brenndatomu
Minister of Fire
Good point...would need to have the throttle wide open for that finger test too...
Log Splitter Engine Damaged???
- Thread starter KenLockett
- Start date
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maple1
Minister of Fire
With ignition turned off or plug grounded.
I've never cooked a coil myself but have always been warned about it.
I've never cooked a coil myself but have always been warned about it.
maple1
Minister of Fire
Ashful
Minister of Fire
Let's just make sure you understand your terms, since you used them incorrectly the other day, before you go back to the shop.
Valve lash refers to the amount of play in a lifter, when the valve is closed / released. It's typically something on the order of .005", and is set by adjusting the length of a lifter with a screw, or in the case of this oddball engine we're told it's adjusted by grinding or filing the lifter. If the lash is tight, this mechanic could have gotten there by filing the end of the valve stem, and while I haven't done a top end on one of these engines, I can't say I see any problem with that.
Valve lapping is the act of matching a valve to it's valve seat. Typically, valve seats are pressed-in replaceable rings, pressed into the casting of the engine block. When you change valves or seats, you need to lap one to the other to make them match perfectly. This is typically achieved with a little grinding paste ("lapping compound") and a special tool (suction cup on the end of a dowel) that you use to spin the valve against the seat.
Thanks Ash. Good to know. So dropped by the shop and no one there. So called a while ago and he answered I I mentioned that the thumb test was no good and to confirm I bought compression gauge and found 5-10 psi so compression was bad. Said it should be 90-120 psi. He goes where did you get that number, those engines have decompression valve and what you are reading should be fine. Says not sure why you even wasted your money on a gauge. Says your finger test is all you need and the compression will blow your finger away. Was thinking to myself well 5-10 psi is not going to force your finger or thumb off port. Proceeded to tell him even with decompression valve should see 50-60 psi. I watched like five you tube videos all showing and stating everything you guys are saying. I am trying to be polite and non contentious but seriously I am beginning to feel like I’m in lala land here. Geez. I suggested maybe his now absent employee maybe screwed up and told him the compression was good but he insisted he checked it. I finally just said the look I’m bringing the engine back in and you need to look at it again and make it right. I even just did same compression test on my mower BS and getting 90 psi. Extremely wary right now but don’t know what else I can do. I learned my lesson. This time I will make him show me compression and confirm engine runs like I should have done before making payment. He just seemed so nice and l
Knowledgeable and the sign on his shop desk indicates he was small engine repair shop of the year for Bennington and Manchester counties for 2016. Hell I even talked with him for over two hours between when I dropped it off and picked it off. My faith in humanity is not at a high point at the moment.
Knowledgeable and the sign on his shop desk indicates he was small engine repair shop of the year for Bennington and Manchester counties for 2016. Hell I even talked with him for over two hours between when I dropped it off and picked it off. My faith in humanity is not at a high point at the moment.
brenndatomu
Minister of Fire
There ya go...just tell him to make it run while you are there to see it and you'll go away.
Sounds like what somebody suggested earlier...a good shop owner with a bonehead employee...there are lots of those to go around these days...especially at the rates small engine shops can afford to pay.
Every time I go into the local shop, the owner asks if I'm interested in wrenching for him...part time, full time, whatever. Ah, nope, I'm fine...
maple1
Minister of Fire
Yup, that ^.
Simple.
Then if he can't get it going - well, curious what he has to say or what he does then. Thinking it would be some kind of way to try and throw blame back on Ken. This has been quite the circus story.
10 is too low, that much is certain. Depending on the model and year, compression on these motors does vary greatly. I have seen many older motors that test in the 50-60 range and run fine. But I have motors that also put out 140 psi, so it can be confusing unless you know the acceptable operating specs.
Briggs used to suggest for it's techs that when possible, rotate the engine backwards against compression, and as your turning it and resistance builds up, let go of the flywheel, or crank, etc, and the motor should turn back the other way on it's own. Easy test, and when you get a feel for it, you look for a nice hard push back. That's how briggs used to train there techs to do a quick test for compression.
