OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Restoring, Customising and Modifying Tech Talk Chonda - Sanli Lazercut!

To date I have stayed away from Chonda�s as most of the ones I see at the junkyards are trashed and beyond repair � well economically anyway. I haven�t had any luck in finding a second hand Honda yet to repair but I�m sure that will happen one day.
Anyhow I just acquired this Sanli which is just about brand new. The entire mower hardly has a mark on it and the catcher is in perfect condition, albeit a little difficult to get on and off. I only offered the guy $20 incase it was catastrophically stuffed. Thought it would be a good chance to look into OHV engines nonetheless.
The bloke I bought it off said it was stuffed but I did some small checks:


- Replaced the fuel and cleaned the fuel filter as it looked like the old owner put 2 stroke in it.
- Check for spark and cleaned the plug whilst I was at it.
- Oil was perfectly clear and at the full mark.
I thought he might have flooded it so I gave it a few pulls with the fuel off before replacing the plug. After putting it back together it fired right up and the smoke disappeared after 30 seconds or so. I think it might have been the last of the 2 stroke mix.
I haven�t serviced this type of engine before and would appreciate some pointers so I don�t stuff it up un-necessarily.
I am particularly interested in the OHV servicing procedures and the differences with between the side valve engines I have worked on so far. I understand the Honda copy carbies are also a little more complex than briggs and Tecumseh carbies.
I have watched videos on the procedures however I�d like to confirm the correct way before I start.
I know some people don�t like chonda�s but I�ll reserve my judgement after working on it!
Included a couple of photos for the records.
Thank you.

Hi Peter, it really depends on how far you wish to go with the service. The carbies are no more difficult to service than any other quantum or tecumseh unit. The main jet is held is screwed into the main venturi and the emusion tube{which generally drops out after the jet is removed}has a small series of holes in it just like a honda and these require careful cleaning when dismantling the carb. There are no orings on the emulsion tube, unlike the tecumseh carbs. The key to easy starting with these is to ensure full choke is engaged at full throttle. After removing the air filter the easiest way to get the carb off is to remove the 2 studs that go into the block to enable you to twist and manouvre the carb to get the linkages off.
As for valve adjustment, unlike the side valve briggs and tecumseh's, clearances are fully adjustable but literature on specs is hard to come by on these. My guess would be the same clearances as a GXV120 or about 0.1mm on both inlet and exhaust (i may stand to be corrected here).
My experience with these motors is that they are quite good for what they are and generally have loads of torque, but the inferior quality of starters, throttle and governor assemblies is what generally lets them down.
Another issue with these in particular is the air filter. They are a dry paper element and if they get oil wet they generally cause the engine to chugg and cough. Admittedly they are available from Kmart for $8 as they are the same as the "Gardeners Choice" which Kmart sell.
Having said all that, take it for a test run, if it runs as it should, do the minimum and move it along.

The engines in the only Sanli mowers I know of, are accurate copies of the Honda GXV140. Tappet clearance is 0.15 mm inlet, 0.20 mm exhaust. Their carburetors are Huayi, but seem to be accurate copies of the Keihin that Honda uses. So far, I don't know of anywhere on the engine itself that Honda and Sanli parts are not interchangeable, but this won't necessarily apply to the air cleaner, muffler, top cover/fuel tank, and throttle cable for example, since they have been deliberately made to look quite different from Honda. You should be able to repair that chonda by using the GXV140 workshop manual.

There will be odd places where the Sanli has a component that is of inferior quality, such as the PCV valve disk reported in this thread:
https://www.outdoorking-forum.com.au/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=52741#Post52741

I suggest you just service it exactly as if it were a Honda, Jaffa. If you have any questions as you go along, post them here. I personally tend to see chondas as what we will all be using in the near future, and it is well worth building an archive on them.

There are some servicing differences between OHV and side valve engines. You need to check the tappets regularly (I do it when changing the oil, but unless it is in heavy contractor-style service, once a year is enough), and because the engines are calibrated for minimum emissions, gum formation in the carburetor causes them to run lean. Also, the carburetor insulator gaskets tend to deteriorate if you take the carburetor off, so you must watch their condition carefully or you'll have an air leak and that also will cause lean running. As bigted said, check the speed control cable and linkage adjustment each time you service the engine, to ensure that the choke is closing fully. Keep the air filter clean.

That is about it for servicing I think. They run very much better than a side valve Briggs, and do so for much longer before they wear out. To me, it is worth servicing them fairly carefully to keep them singing so sweetly that they are a pleasure to use.

