Atco Standard -some general technical queries
At long last I have a home of my own (well, those bits the mortgage provider doesn't lay claim to), and space to rescue my Standard from my parents' barn.
I know it will need some fettling - it has run since 2000, but the last time I tried to get it running some years back it was having none of it, would fire occasionally but never enough to actually run. I haven't got it here yet but will go through the fuel-air-spark routine when I do. Might be a few weeks away, so I might not give results on this thread very rapidly!
So... what do I need to know?
Fuel - likely to get unleaded with a shot of lead substitute as petrol, as that's what my regular mower takes. What ratio of petrol to oil should I be using? I assume that with modern oils 16:1 as the cap says is well over the top?
Sparks - if I have a dodgy spark, how do I check the coil, condenser, and plug lead? I guess I can check the last with a multimeter for continuity, but electrics are not my subject so would appreciate guidance on the others.
Many thanks, and a happy New Year to everyone!
Adrian
Forums
Thanks, Wristpin, that all
Thanks, Wristpin, that all seems reasonable to me. Several I've done to various machines including this one in the past, but it's always good to have a refresher. I've seen the price of coils, luckily I have a redundancy payout to spend if I need one, but if I can get it going without one first...
The petrol looks as though it might be a PITA as I'll have three machines (4-stroke mower, 2-stroke modern hedge trimmer, plus the Atco), all needing different mixtures! Sounds as though I need to get some coloured cans, an appropriate sized measure, and a tin box to keep the lot in.
Adrian
The oil grade thing is a
The oil grade thing is a personal point of view - others may disagree; but I work along the lines that when working on an old, worn engine, the more that one can get right the better chance of success.
To save buying separate cans just buy one of these
http://www.screwfix.com/p/no-nonsense-hp-120-2-stroke-engine-oil-mixing…
and dispense a litre at a time from your basic unleaded can and add the appropriate grade and quantity of oil for the two stroke machine in question when needed. Only snag is that I see that since I last bought one the 16:1 graduation has been dropped in favour of a more environmentally acceptable 50:1 ! So 25:1 plus a drop more oil.
That solves one litre at a
That solves one litre at a time problem, I was wondering what to use as a measure - unfortunately the hedge trimmer has a tiny tank, so I'll still need a can for that, or a much smaller measure. I do have a collection of very small measures (aka syringes), so getting a correct 16:1 shouldn't be too big a problem.
Adrian
Well, it's finally found its
Well, it's finally found its way from my parent's barn to my shed...
Adrian
Welcome to the forum.
Welcome to the forum.
Fuel mix. On a two-stroke engine, with no valves or valve seats to worry about, lead substitute is not strictly necessary but won't do any harm. However when it comes to the oil type and mixing ratio I'm a believer in "old oil" for old engines . Some of the reasoning for this is that in an old plain bearing engine the fuel mix plays a part in sealing the crank bearings etc and modern semi and fully synthetic mixing oils are not as good as the older stuff at performing that function. I suggest that you use a non detergent SAE30 or 40 oil at the original 16:1 ratio. Millers sell a vintage two stroke oil specifically for the job and Morris Lubricants do both 30 and 40 non detergent oils that are suitable. I emphasise "non detergent" to distinguish this from the detergent SAE 30 often branded as "Lawnmower oil".
Spark. First test is to place the plug on an unpainted area of the engine and check for a spark. However that this does not mean that there will still be one when the plug is installed and under compression. No free air spark ?- ,remove the plug and any plug connector and hold the lead around 3/16" away from bare metal and check again. If there's a decent spark try a new correctly gapped plug. Still no spark? - unscrew the plug lead from the magneto back plate and clean the "button" that presses against the contact on the coil and try again. You can also clean and gap the contact breaker points without removing the fly wheel so see if that will find a spark. Still no luck? - you will have to dig deeper but be aware that removing the flywheel looses the ignition timing which will have to be reset on reassembly.
Assuming that the engine still has its original coil it is likely that it may have suffered from internal corrosion and be past its best. Now coils are available but you may need to talk to the mortgage company! Beware of "new old stock" coils offered on auction sites - they may never have been fitted to an engine but could be as old as yours and deteriorated accordingly.