When you've done it on a few engines, you can quickly gauge the compression by how much resistance and push back you get when doing it.
A traditional compression tester is kind of confusing to people because the acceptable numbers vary from engine to engine and from year to year so much. But turning the motor over backwards against the compression stroke when possible gives you a better indicator than the thumb test.
Good luck with it.
Took the engine back to the shop today. He is going to do a leak test with 100 Psig of compressed air. He agrees on the 90psig compression requirement now amazingly. Think I know how this is probably going to go but not much I can do at this point. Will ultimately be his word against mine. Hoping he does the right thing.
maple1
Minister of Fire
brenndatomu
Minister of Fire
Its called a "leakdown test"
You hook up a special gauge to the engine using a hose like a compression tester uses...it allows you to hook up the hose from your air compressor and will show the % of overall leakage. You can then tell by where you here air leaking from, where the problem is...air hissing from oil fill hole (crankcase) bad piston/rings and/or cylinder...hissing from muffler, leaking exhaust valve. From the carb, leaking intake valve.
maple1
Minister of Fire
Let me back up a bit. A leak test is Ok. And using 100psi might be ok. As long as he knows what he's doing. Which I'm not sure he does by the sounds of things so far. Hate to see your carb get blown apart or something silly if he doesn't. I'd start with way less pressure. But that might just be me.
Well I picked up the engine today and it runs! He just took it back apart and relashed the valve then new head gasket. Didn’t even do the leakdown test. Restored my faith. He even put a Ngk plug instead of the champion as he doesn’t like them (it was new by the way) and filled the gas tank. Said he stands behind the work he does and even offered to start and run it for me when I got there. Only thing different is it seems to run at higher RPM than before. Not sure if throttle linkage got tweaked when carb was take. Off them put back on. I just ran the throttle at lower setting. Could just be my imagination as I haven’t ran it in awhile. Thanks for your input and help guys. Don’t think I’ll be putting in the wrong spark plug in the future.
Glad it worked out!
Don't feel bad - a buddy at work was changing the plugs on both his cars at the same time. Guess which plugs he installed first - yup the too long plugs in the wrong car. He did major damage and had a much more expensive lesson than your log splitter story.
Don't feel bad - a buddy at work was changing the plugs on both his cars at the same time. Guess which plugs he installed first - yup the too long plugs in the wrong car. He did major damage and had a much more expensive lesson than your log splitter story.
Well I picked up the engine today and it runs! He just took it back apart and relashed the valve then new head gasket. Didn’t even do the leakdown test. Restored my faith. He even put a Ngk plug instead of the champion as he doesn’t like them (it was new by the way) and filled the gas tank. Said he stands behind the work he does and even offered to start and run it for me when I got there. Only thing different is it seems to run at higher RPM than before. Not sure if throttle linkage got tweaked when carb was take. Off them put back on. I just ran the throttle at lower setting. Could just be my imagination as I haven’t ran it in awhile. Thanks for your input and help guys.
Ashful
Minister of Fire
Awesome. On RPM adjustment, find a buddy with a laser tach or timing light with tach reading. Google your engine model number for max RPM spec and adjustment. No big deal.
spudman99
Feeling the Heat
Glad to hear its all back and running. Certainly took extra time and effort on your part, but thanks to your updates we all are a little wiser given the various replies about what might be wrong. And thanks to the search function, others in the future will benefit from your persistence and patience.
My Huskee 22 splitter with the vertical shaft engine doesn't even have a throttle control. You "choke" it to start by pumping in extra fuel with a bulb.
More rpm, as long as the engine can handle it, should mean faster cycle time right?
More rpm, as long as the engine can handle it, should mean faster cycle time right?
Yeah mine has no choke but It does have a throttle and in min position the ignition coil is shorted to stop engine. From my observation yes if the engine is operating at less than rated RPM the cycle time is slower and increases as engine speed increases.
Whoa! I was wrong. Just checked and I can slow the rpm but always run at max to keep the hydraulics juiced.
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