[Fordham]

I have 2 almost identical Flymo hover  mowers. I want to keep them going because they do hover over long thick grass, and can get right to the edge without cutting tall plants at the edge of a bed.  They are very light and the 2 stroke engines run at high speed. Modern replacements are heavy and expensive. The Flymos have no numbers. I think there are problems with the ignition. That is I remove the plugs. The engines then turn easily and the plug can be earthed to the cylinder and the starter rope pulled. No spark. The crank shaft is vertical and the rope pull starter is at the top. Under the rope starter is a cast aluminium flywheel  made by Presmetal it is keyed to the crankshaft and has a powerfull magnet incorporated into the casting. Inside the flywheel and fixed to a casting also made by Presmetal there is a coil to generate the high voltage spark. There is also a pair of points in a light casing actuated by a cam on the crankshaft to initiate the spark. The light casing is labelled "Ducati"
Can anyone identify the Motor and help me get new ignition components.
Ducati make motorbikes and I can see the ignition points could have been part of a small 2 stroke motor bike.  The Coil and capacitor are a problem. Presmetal are a Bulgarian firm but don't offer the specific castings I have observed.
When I logged on to this site I found a piece from a Flymo mower questioner, but not now.
Max Fordham

[Gwiz]

I remember the flymo's you are describing. unfortunately, they are now obsolete. have you tried cleaning the points and connections? they might have become dirty over the years of non-use.
If you have the engine that I think you have, they have a carb that has a flat bottom to it. Inside is a ball valve arrangement that became obsolete some 25ish years ago, we had a hard time telling customers that we couldn't repair their mowers anymore when we could no longer obtain the parts.

[cray0752]

alot of flymos used techimisch engines basically a cheap chinese import because it was cheaper for them to make if it is this type of engine you won't be able to get spare parts

i only know this because i used to have one.

You could always try and change this engine with a light briggs and stratton its a bit tricky but it can be done

_______________________________]

LIVE LIFE TO THE MAX

[bobshe]

I have Flymo  mower Model GL 47 about 20 years old It has always difficult to start but now it's impossible It has a magneto ignition but does not seem to have a condenser which my neighbour says it must have in otder to get a good fat spark Could this be the life-long problem I've had with it or is there something else I'm missing .Cannot get parts however now living in NZ and with some local help I'm sure we can breath some new life into it  Kiwi Bob

[Gwiz]

Flmo Gl47. Didn't that one have a Tecumseh engine fitted to it? I can't recall whether they had points or not, but you will only find a condensor if it does have points fitted.
Bad starting problems on those old engines, are usually down to carb lockages, dodgy gaskets/piston rings, or, as you say, dodgy ignition.

[muntjac]

get some wire wool on the magneto head and c bar , then spray wit wd40 rub it dry pull it over a few times and see if that clears the sparking problem  also check the governer spring ,,,,, then try just undoing the c bar and tapping it gently til it touches the magneto head withdraw it til ur able to turn it frely without any scraping .,tighten and trey agin ,,,,, then if that dont werk .try ebay for a motor off another mower  

[dorimower]

Hello,

I believe some Aspera/Tecnamotor/Tecumseh engines with contact set(points) ignition had coil with a condensor built into it...whilst some had a conventional external condensor alongside the coil. This would all be under the flywheel.

I am not sure when the change came to electronic ignition on these engines used on Flymos..but if genuinly 20 yrs old I would have thought it would have been electronic.?..if memory serves me right the coil unit would then be external to flywheel.?....rather than the contact set type where everything was under the flywheel.

Carb blockages....also exhaust port blockages were regulars.  Lost spark with contact set types quite the norm too.  

They do like to have full choke for starting...  When this was controlled by a lever on the side of the engine that pushed the choke at the end of its travel the action became poor... as this often used to become worn and loose.  If worn you needed 3 hands..one to hold the handle, one to hold the choke fully on and 3rd to pull the rope..
 Later on the Pilot L47 I think the choke lever operated the choke directly and was thus more positive.

