OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Repairs and Maintenance Questions on Engines Questions On Victa Two Stroke Engines Victa 125 Smoky Solutions

I have an edger and a mower which I have got back into working condition. They are both Victa 125 engines. They both produce an annoying but not terrible amount of white smoke.

I also have another edger which runs fine on the same fuel without any hint of smoke so I am confidant it is not oil or mix etc.

The mower was serviced locally and they said it is as good as it gets but I know from the other edger I have that "as good as it gets" is better than it is. No-one locally here seems all that keen on touching old engines for money, even a service and sharpen was like pulling teeth.

I don't mind getting my hands dirty and am planning on honing and new rings for both. Honing will be done by my old man who rebuilds much larger deisel engines for a living. I hope he has a hone small enough!!!!

Any advice before I start? Is rings and honing the likely solution? Given the smallish amount of smoke I am assuming that oversize pistons/rings are probably overkill.

Give in now and accept it as it is?

White smoke usually means poor combustion, which could be due to poor compression. However it could be other things such as a poor spark plug, retarded ignition or poor fuel vaporisation. Retarded ignition is not all that likely, since AFAIK it is not adjustable. If your spark plug, carburetor and air cleaner are all good, I suggest you inspect the side of the piston by removing the muffler and looking through the exhaust port. If the piston is scored, it is possible that would cause the problem even if the rings are OK. (Sometimes a previous owner has run the engine on straight petrol, which will often score the piston.)

If the piston is not scored, it is quite likely the rings are worn. The simple approach is to remove the cylinder, and inspect its bore. Unless the engine has been run without oil in the fuel, or without an air cleaner, it is likely to be good. If so, honing it is not going to make a lot of difference (except it will increase piston clearance, which you do not want). Remove a piston ring from the piston, and fit it into the bore so you can measure the ring gap with a feeler gauge. (Let's face it, you'll probably be able to measure it with an inch ruler). Unless the engine has been contaminated (no air cleaner) or run on straight petrol, it is likely that you'll just need new rings and a general clean-up. Check the bearings and seals, of course.

One small other thing I have noticed on some victa motors, while the rings may measure okay, over the years they lose their spring tension over the years. They are only pretty cheap so its worth replacing them regardless.

As grumpy said, make sure the top and bottom crank seals are good too

So a safe plan of attack would seem to be:

purchase Head and Base gaskets, new std rings then disassemble.Decide on hone based on condition of bore.

Are there any markings on the piston to indicate that they have been upsized in the past? IE: 20", 40" or 60" or do I simply measure the cylinder?

Will I need a ring clamp or will sufficient patience and cursing suffice?

How on earth do I check the top and botttom crank seals are good? Where are they? Are you referring to the head and base gaskets?

I could possibly think of another 17 questions if you want to play that game too!!!

You usually check the piston to bore fit by measuring the sizes of both with micrometers. However provided both bore and piston are not scored or scuffed, you can check the fit by seeing if the piston can be moved sideways in the bore. If it moves noticeably, it is pretty loose - which messes up the port sealing (and makes a nasty noise, usually).

You can most likely put Victa rings into the bore just by pinching them with your fingers. If not, use a piece of thin aluminium or steel sheet wrapped around the piston for exactly one turn, and compress the rings with tie-wire around the outside of the sheet. Remember the rings are kept from rotating in their grooves by brass pegs screwed into the piston. Do not try to remove those pegs - they are permanently installed. They are needed because they keep the rings from moving around in the ring grooves, and crossing the ports. If ring gaps cross a port they may score the bore and/or break/chip the ends of the rings.

The seals we referred to are the air/oil seals on the top and bottom of the crankshaft, beside the main bearings. If they leak air during the crankshaft suction phase, you get lean mixture. To test them, set the engine up with the crankshaft vertical (and the flywheel removed), and trickle a little bit of fuel (not oil) onto the seal. If it disappears, the seal leaks and has to be replaced. Turn the engine the other way up and repeat for the other seal.

Sorry for the delay in responding. Thanks. With the info here and the engine manuals I shouldn't go too far wrong.

Hi Spud, good to hear that your project is still ongoing.
Don't forget to let us know if you get the old girl going, they are definitely a strong little engine.