Just dug up a Victa vc160 M. I am guessing M is a for mustang?
Has been buried under rotting furniture in an outhouse for over a decade (I'm guessing) but thought I'd give repairing it a go to save it from landfill.
So far I've rebuilt the carb which I was hoping was going to be the major bit of work but have discovered no spark so need to pull the flywheel off. Have read the thread on this but am a bit confused as the 3 holes in the flywheel are not threaded.. am I better off tapping this and getting bolts to match? What have others done? What size/ thread bolts does anyone recommend?
Thinking this is a later 70s model as has a G4 carb. Not sure how popular these mowers were in the UK but I'm in Central London.
Hi Chris, welcome here. Great mower you have there, the Victa 2 strokes were the best mowers ever made. Downside with your one is catchers are hard to come across and not broken. I just drill the 3 holes and tap them 1/4 whitworth . Probably a better option is to forget about removing the fanwheel and just fit an ignition module into the wire that goes to the kill switch wire that goes to the carby. This means the points and condenser are not needed and can be just left in there
G'day SR and NK, I could tell we had an export model here. That looks like it's got potential. The body looks ok but how's the left side edge? Is it worn at all? Any cracks in the chassis? One positive with this chassis is that thumb latch catchers are backwards compatible on this first series thumb latch catcher hi arch chassis. You can fit all thumb latch catchers except from self propelled mowers. The ones from later chassis don't fit 100% perfect (you'll see the side of the catcher opening not matching up with the chassis profile) but will go on perfectly fine and operate properly. You'll need to get another engine cover down the line though it won't affect operation. If you can't get a better one I guess you could repair the crack with car body filler in the mean time and paint it up to make the mower look nicer. I'd love to get those wheels off it. Excellent tread by the looks of it. I've removed the fan of the top with a two leg puller that grips the edges but that one could be a bit tight due to prolonged storage. It should only be used if it starts lifting off with ease as you screw it down, if it feels like it's not budging it's definitely best to use the screw holes. I've broken a fly wheel trying to force it off with my two legged puller. I agree with NormK's idea of wiring in an electronic ignition module. It's not complicated and will result in easier starting and you can bypass the points and condenser system. Nice to see a Victa survivor in London!
Ahh, if only victa had kept producing the thumblatch catcher series, they would be in better shape today!
Many thanks, has given me a direction to go. Will try and get the flywheel off just to see if it's a runner before throwing too much money at it on electronic ignition etc.. have put some penetrating fluid on to soak for a few days and in the meantime I'll try and find my taps.
I have the catcher for it but it has suffered the same fate as many in that it's as brittle as anything and would probably disintegrate on a running mower.
The body looks in great condition, no cracks I can see. The mower seems to have held up well over the years of incarceration. Got the blade disc off and gave it the wire brush treatment, looks serviceable.
It looks like someone has had the cowling off at some point before with the missing screw.
I pulled the decompressor off and dismantled it, looks like the valve has broken but the was no sign on the small spring, circlip or broken head of the valve which may have been the reason this was dumped. Maybe someone had this apart already.
Am thinking I'll just put a blank in there to see if it's a runner before trying to repair/ replace.
Is there any advice for when I get round to starting this? Should I put some oil in the piston to make sure its lubricated? Do I need to worry about the crank case or bearing lubrication? Am trying to avoid doing a complete rebuild.
On a slightly off topic note, this is the second mower discovered from the same shed. The first was a Murray 20 side discharge of a 1987 vintage (from the engine number - Tecumseh) probably been sat for a similar amount of time. That had a bent crank which I managed to get a replacement for cheap and runs really well. Only problem is that it's side discharge and no easy height adjustment (bolted on wheels). Would much prefer to be running with the Victa as my go to mower as it's a quality built machine. Slightly concerned about how much noisier it will be than the 4 stroke so will have to stop the midnight mowing.
I imagine that Victa mowers are much less susceptible to bent cracks due to the blade design?
they were a top tier machine in their day with all the features you want like large ball bearing wheels and adjustable angle folding handles for ease of mowing under shrubs. They will handle tall thick grass all day better than any four stroke (except maybe an expensive Honda OHV). Too good to throw to the tip for certain. Good save. The points may just need a clean but you should be able to scavenge an ignition module of a later Victa though you may not have the luxury of access to a wreck like I've got, so give it a go seeing if you can get it to spark again with the existing points and condensor ignition. Keep us posted.
Ahh, if only victa had kept producing the thumblatch catcher series, they would be in better shape today!
They will handle tall thick grass all day better than any four stroke (except maybe an expensive Honda OHV).
You were right the first time MF; better than any 4 stroke I have ever used or heard of. The Honda 4 strokes are very good but not quite the same
Only Honda I have used in anything resembling thick grass is the one I built for myself (v40 chonda on hru19d deck) - cuts grass very well, but I highly doubt it would handle super thick grass like a Victa 2st. I did a desperately needed Buffalo lawn scalp and ended up getting a full catcher off every 6-9m and it didn't sweat. And that was the low comp version.
