OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Repairs and Maintenance Questions on Engines Questions On Briggs & Stratton Engines Flymo with a Briggs and Stratton Quattro

Hi Guys,

I have been repairing two stroke engines for a fair while now. I never really picked up any mowers of the four stroke variety that were not completely stuffed. i.e ran without oil.

This is until recently when I won this flymo on ebay for a whole $11. It came with a catcher which was a bonus.





With a little fiddling I managed to get it going.
So far I suspect the carby diaphragm and gasket need to be replaced along with a carby clean.
Oil Changed
Air Filter cleaned as it is pretty dirty
I will also put a new rope in as that snapped.
The blades also need to be replaced.
I would appreciate some tips on servicing this type of engine before I commence. I do suspect that a carby clean will get this mower going well.
Thanks guys
PJ

Good score for $11. Looks like its the original motor but its so tall an looks funny on that base.
Those quatro engines are good motor an normally quite powerfull. Has it got a solid one peice blade or a blade disc?

Its got the blade disk. None of the one piece cheap stuff.

Hi Peter, what makes you think it a carby diaphragm, what are the symptoms, whats it doing(or not doing). So far your right on track, air filter, oil, plug?

I always replace the Diaphram....just as part of the carby service(cheap as chips anyways)

Also remember that the starting cord for those goes up to the handle (through a metal 'o' loop) and has a pressed on 'tag' to stop it retracting all the way back into the pull start unit...you could just shorten it and use it as standard briggs do...

Thanks guys,

Bigted. The mower was very hard to start and chugged quite a bit. it didnt blow any smoke which was a good sign.

Newlife, thanks for the tip on the rope I think I will shorten it down to the engine like most mowers. less chance of it getting caught again and breaking.

Do you guys have any tips for adding the correct amount of oil. I am pretty sure its .59 of a litre that needs to be added once drained.

Spot on.. .59 is correct

Pete, do the diaphragm and give the carby a good clean out, theres probably water in the bottom of it. Also, a good idea to reset the air gap on the coil, 0.15-0.25mm

Nearly all done however iv hit one hurdle. I have taken the starter apart and put new rope in but it doesn't have a slot to wind up the spring like the victa's.

Is there a trick to this process?

Thanks guys

[video][/video]

sometimes a video is worth a thousand words ;-)

I actually seen that video but I don't have a gas torch. I improvised and managed to wind up the spring and then thread through the rope. It was a bit fiddly but its working spot on now.

The mower is now going great all it really needed was a carby clean and a new diaphragm as it was stretched and stuffed. It now goes first pull.

Can someone advise on the blades? They look exactly the same as victa blades. Or do it need to get the ones from the online store? I am pretty sure it's an 18 inch mower and the ones in the store are 19 inch.

I'd appreciate your advice.

Thanks

Hi Peter, The flymo blades are like the victa blades, only the flymo ones are a little longer, maybe 5mm per blade, but not as long as the 19" victa ones. I've used standard 18" victa blades in the past but they do fall a little short and have about a 10mm gap between the blade tip and mower deck.
Cheers, Theo

Thanks bigted.

Well the mower is now running spot on and a first pull starter. It is a very quiet engine and virtually smokeless.

So far
Carby cleaned with diaphragm and gasket replaced
Starter rope repaired and shorted down to the engine
Oil replaced with 600ml of fresh four stroke oil
Air filter cleaned and oiled.
Spark plug replaced
Magneto regapped.
Blades replaced.

I am only learning these four strokes so I want to make sure iv covered everything. I do find the, more complicated than the 2 strokes. They do have some benefits though. Do I need anything else?

My second question is about the stop start arrangement for these engines. It all works fine but I'd like to learn a little more about the setup in simple terms please.

I also like to know how to safely stop these engines in the event the stop switch fails for safety purposes. Also do I need to service the arrangement like you do with the victa's.

Thank guys. I appreciate the help

Pete, seems like you've covered everything from a servicing perspective, just about the only thing you havent done id=s remove the head and clean off the carbon, which is overkill, unless you think it really needs it.
The start stop arrangement is already set up for safety purposes, the only other way to kill it if it fails is to pull off the plug lead, preferably with some insulated pliers.
The setup is quite simple, under the throttle plate assembly there is a switch with a wire on it that goes to the underside of thecoil(on the carby side), When you fully close the throttle the plate moves around and makes contact with the switch, hence shorting the low voltage side of the coil, exactly as a 2 stroke. Pretty easy really. The switch is more easily visible with the throttle assembly removed (the top 3 head bots and the front carby bolt hold it on). You're learning, so pull it off and have a look around, its best done with the fuel tank and air filter assembly off so you can disconnect the governor spring(s) and trace the kill wire to the coil easier.
I hijacked this picture from someone elses post


The bit where the arrow point to is where the contact point for the kill switch is; if you move the throttle plate you'll see it. The plastic bit in the highlighted box is the kill switch assemmly mount, it just pushes through a hole in the throttle plate assembly.
Cheers and good luck.

Bigted,

Thank your for the concise explanation. It is appreciated.

I have taken off the parts you indicated and taken a good look at the set up. The system seems fairly fool proof and reliable.

In general this seems to be a pretty high quality mower. From what I read the Quattro's are a reliable well built engine. The flymo frame seems really solid.
Time for it to move on to a new home.

What is a fair price for this type of mower? I was thinking around the $150 mark.

Some pictures of the finished product.

Yep, $150-$160 is what i normally sell them for. The big selling point for this mower is the 4hp engine and the alloy deck which will never rust..

Thanks. I actually really liked this mower. It is really quiet however it went off to a family members home. They are very happy with it. It also got me a few slabs of beer!

Me I am not so fancy. I like the raw of my old victa full crank 2 stroke that I havent serviced in a bloody long time. It just wont stop. It was my first mower so I still use it because of the sentimental value.