tap.

Title: rotovator help
Post by: ukpaul28 on February 21, 2007, 19:16

hi yes the plug is getting wet, thats what i cant understand,good spark and no fuel blocked and still not starting

Title: rotovator help
Post by: shaun on February 21, 2007, 19:20

you say you got a new spark plug paul,is it the same as the original in length and the gap is correct

Title: rotovator help
Post by: leeky on February 21, 2007, 19:22

Do you have a spare plug to try? They can get blown out under compression if they are duff, but appear fine when they are sparking whilst checking against the engine.

edit. oops missed "new plug"  :oops:

Title: rotovator help
Post by: ukpaul28 on February 21, 2007, 19:26

yeah i have tryed 3 new ones lol

Title: rotovator help
Post by: shaun on February 21, 2007, 19:29

time for a bit of carefull thought now paul

get a 7lb sledge hammer and put some saftey glasses on  :)

Title: rotovator help
Post by: ukpaul28 on February 21, 2007, 19:32

yes i was thinking that my self , god my arm is killing  :lol:

Title: rotovator help
Post by: Bigbadfrankie on February 21, 2007, 19:34

the arms will be to tired for that shaun. but i expect the 1 year old fuel will still burn well :twisted:

Title: rotovator help
Post by: shaun on February 21, 2007, 19:35

they can be realy temperamental i would leave it to rest with the plug out for a few hours,get your breath back and give it a good pull again before bedtime

Title: rotovator help
Post by: ukpaul28 on February 21, 2007, 19:43

yeah sure will put some year old petrol on it and it sure will spark then :lol:

Title: rotovator help
Post by: shaun on February 21, 2007, 19:47

Quote from: "Bigbadfrankie"

the arms will be to tired for that shaun. but i expect the 1 year old fuel will still burn well :twisted:

frankie was you an arsonist in another life :lol:

Title: rotovator help
Post by: Bigbadfrankie on February 21, 2007, 20:03

frankie was you an arsonist in another life :lol:[/quote]


another life :shock: i like burning things now :twisted:

Title: rotovator help
Post by: shaun on February 21, 2007, 20:06

i like burning stuuf actualy it makes you feel like a real man  :lol:

Title: rotovator help
Post by: ytyynycefn on February 21, 2007, 20:27

Could be a bit of "varnish" from the unleaded cacking up the carb?  Try flushing the carb through with fresh petrol.  Also, is the air intake blocked?  Might be a bit of dodo caught in there.  Just my 2p  :D

Title: rotovator help
Post by: muntjac on February 21, 2007, 20:53

Quote from: "shaun"

get your breath back and give it a good pull again before bedtime

 keep it clean shaun  :roll: lol

Title: rotovator help
Post by: shaun on February 21, 2007, 20:56

i was talking about the tiller  :roll:

Title: rotovator help
Post by: shaun on February 21, 2007, 20:57

sorry mr mod guy  :lol:

Title: rotovator help
Post by: Eristic on February 21, 2007, 20:57

If you've had it apart, did you take the flywheel off and lost the little key from the shaft?

As I understand it they are simple engines and if it is getting both petrol and sparks, it should fire at least unless the timing is adrift.

Title: rotovator help
Post by: ukpaul28 on February 21, 2007, 21:03

thanks for that
no everything is but back on it mate

Title: rotovator help
Post by: Bigbadfrankie on February 21, 2007, 21:59

well the only thing left to do is to go to your loacal garden center and by a bag full of bangs for it. tip them in the tank and it should make all the right noises :lol:

Title: rotovator help
Post by: muntjac on February 21, 2007, 22:17

try a qwik spray of easy start just to check it will actually fire up . then go backwards from the plug to the petrol tank , new petrol is a begginer mate lol

Title: rotovator help
Post by: ukpaul28 on February 21, 2007, 23:23

hi mate
i tryed easy start yesterday without any luck, i just striped to carb down and still no luck,
wife going mad as got it in the kitchen and stinking everyone out lol

Title: rotovator help
Post by: muntjac on February 21, 2007, 23:26

time for a mechies advice the mower shop in town may be able to help used to be a john blades who was the main man

Title: rotovator help
Post by: ukpaul28 on February 21, 2007, 23:31

yeah think i will have to ring round few places tomorow.
failing that i will have to try and buy another one from somewhere :roll:

Title: rotovator help
Post by: Gwiz on February 22, 2007, 05:22

i recon its just very flooded.
take the plug out for a day or two.
take of the air filter and check it to see if its filthy.
when starting a briggs, put the choke on, pull the starter.
if its going to start, it will cough once or twice then stop.
turn off the choke, and pull again. normally starts within 3 pulls.
if you keep on pulling the starter with the choke on, it wont ever start.
you can check to see if petrol is getting up into the carb ( if its one of the models with the petrol tank below the carb) by removing the air filter, putting the screw back in, putting your hand over the  air filter hole and pulling the rope a few times.
if petrol is getting up, you should feel the petrol cold against your hand.
if you cant, then the petrol pick up tubes are blocked in the fuel tank, and you will need to remove the tank/carb assembly and and unblock them. they can block up with fine particles of rubbish in the perol, or if you leave petrol in it for any length of time , as it goes off it leaves a varnish like sticky deposit on them.
my best guess is you have been pulling the starter like a man posessed, and flooded the engine.
could be wrong tho..... :wink:

Title: rotovator help
Post by: ukpaul28 on February 22, 2007, 19:16

thanks for all your help guyes i bought some carb cleaner today and another new spark plug but still no luck so am going to have to talk it somewhere to get it fixed

Title: rotovator help
Post by: leeky on February 22, 2007, 19:39

Let us know what was wrong with it Paul.... I can't bare not knowing!  :shock:

Title: rotovator help
Post by: ukpaul28 on February 22, 2007, 19:44

will do mate could be a while tho i rang aplace up today and if i take it in on saturday it will be done in 4 weeks from then as they have a big back log of work.
looks like am having alot of diging to do on saturday unless i can get a cheep one of ebay to keep me going for a while  :(

Title: rotovator help
Post by: leeky on February 22, 2007, 19:47

I think I would rent/hire one if caught in that situation.