And if I had a dollar for every mowing contractor I've heard say how usless the SP honda's catcher is in thick or wet grass.
Some more pictures, body in good shape, paint not so much. Stripped, cleaned and refitted carb. Got a new air filter so trying not to spend anymore until I know it's worth it but will consider the electronic ignition. Spraying the flywheel daily with penetrating fluid to loosen it up. Spark plug just there to stop crud falling in until I work out the decompressor situation.
Those treads are remarkable. The body is too. This machine has a lot of life in it. Looks like England's gardens make for a charmed life for a Victa. Good on you for saving a good specimen in the northern hemisphere.
PS regards attempting to start it for the first time, manually feed a teaspoon of 25:1 two stroke fuel into the inlet manifold with the piston at the very top of the stroke in the bore and also some in the plug hole. That should provide enough initial lubrication ready to start for the first time after sitting so long.
Ahh, if only victa had kept producing the thumblatch catcher series, they would be in better shape today!
I agree - plenty of life left in it. Alloy deck probably saved it.
I would personally squirt some oil into the inlet manifold with the spark plug facing up, allowing some onto the bore and to run down into the main bearings. Ideally you would also tilt a bit more to allow into top main bearings. Smokes for a few mins but worth it.
Thats effectively what I did with my survivor 1972 Victa Sunbeam
Those early thumb latch catchers don't stand the test of time well in their plastic composition, most entering the decomposition stage now. Here are examples of alternatives from later models that will fit and look good on your mower. Note the first shown is 100% compatible and comes off a slightly later updated design Mustang with the same base as yours. The other two, especially the last one will be easier to locate and less rare and will go on ok. The blue one came more commonly in black and sometimes green. That's just to show you the shape. Make sure they have a regular lower lip at the bottom of the entry and not the offset one used for self propelled models. The UK was a large export market for Victa for a long time so you should be able to hunt down one of these catchers in online ads your way.
Ahh, if only victa had kept producing the thumblatch catcher series, they would be in better shape today!
SR, the only thing that would make this a non runner is if it had been straight fueled, that is something you will not know until you have spark. Putting penetrene in an attempt to get the fanwheel off is probably futile, it is a keyed taper and is easily removed with a puller on the 3 holes. If you don't have a tap to tap the holes and a puller, the electronic ignition is probably the cheaper way to go and is why I mentioned it. If you buy a tap and puller and then find the points and condensor need replacing then it gets a bit expensive and at this stage you can't tell if it has been straight fueled. This is probably unlikely but you never know, it was parked up for some reason
Thanks, I have a tap set and will try and rig up a puller with some bolts in conjunction with a 3 prong puller. Will resist trying to pry the flywheel off until I get that sorted. Taps are in a storage unit so I have to go and dig them out.
By straight fueled I guess you mean without 2 stroke oil. Going by the sludge in the petrol tank I think it was mixed fuel.
Imagine it was dumped because of the decompressor.
Using what you've got to achieve the end of getting the fan off without damage is more important than metric vs imperial. This is the 2020s. Time for the old boy to embrace today's reality. Even in steadfastly imperial America, metric nuts and bolts are an everyday reality there. This is fine (not the threads haha).
Tyler will relate to opting for the shed made foam donut option.
As NormK says, will outlast any of us if taken care of. So long as the European legalities don't interfere regards two strokes. Let's hope not because the cleaner four strokes have been going backwards for decades.
Ahh, if only victa had kept producing the thumblatch catcher series, they would be in better shape today!
Hi Chris, old plug in the decomp hole should work fine unless it has a bit too much compression, I used one this way for about 10 years till it got to a stage where I couldn't find compression. I just found that motor a couple of days ago sitting on the shelf, I must have had that for over 40 years, might chuck a set of rings in it and fire it up again. No spark could also be condenser problem but another plug is best option to check, any plug will do to test for spark. You don't need the plug to test for spark, just hold the end of the plug wire 1/4 -1/2 inch from somewhere on the head and pull it over, good spark should jump 20mm Not sure what you have done with the filter looks like the throat is still open or is that the sponge for the bottom of the filter
SR, the only thing that would make this a non runner is if it had been straight fueled, that is something you will not know until you have spark. Putting penetrene in an attempt to get the fanwheel off is probably futile, it is a keyed taper and is easily removed with a puller on the 3 holes.
Umm, mea culpa for correcting you here Norm, but it's not a taper fitment - it's a 'keyed parallel' shaft/bore.
Which is even more prone to becoming 'rust-bound', if any moisture gets in there, than a taper fitment.
Probably the best 'penetrating lubricant' to use here, is a 1+1 mix of Acetone and Automatic Transmission Fluid [any type]. Do not under any circumstances use WD-40 - it's useless, in this situation.
BTW, there are still UK dealers who stock parts for this generation of Victa mowers.
