OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Repairs and Maintenance Questions on Engines Questions On Victa Two Stroke Engines VC160 Mark 3 Issues

Hi Bruce

Thanks for the help it took a while but I got the blade boss off without damaging anything. Now I just have to replace the seals, gaskets and piston rings and the engine should run a treat.
Does any one know of an easy way to put the piston back in without a piston ring compressor?

if you gently manipulate the rings as you slide the bore back onto the crankcase most times you can get them in pretty easily. I really do emphysise the word gently though, it can be a little fiddly.

If you want you can cut a piece of 20 gauge sheet aluminium or fairly thick tin can so it just wraps around the piston without overlapping, and use it with a piece of tie wire as a one-time ring compressor. It used to be fairly common practice for jobs where the ring compressor would end up around the connecting rod (in other words, any engine where you slide the cylinder over a piston with the connecting rod already attached to the crankshaft). This is because commercial ring compressors are not always suited to taking to pieces to get them off the connecting rod.

I've always used Joe's method for rings with a low tension, and the piece of aluminium if there was more ring tension. If you use the sheet metal method, be sure it's clean on the inside, and the piston is well-oiled so it won't get scratched. Don't overdo the tension on the tie-wire: remember the ring compressor has to slide down the piston.

Hi All

Just an update, I have replaced the piston rings, head gasket and fixed up the decompresson valve with a overhual kit. I am about to replace the oil selas and base gasket before I put it all back together this weekend.

Hi All

I juat wanted to know if anyone knew what colour green the VC160 Mark 3 mowers are? I am looking at repainting the mower but do not know which colour green it is.
Hope someone out there know the colour or a close match.
look forward to hearing back from you guys.

Hi VC Victa, if you have some of the original paint intact on a part the mower, just take it to a Dulux Trade Centre or 3D Store, or in fact any paint specialist, they have colour matching software that can match the colour exactly, providing it is a solid colour....ie. not a "hammertone" finish.
Hoping this helps,

Hi all

To further update, I have now installed a new piston and rings (the old piston was scoured) and honed the cylinder. I have installed a new top seal and I am about to install the bottom seal, the only problem is that the standard seal does not fit properly?
The seal is too small. It looks like the hole where it goes has some how got bigger.
There was alot of crap wound around the bottom of the crank shaft, would this cause this to happen?
How would I go about fixing this? Do I simply seal around the gap with sealant or get hold of an oversize seal to use?

Look forward to your advice

from memory there is two types of seal, one is bigger and one is smaller, this could be cause to your issues...

Hi Joe and all

I have got hold of the bigger seal but that to is too small.
I have now got a seal that is slightly too big by about .5mm and I am going to machine that base of the engine just a little so that this seal will fit snug in the gap. Hopefully this will help to solve the issue.

I have also refurbished the decompresson valve and replaced the muffler.