[Mungo Toadfoot]

Newbie here - hello all!

We'll soon be moving to a house with a garden large enough to actually do some proper growing in, instead of just using the greenhouse. To that end I've been looking out for garden-y things on Ebay and Freecycle.

I was fortunate enough to receive a Landmaster 100 rotavator from my local Freecycle yesterday and I'm in the process of a bit of fettling. The control cables and adjustable handles are now more-or-less working and everything that should move now does. The engine is causing a problem or two of its own though...

I Googled for the beastie and found the downloadable manual on this site (thanks, Gwiz!), and although it does refer to the 'make and break' points I can't find any on the engine. I know my way round an engine quite well and I'm wondering if it actually hasn't got any as there's a coil situated on the flywheel, the same as my petrol mower. I'm not getting a spark though so perhaps there is a little set of points somewhere? Any ideas?

Also, the starting pulley and cord are missing and I'm left with a square-section metal projection sticking out of the engine to start it with. I'm using a socket and extension bar just to turn the engine over at the moment but what are the chances of finding the correct item? Rocking horse poo? I might just make a starting handle and pretend it's a Model T Ford or similar.

Looking forward to contributing to other areas of the site now that I've found you.

Happy gardening,

Simon.

[Gwiz]

Mungo toad foot. fantastic name, Simon.
I expect that you have a white Briggs and stratton engine on you landmaster. there are two things to look out for. there will be an engine cut out switch arrangement, that operates when the throttle is put to the off position. Make sure that during your "fettling" of the cables, you haven't altered the cable position so this no longer works.
The points on your model, will be under the flywheel. if you follow the wires from the coil, you should see that they disappear under the flywheel. you will find an aluminium cover, held on by two-4ba bolts. take the cover off, and there you will see the contact breakers.
I set the contacts to about 18-20thou. you will need to clean the contacts first, or better still, replace the contact set.

[Mungo Toadfoot]

Thank you, Mr Wiz, I've found the beggers!

Next part of the puzzle is... what opens the points?? I can't see anything under the ally cover that moves! Wierdest set of points I've ever seen too. Here be pictures as a memory jogging sorta thing... <http://s478.photobucket.com/albums/rr149/gytha_ogg/Stuff/>

When I turn the engine the points definitely don't move, let alone open.

Oh, and petrol widdles out of a curious orifice at the bottom of the carb too! If one looks at the carb picture one will observe a hole for the air filter bolt on the right, then the choke, then a slightly larger open hole wherefrom petrol pours. Am I right in thinking this is an overflow drain hole and it's leaking because the float needle is gunged up and not closing? The float doesn't look punctured but I didn't take the thing apart.

Thanks for any help offered.

Simon.

[Gwiz]

Firstly, your link didn't work!
now then, the points are opened up by a fibre rod that goes through a machined hole onto the crankshaft. The crankshaft (behind the oil seal) is oliptical, this pushes the rod out. the rod is pushed back in, by the spring which should be attatched to the top part of the contact set. the larger canister part of the set, is the capacitor, and it should have the other part of the contacts on them. (the wires from the coil, fit onto the top, and are held in place by a spring)
If your points set are not opening, you need to loosen the canister holding bolt (4ba) and move it back a bit. you should then see the points gap opening and closing as you turn over the engine.
As for the carb it's abit difficult to talk you through it without the link. There are a few different varients on the briggs, and I'm not quite sure which one you will have without seeing it. However, I expect that the machine was put away with fuel in it, and this has caused the seals to foul up. the float needle might be sticking on a dodgy o ring.

[Mungo Toadfoot]

Firstly, your link didn't work!

Bum! Did you try it without the < and > at each end? Should work then. It just struck me that it must be the plungey thing in the middle not working. Dark now. Wish I had a garage. Or a huge workshop.

[Mungo Toadfoot]

Firstly, your link didn't work!

Bum! Did you try it without the < and > at each end? Should work then. It just struck me that it must be the plungey thing in the middle not working. Dark now. Wish I had a garage. Or a huge workshop.

Now I've mis-quoted you! Good start, Simey!

Try this if you have a minute...

http://s478.photobucket.com/albums/rr149/gytha_ogg/Stuff/

[Gwiz]

Just had to pop out to fix my mates boiler........
that's better! the screw that you can see coming out at an angle from the bottom of the float bowl, is in fact the main jet ( I think, it's been quite a while since working on one of these, we don't see much stuff of this, shall we say, "vintage" ) you should, again, if memory serves me well ( ), undo the nut, and the whole lot comes of, allowing you to remove the carb bowl.
it sounds like you are going to need a carb service kit to stop it leaking and to make it safe to use. I bought one recently for a newer machine, it was around-about £15. same kinda money for the float. Better than sending yourself up in flames, or contaminating the ground you want to plant into.

Just a thought, seeing as you can't carry on working on it, why not pop up to the Introductions section, and tell the world about yourself? --- go on, you know you want to...

[Mungo Toadfoot]

All introduced now.

The fibre rod is stuck solid and now broken  and I think you're looking at the wrong 'ole in the carb - I meant the sticky down bit just slightly to the left of the choke. Wossat then?