...a few musings from somewhere way back....on a dark rainy day...

"Dori"

[Paul Plots]

Fordham said...

Can anyone identify the Motor and help me get new ignition components.

I can't but look on Ebay for flymo hover mowers and you may see the same model with engine name mentioned. This might be a step in the right direction. Just an idea  :idea:

I've just had an old petrol flymo serviced - it was worth having done. I was told to start the engine periodically to keep the contraption in working order as oil from the two-stroke mix can be left behind in the engine if the petrol dries up completely. This can lead to problems starting (tell me about it!)....not that I have foggiest idea about engines. I prefer pedal cycles - less to go wrong and quieter! Useless for cutting grass though...

I wish you luck - once they are running the petrol hover flymo is a useful little machine for making quick work of allotment paths.

[Bob865349]

I have had a Flymo GL47 since the early 1980s it is in fact a 1974 machine it has always been temperamental. Not being one to give up easily on a problem I spent a lot of time researching on the internet and eventually made contact with the old importers of the
the Tecumseh engine. The Guy in their servicing section said one of the problems was a blocked Carb which would make for poor starting. He told me If you take the air filter off and look at the carb still mounted on the machine you will see a small hole to one side of the carb opening this hole goes to the other end of the carb  and turns 90deg and allows air past the choke and draws in air/fuel when on full choke, if its blocked there is no way the machine can start. So using a WD40 can with the straw attached offer it up to the hole and give it a good blast this should clear the blockage. also spark plug gap is important (.030" or .762mm) and check for a good spark. My machine is now in France with me and not the best of starter's but it does run. If any one has more info I would be glad to hear from them.
To update this blog I have now got the mower starting first pull, the throttle regulator Vein is a piece of aluminium which is mounted to the carb butterfly there is a light duty spring attached which regulates the speed of the motor this has to be fitted  in the middle hole of the three which gives it more throttle when starting I also am using a 32:1 mix, it now runs like a new mower
If anyone is interested I have the Tecumseh Technicians Handbook for their 2 stroke engines in a PDF File 
or follow the links below
http://www.mymowerparts.com/pdf/Tecumseh-Service-and-Repair-Manuals/
http://www.tecumsehpower.com/CustomerService/BSI.pdf

[shedmeister]

Remove the points coil ect and take them to a marine supplyers. not only will they be able to test the componants. they should be able to supply the parts. most low cc engines are used in back up outbord engines and thus the cmponants can be readily availabe off the shelf

[Oldone]

I worked in a horticultural workshop for 25yrs in the 50s & 60s etc. and repaired lots of Domestic and Professional Flymo hovers fitted with two sizes of very nicely made Aspera engines, they both run on a mixture of 16 to 1 oil petrol mix ie half pint oil to a gallon of petrol. One of the problems with the diaphragm carburettor was fine dusty grass cuttings which some people let into the fuel which then blocked valves and holes in the carb, which can be a pain to remove.
I have 3 machines from the late fifties early sixties all working perfectly. Never throw anything away now parts are difficult to find or obsolete. My bits box is full of treasures.

[MalcW]

Working on the basis of trying the simplest thing first, have you tried a different spark plug?

[mikeg]

Spares for the very old GL47 Flymo are available from the US.  MFGsupply.com sells the diaphragm which over time perishes and other carb parts are also available.  see http://www.mfgsupply.com/smallengine/smengcarb/smengcarbdiag/22-1427.html for the diaphragm and http://www.mfgsupply.com/smallengine/smengcarb/smengcarbkits/smengteccarbkits/22-1411.html for the kit. 
I also start the engine using a socket attached to an electric drill (make an adaptor) onto the flywheel nut.  It makes starting a temperamental engine easy.  Make sure that the socket doesn't fly off when the engine starts - keep the drill speed lowish and secure the socket to the adaptor.  I have used this method for many years without problems.

[jezza]

 hi try  meetens they supply old engine parts jezza