[spiritofold]

I have another merry tiller, but cant find any serial number etc to
aid with the id. It looks like it has a briggs and stratton engine.
The handles have rubber shock absorbers inbetween the upper
and lower sections, anyone seen one of these before?

Anyway, its a real pain to start from cold, so im guessing it could maybe do with a looksee. Anyone give me some instructions as to what
to clean etc?  Once its warmed up it will start up fine, but getting it
started in the first place is a real *!!!

Oh, and is the sparkplug a common type to replace, it has champion J8
on it?

Be gratefull for some advice!

Andy  

[shaun]

try the basics 1st a good carb clean /air filter /new plug and new fuel go from there just eliminate things as you go ,mine can be hard to start if its been standing for a few months but the next time it starts after a few pulls.
i usually give it full choke full throttle and give it half a dozen pulls then half the choke and it usually starts then (but i suppose every engine is not the same) .and like you say once its been running theres no problem .think the big secret with these old machines is to keep them undercover and as dry as you can.

[Gwiz]

champion j8 is a very common plug in lawnmowers ect. if i remember the ngk equivalent is B6S.
hard to start? with a champion plug it sounds as if the engine could well be a briggs and stratton., i wonder which one. i assume that you are putting the engine on choke when you try to start it.
some of the early b/s engines had a pull out choke lever just under the air filter, which is hard to see if you dont know its there.
is the fuel tank attached to the underside of the carb?
on these models the fuel has to travel uphill (something that fluids dont like to do under natural circumstances- rain falls down, not up!)
when the engine hasnt beemn running for a few hours, the fuel siphons back down the internal fuel pipe, so it takes a few pulls on the rope to get some petrol back into the carb so the engine can use it. to aid this process the carb has an internal small diaphram pump located along the side of the carb (on the right hand side). this gets a bit "baggy and tired" (like me) and so it wont work as it should.if your air filter is set on the top of the carb, try this tip.
(1) remove the long thin bolt that goes through the top of the air filter.
(2) remove air filter
(3) with the engine on stop, and the choke turned off, cover the circular hole that the air filter goes over with your hand
(4) pull the rope untill you can feel your palm of your hand go a bit damp
(5) replace air filter and bolt, turn choke on, switch engine to run, pull rope, and if the gods are with you, the engine should start
if the engine fires or coughs then stops, TURN THE CHOKE OFF, then pull the rope again. if you keep pulling the starter with the choke ON, the engine will flood. ( if this happens, remove the spark plug, go to shed and make some tea and try again later)
hope this helps

[Gwiz]

just another thought, remember that petrol does`nt have much of a shelf life now that the lead has been removed. when its only a small amount stored it goes of real quick! so either empty the tank when you have finished using it, or fill it right up. thats another point while i think of it, the "fuel tank under the carb models" of b and s engines always start better from cold if you fill the fuel tank right up

[spiritofold]

Thanks for the info

Yes, the tank is under the carb, and i've just had a look at the diaphram
on the side of the carb body, and it does look a little baggy.
I'll try all thats been suggested and maybe i wont have to pray so
much to get it started!!

Cheers!

Anyone else have any tips?

Andy  

[spiritofold]

Any idea of what the correct oil level should be in the engine?
On mine theres no marks to gauge the upper limit.

Andy..

[Gwiz]

drain all the oil out, refill with 1 pint of SAE30

graham

[spiritofold]

Do you know if its still possible to get hold of those diaphrams?
I've stripped the carb down and given it a clean, the diaphram
is the only bit that looks worn.

Thanks for your time!

Andy  

[Gwiz]

any good lawn mower repair workshop should have them in stock. if you have trouble getting one, pm me and i will see what i can do for you.
graham

[Gwiz]

dependig on how old your engine is, it may have points fitted rather than electronic ignition. if on your starter housing it says  MAGNETRON, it will be the electronic set up.
the points on the other models are fitted under the flywheel.
flywheel sits on a tapered shaft, and the timing is set by a woodruff key.
it may be as wise to check the flywheel side oil seal. sometimes they tend to leak a bit on to the points, and that can make for interesting start up and runnig problems!
MAGNETRON systems wont suffer from the above, they can still leak, but they keep on running.

have fun!
graham

[spiritofold]

After taking the carb off the engine and fuel tank, i had a look over the
two brass fuel supply tubes, one longer that the other. At the base of each
of these tubes are little filters. Both of these had a buildup of what
i guess is dried up fuel, it looked a bit like varnish, i was a bit surprised
as when i got the rotovator it had some fuel in the tank, and any deposits
like that would have disolved.

After cleaning the dodo from the fuel filters the engine starts within
5 pulls. Anyone with a merry tiller with starting problems might get
a good result by checking those filters!

Graham, i'd still like to replace the diaphram, it can only help  

Thanks for all your advice on this subject!!!!!!

Andy  

[Gwiz]

aha! just as i thought, the diaphragm is still availiable part number 270026and it looks like they are around about £1.20. inc vat. i will get a few in stock.

[Gwiz]

my mistake, they are £1.77 +vat = £2.08
which dont seem to bad untill you see the size of it.(mutter grumble moan exit stage right...)

[muntjac]

invest in a briggs and stratton small engine repair manual .make a few quid by getting old mowers from the tip and taking the engines and getting them running  then put one good engine from a wreck mower onto a better frame .repaint sell for a few quid .£££

[muntjac]

posted in wrong place