[Gwiz]

Oh dear, that is a pain. Dont gouge and pry to get out the fibre rod, if you make the machined hole bigger, or score the sides, you will pump oil into the points when it runs. you'll end up stripping it all down every time you use it, to get rid of the oil (it'll short outthe points)
The sticky down bit, just left of the choke, is indeed an overflow. if you've got petrol from there, you will need to strip the carb, and fit a carb kit.
fibre rod more of a problem. you may need to strip the enging, so that you can push the broken bit through.

[Mungo Toadfoot]

Oh. Poo.

I've soaked the plunger, as I've discovered it is known, in WD40 and I'll try to remove it tomorrow. I've ordered a new one so it will be repaired but hopefully without being taken completely to bits.

Thank you for your help - much appreciated.

Simon.

[Mungo Toadfoot]

Update...

The plunger was stuck like a fat rat in a drainpipe. Probably tighter. I've now got the engine in little bits and I'll drift the plunger out tomorrow then put the new one in.

The only problem in the remarkably clean engine is that the bolts holding the bottom shell of the conrod to the conrod itself were only finger tight and were being held in place just by the security tabs, so the crankshaft and conrod are quite scored. Still, it's not exactly a stressed, high performance engine so I dare say it'll be ok with some new oil!

I was surprised how light the engine is too. Lovely little thing.

Si

[Gwiz]

You might want to rehone the bore. .
when you put in the new plunger, the little ring around it, goes nearest the points. ( otherwise it can pump oil into the points cavity. (I don't know why it makes a difference, it but it does!)
I like Briggs engines. Nice and basic, a bit like me.

[Mungo Toadfoot]

You might want to rehone the bore. .
when you put in the new plunger, the little ring around it, goes nearest the points. ( otherwise it can pump oil into the points cavity. (I don't know why it makes a difference, it but it does!)
I like Briggs engines. Nice and basic, a bit like me.

Thanks for that. It's all back together now and I've run it up - sounds fine! It smokes a bit, but then it is very old so that can be forgiven.

The only thing I'm having trouble with is the engine id (white, horizontal crank, ohv, '80' embossed on the head cover), and the governor linkage - it wasn't connected properly when I got it and I'm struggling to see how it works in conjunction with the throttle cable. Any pics available that you know of?

Simon.

[R Tallentire]

Are you sure it is overhead valve? As all the B & S engines I have come across with points and the flo-jet carb are side valve. You didn’t mention the oil flinger, which should be attached by those loose big end bolts. I bought a used 3hp B & S engine and couldn’t understand why it seized up after 10 Minuits running time until I striped it down and found someone had fitted a new piston and forgotten to refit the flinger. It is the only lubrication system the engine has.
You need the cowl come pull starter unit, there are usually one or two for sale on ebay but you need to know the engine size to get the right cowl. Incidentally all flo-jet carbs dribble when the engine is stopped but seem to work OK when running. Just turn the tap off under the tank after use.
A wire link with J shaped ends goes from the governor vane arm to the lever on the carb butterfly. A tension spring goes from the other hole in the link to the bottom part of the L shaped square section rod. This rod has either a knurled nut on top to set the engine speed or a compression spring at the top with a “remote” throttle cable attached near the tension spring at the bottom.

[Mungo Toadfoot]

Are you sure it is overhead valve? As all the B & S engines I have come across with points and the flo-jet carb are side valve. You didn’t mention the oil flinger, which should be attached by those loose big end bolts. I bought a used 3hp B & S engine and couldn’t understand why it seized up after 10 Minuits running time until I striped it down and found someone had fitted a new piston and forgotten to refit the flinger. It is the only lubrication system the engine has.
You need the cowl come pull starter unit, there are usually one or two for sale on ebay but you need to know the engine size to get the right cowl. Incidentally all flo-jet carbs dribble when the engine is stopped but seem to work OK when running. Just turn the tap off under the tank after use.
A wire link with J shaped ends goes from the governor vane arm to the lever on the carb butterfly. A tension spring goes from the other hole in the link to the bottom part of the L shaped square section rod. This rod has either a knurled nut on top to set the engine speed or a compression spring at the top with a “remote” throttle cable attached near the tension spring at the bottom.

Thank you for your reply and apologies for not answering before now.

The oil flinger was in place, fortunately, and still is. Oh, and yes, it's sidevalve of course, not ohv.

Your description of the governor and throttle linkages was useful but something still doesn't look quite 'right' about the way it works. I think I need to see a picture to make sure nothing's out of place or bent. The spring between the governor vane and the throttle catches on a screw, for example, and nothing seems to move smoothly.

 A bigger problem at the moment though is that it doesn't want to run for very long now. This is being compounded by the fact that I don't know where the mixture screw is supposed to be set, and whether the thumbscrew on the bottom/side of the floatbowl is just a drain or a way of adjusting the flow of fuel into the bowl. It has a needle on the end of it which indicates to me it controls fuel flow so it's yet another thing to set that I don't know the settings for!

Problematic little *, it is! 

Simon.