Atco Standard 16

The old triumvirate of air/fuel/spark: As you see a good spark from a new plug, report good compression and a squirt of fuel makes no difference, I would next check the ignition timing.

Just on spark: sometimes an old coil can produce a good spark in open air, but produce a weak one under compression.

One common problem with old two strokes can be crankcase leaks that prevent the fuel charge from reaching the combustion chamber.

Did you clean out the fuel tank? Mine was lined with the varnish that remains after old petroil has evaporated. It is hard to get rid of completely and it can continue to flake off and cause fuel line blockages.

Also, which type of carb is on it: Atco or Senspray?

Thanks for the reply gtc. As to Carb It has an Atco one the lever on the side of carb covers an air hole would this air hole be underneath or is it referring to the airflow opening with the metal gauze covering to the side? As I cannot see what I would term a choke flap in there. 

gtc has covered the basics so I'd suggest removing the plug and if it is dry injecting a drop of fuel and trying again. If you get one hopeful noise it would at least confirm that there is a spark within the cylinder. If its wet the chances are that the free air spark is failing under compression. If you get that encouraging noise try squirting a bit of fuel straight into the air intake and then cranking it over with a hand or rag held over it. Suggest that you do this out in the open air in case it back fires. If you get a couple of firing strokes from that give it a really thorough fuel tank and  carb clean and try it with a "period" fuel mix using SAE 30 or 40 oil which will offer a bit more sealing to the main bearings than a thin modern synthetic mix.

Another thing to be aware of is that if as a result of prolonged cranking with no running the crankcase has become flooded with fuel mix it will be necessary to remove the little drain plug and clear it.

Hi Wristpin, thanks for your input,already checked crankcase only a "teardrop" of fresh fuel in case I have some millers classic cm2t oil on the way. will try some fuel in the bore I was also considering covering air intake. An elderly friend of mine who has old tractors suggested a drop of 3in1 down the bore sometimes helps seal it better and gives improved compression when trying to start something which has not bee run in a long time.I wonder if this applies to single cylinder Lawn mowers?

Yes, a drop of oil down the bore will bring about a temporary increase in compression . In fact it's an accepted method of getting a rough indication of the cause of low compression whe taking compression readings. In a four stroke engine;  if oil raises the reading its ring / bore wear , if not it's probably a valve problem . In your case there are no valves to worry about but perhaps I'd use a slightly heavier grade of oil for the " test".

Good afternoon I have had a small result I reduced spark plug gap to 15 thou put a rag in to the air intake and I Started to get  the odd pop and the slight smell of exhaust fumes on cranking.I have a fuel line to replace as it has been repaired and is leaking from the repair also the hole in the exhaust just behind the flange is not helping I would think, If I repair the exhaust and replace the fuel line use a millers classic oil clean the carb again do you think I might be on the right track Gentlemen?

There was a Shelly Berman record ( round black thing with a hole in the middle) about a school for bus drivers instructing them how to pull away fast enough that he old lady couldn't catch up but not so fast that she would give up too soon - old engines can be like that!

Sorry about that but been there and done it and probably not learnt.

As you've suggested, get everything as good as you can and see what happens . If still no luck you will have to dig deeper. Start with the no cost items - clean and adjust the points and check the ignition timing just to make sure that the spark is as good as the old coil is capable of giving. After that you may need to spend some money, start with a new plug and then  either new rings or a new coil. Beware of auction sellers offering new / old stock coils as they may be 50 plus years old and not good under their glossy exterior.  There seems to be a bit of a shortage of genuinely new coils at present and when available will not be cheap. 

a fuel line to replace as it has been repaired and is leaking from the repair

Be very careful in that regard. With their fuel tap perched right above the exhaust pipe, Standards have been known to catch fire from petrol leaks.

Thankyou both will begin the "journey"Remember vinyl records well especially His masters voice Gramaphone records -Had to smile at your record description though.Will keep you up-dated. as an after thought would a coil from the green spark plug company or a villers specialist be ok do you think? Or is it a case of you pay your money and takes a chance, Are they the bigger coil on the Standard 16?(will have to purchase the spanner for fly wheel removal 1st of-course) 

Replacement coils are expensive so I would advise not buying one unless you have proven your existing one to be faulty.

My coil was demonstrably open circuit so I replaced it with Villiers Parts coil #1030. As it's not exactly the same as the original coil, I had to extend the HT connection with a blob of solder in order to allow the HT plug to come into contact with the coil.

Given that I had to open the points section to connect the new coil, I replaced the capacitor at the same time.

Although I have since obtained a Villiers "hammertite" spanner, I didn't use any special spanner for the flywheel -- just a socket. You need to place a bar or similar into the flywheel in order to stop it rotating.

If you go this route, be sure that you know how the flywheel timing marks line up.

Thanks gtc, I am going to regap plug to the 25 thou(bought a NGK of the lawn mower club) then test again. The firm on this Website that does Villiers engine /flywheel spanner  is charging "gold plated Money"for said spanner. Not long ago I had my own bespoke Land rover Garage which I have now retired from was thinking if I need a coil would buy from the Green Spark plug company? Your thoughts on the matter?

                          Regards

                                      Gerry

When I got involved with Atcos a few years ago, I purchased a set of Whitworth spanners and sockets. (Until then I had only metric and AF tools.) If you have a good range of Whitworth sockets then you'll be able to remove the flywheel.

I can't speak for the Green Co as I haven't used them, but I suspect that many others here would have.

As for plugs, a fellow I know swears by original Lodge plugs (now quite hard to find) and uses those whenever he can for Standards.

I have no experience of the Green Plug Co but others on this and other forums have used them and I've not read any adverse comments. On the other hand my experience of using NGK plugs in old engines has not been good . My old Dennis "eats" NGK A5s and runs quite happily on fifty year old Lodges, KLGs  etc. Don't quote me on this but I have read on another forum that the problem lies with the finish of the insulator that surrounds the centre electrode and that modern plugs don't resist contamination in the same way that older ones do.

The following companies are all good "trusted" Villiers parts suppliers.

meetens.co.uk

villiersparts.co.uk

villiersservices.co.uk

Once again I thankyou for invaluable information Gentlemen,I have 2 off the "original plugs" for this machine and if theyare no Good I will go to the people you recommend Once again many thanks