4 weeks. ouch.  :(

Title: rotovator help
Post by: shaun on February 22, 2007, 19:59

well said leeky

Title: rotovator help
Post by: ukpaul28 on February 22, 2007, 20:02

yes i could do i rang a hire shop up near me and its £45.00 for the week end or £32.00 plus vat per day

Title: rotovator help
Post by: shaun on February 22, 2007, 20:07

trying to think of a hire shop in nantwich my minds blank again
they have another depot in witchurch

Title: rotovator help
Post by: shaun on February 22, 2007, 20:10

it came to me paul
its called scanlans

Title: rotovator help
Post by: ukpaul28 on February 22, 2007, 20:11

hi yes i think i know which one you mean in nantwich its only a small shop is it called D.A.B hire or somthing like that

Title: rotovator help
Post by: ukpaul28 on February 22, 2007, 20:14

thanks for that i will give them a call tomorow
its not the one i was thinking there one in nantwich on london road its only a small place not even sure if its still there.

Title: rotovator help
Post by: shaun on February 22, 2007, 20:20

google helped me here mate

Tricketts Lane, Willaston, Nantwich, CW5 6PZ
01270 666 472

Title: rotovator help
Post by: ukpaul28 on February 22, 2007, 20:24

thanks for your help shaun, i will give them a call tomorow

thanks

Title: rotovator help
Post by: Gwiz on February 22, 2007, 22:00

pity you aint nearer...

Title: gwiz
Post by: ukpaul28 on February 22, 2007, 22:06

thanks for that mate
its always the case  :roll:

Title: rotovator help
Post by: ukpaul28 on February 23, 2007, 00:26

hi
i been racking my brain and when i took the spark plug into the shop (the one that was in it when i bought it of ebay a year ago),he said i need a new plug as that one is for the old fuel?? see i have never used it with my own petrol in it only what was left in it when i bought it, maybe am putting the wrong stuff in?? :roll:

Title: rotovator help
Post by: LILACSPLASH on February 23, 2007, 16:38

Hi, if the carb gets gummed up and varnishy, OH puts the jets in malt vinegar over night, works for the bikes!

Title: rotovator help
Post by: Bigbadfrankie on February 23, 2007, 22:58

I think all this is to deep, if it was starting a few days/weeks ago and the only change was the fuel it can only be fuel or a damp coil. put it all back as it was and start with the basics. Leave the plug out for an hour and try starting it.

Title: rotovator help
Post by: muntjac on February 23, 2007, 23:06

oh and try this , take the plug and heat it up over a stove  pref gas if not just over the hob not touching it ( use gloves and pliers n get it back in afore it gets cold

Title: rotovator help
Post by: ukpaul28 on February 25, 2007, 17:05

hi all
thanks for all your help , i have took it in the shop yesterday to get fixed hopefully it wont be long till its done :D

Title: rotovator help
Post by: Gwiz on February 25, 2007, 17:09

let us know what the problem was, and how much they charged you if thats ok?

Title: rotovator help
Post by: ukpaul28 on February 25, 2007, 17:16

yeah will do, i asked him how much round about it would cost he said if i wanted to get it just started it would be about £35.00.
but i will let you know how much it was and what was wrong with it

Title: fixed
Post by: ukpaul28 on March 01, 2007, 18:19

hi all
just to let you all know its been fixed today  :D

Title: rotovator help
Post by: matfarrow on March 01, 2007, 18:40

how about easy start??squrt a bit on spark plug and in engine...keep pulling about 7 or 8 times with fuel cut off then take plug out and squrt degreaser on plug only. if you have good spark, drying the plug out and putting a bit of easy start in engine should at least make it cough keep trying this proccess for a while....make sure there is no dodo in plug gap. don't give up, you'll feel chuffed when it finally starts...believe me i've been there plenty of times. don't go too made with the easy start in the engine though.

Title: rotovator help
Post by: matfarrow on March 01, 2007, 18:42

oh balls you've already fixed it.......

Title: rotovator help
Post by: Gwiz on March 01, 2007, 20:03

glad its fixed, but what did they say was wrong with it? :?:

Title: rotovator help
Post by: ukpaul28 on March 01, 2007, 20:50

they put a new breaker-ignition set on it and a new flywheel key
what ever they are  :?:

Title: rotovator help
Post by: leeky on March 01, 2007, 22:37

broom broom! good stuff  :D

Title: rotovator help
Post by: shaun on March 01, 2007, 22:39

just need the ground to dry up 1st cus i'm itching to get mine out and give it some revs

Title: rotovator help
Post by: ukpaul28 on March 01, 2007, 22:53

yeah cant wait to have a go with it now but as you say its far too wet yet :(

Title: rotovator help
Post by: Bigbadfrankie on March 02, 2007, 21:34

yeh paddy fields down here :?

Title: rotovator help
Post by: shaun on March 02, 2007, 21:35

today we had a realy drying wind it was going fine then about an hour ago it started to rain again  :cry: