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Atco Tecumseh engines

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1manwent2 Fri, 10/06/2022

My current project is a Atco B14 deluxe which has Tecumseh engine which is American I believe,what I don’t understand is why it has British carburettor (Zenith) and a British ignition coil (Wipac)  Did Atco buy in incomplete engines for some reason?

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wristpin Sat, 11/06/2022

Sounds as though your machine has the A98 engine - alloy block 98cc- made under licence from Tecumseh but, as you’ve found out , with a UK carburettor and magneto. The early ones had points ignition and later ones a solid state unit. 

Sadly it was never as smooth running as the Suffolk Iron Foundry iron block engine that it replaced.

DJD Sun, 12/06/2022

I entirely agree with the last poster's comments, these horizontal cranked engines never ran very smoothly, some were a pig to start because the timing could not be altered, one I recall used to 'kick back' and almost snap the rope cord as it ripped it back onto the plastic disc, a very small amount of timing movement is available on the coil mounting, but nowhere near enough.

The primer bulb on the carb, unlike Briggs ones gave no indication of pressure or whether or not you had actually inserted any fuel at all into the venturi, the carbs themselves were not of the best either I must say, but at least I suppose proper carbs, a great pity they had no real choke mechanisms, although some other models did, why they went the primer bulb route was probably to save money I suppose...