OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Restoring, Customising and Modifying Tech Talk Tecumseh TVM 140 Rebuild & odd mods

Thanks grumpy, a prompt about tips and tricks gave me something to think about!...mmmm

This won't be an exhaustive list and has omissions etc. and assumptions are made of the readers general mechanical knowledge etc. hopefully proves to be helpful in giving a few prompts to someone in a rebuild of a motor. A couple of "tricks" specific to a Tecumseh TVM 140 as well..

Method/Tips:

1. Have an area cleaned out to house cleaned and need to be cleaned parts, with a dust free area for short term storage of critical engine internals (I used an old cupboard)

2. Clean everything! before and during strip down, I like to to have everything spotless before opening up an engine, or anything mechanical.

3. More cleaning! and dont forget to clean gunk out of sockets and spanners etc. degrease and blow off with compressed air, throw out dirty rags

4. Have a Milo tin or big tuna tins to keep nuts bolts, screws, keys etc. in (nothing should get lost)

5. Last before opening up engine spray with degreaser scrape off any hard cruddy bits with a wire brush & scraper before hosing off and blow off with compressed air

6. Be carefull when opening up the crankase breather unit, as dirt etc. hangs around the gaskets and the screw holes and lock washers

7. With clean tools, hands and clothes (relatively speaking) strip out the internals of the motor, cam, piston/conrod assembly and the crank shaft. TIP: Slip out valve lifters wipe off with a clean rag one at a time inspect and write "E" on the exhaust one and "I" on the inlet one! and place in your clean area, and strip out the valves and springs etc. keeping them matched up

8. Degrease and wash off internal engine parts drying off with compressed air, inspect and place in your clean area

9. Degrease and wash off cylinder and crank case etc. same with small parts, buff threads and bolts heads with power wire brush on a bench grinder if you have one etc.

10. Degrease and wash off tools ready for a clean re-assembly of engine.

11. On assembly set the ingition timing before the head goes on etc.


Tricks/Traps:

1. Have a copy of or hand written notes of piston ring placement and all the torque settings for the screws and bolts (a down loaded manual is a winner)

2. Use a #3 phillips head bit in a socket to torque up the inlet manifold and carby on your torque wrench

3. Make sure you have the Tecumseh oil pump the right way round, with the bevel facing the crankshaft (inwards) or you'll wonder what the #%^#$ is going on!! ie. why wont this go together (I got caught)

4. Check that you have the Governer arm in the right position when you put the cases together! (I got caught while fiddling around with the oil pump!)

5. Dont forget to pre lube everything with clean oil on assembly TIP: I had trouble with the oil pump plunger staying in place when trying to put the outer case on, as the plunger end is in this and on the crank shaft! I have some thick "Wynns no smoke" oil treatment, it stopped it flopping around, also put a dob of this on the cam lobes.

6. Give the keyways and shafts a light smear of "never sieze" on assembly, I also took out the grub screws on the pulley and did those as well, grease would suffice as well, if you dont have "never seize".

Generally this rebuild went pretty well, I got caught out ordering on line a little (to the States), but was my fault really by not asking before I ordered! So I have a few left over gaskets for the larger Tecumseh engines and a spare set of STD TVM 140 piston rings, I also ordered an extra TVM 140 head and sump gasket, if anyone is interested...

The Outdoor King online order is in the mail on its way too, no worries!

See before and after picks Engine # for the record is TVM140 70370K SER 12660







I'll put in one more final post later with what it cost me to do...

John