Thanks for the comments guys.
I gave it a run and it was a little sluggish before I pulled it apart. I thought that might have had a lot to do with the previous owner putting 2 stroke in the fuel tank.
Anyway I proceeded to take the carby off without damaging the linkages, talk about fiddly but not too difficult.
I thoroughly cleaned the carby including the emulsifier with cleaning and compressed air. I cleaned each of the small emulsifier holes with my jet drills to ensure they were spot on.
I put everything back together and it wouldn�t fire up.
The linkaged were correct, the choke was opening and closing as it should. I then did some reading and found the air cleaners on these can be of poor quality just like bigted mentioned.
I then removed the air cleaner cover and it fired right up and sounded perfect. Much better than before the carby was pulled apart however when you put the air cleaning cover back on the engine dies.
I have included some photos which I hope might help others. I look forward to your thoughts���

We'd have to see the air cleaner element, and the way the air cleaner housing goes together, to see what has happened there. One thing you might try is assembling the air cleaner housing without the element and see how it runs, then put the element back in without changing anything else and see if it changes. Essentially my guess is either there is a way to assemble the housing incorrectly, and you've found it, or the element is blocked by dirt or damage. It is possible that the element was blocked all along, but the housing had been assembled loosely so it could still run, albeit badly. If that is what happened, when you assemble it correctly, the blocked element keeps the engine from running.

Pictures of the air cleaner housing and element would be useful in this thread not only to resolve the problem, but also because it is one of the features of that chonda that is quite different from Honda.

I have included some photos below for reference.
The engine runs perfect without the air cleaner cover on. If I remove the cleaner and put the cover on the engine chugs and eventually stalls. Take the cover off and the engine runs perfectly.
There was really only one way to reinstall the air cleaner assembly and spacers and I am quite sure I have them on correctly. I stand to be corrected though.
I have also made sure the 2 gaskets between that surround the spacer which joins the carby to the manifold are properly mounted. I am not sure if incorrect mounting could cause this problem.
There is what I am pretty sure is a mixture screw on the side of the carby. I returned it to the original setting after cleaning and when the engine was running adjustment made no noticeable difference.
An important note � before I pulled it down it ran really rich like it was on choke and wouldn�t really rev up. After cleaning and re-assembly with the air cleaner off it works perfectly��.
Look forward to your comments.

First, that air cleaner element has a foam prefilter around the outside. You need to remove the prefilter and wash just the prefilter in petrol, then re-oil it with engine oil and put it back over the paper filter, each time you service the mower. You can only inspect the condition of the paper filter by removing the prefilter - people sometimes are fooled by a clean-looking prefilter and do not realise that the paper filter behind it is completely clogged up.

Second, I think you said that it runs properly with the air cleaner cover removed, but it won't run with the cover installed even if you leave the filter element on the bench when you do it, so you are running it effectively without the air cleaner. If that is really happening, the air cleaner cover has a blocked air intake. Please clarify exactly what causes it to not run: the air cleaner element, or the air cleaner cover.

Third, the mixture screw on the Honda/chonda carburetors is only an idle air bleed and has very little effect even at idle. It has no effect at all when the throttle is open. Furthermore if there were anything wrong with the carburetor, it would not run when you take the cover off the air cleaner. This is not a carburetor problem.

Good point about the filter. I will check it tonight.

As soon as I remove the cover it runs perfectly. I will check the intake tonight and try and see if it is blocked somehow. It is deffinately the air cleaner cover which causes it not to run and not the filter because if I remove the filter and replace the cover it still wont run.

Thanks for the pointer about the idle air bleed set up. I'll leave it as it was set originally.

lets just hope the intake is blocked somehow.

I think the air cleaner box must have a blocked intake, Jaffa. In one of your pictures it seems to be on the engine side of the box, right up against the top cover/cowl. It sounds as if something closes that area off, when the lid goes on. I haven't seen the lid when it is off the box, so I can't guess what exactly is happening.

No blockage from what I can see.
I took off the spacer and gaskets and noticed I had them the wrong way. The pattern in the rear of the carby needed to match the spacer which looks like some sort of breather so I changed that. One of the gaskets has a breather hole so I think it's all good now.
Same thing happened though....... Take the air cleaner cover offm and it starts.

Filter is nice and clean by the way.

Perhaps posting some pictures of the air cleaner box would help. It isn't a Honda design, and I'm not familiar with its design. Probably most other Outdoorking people aren't either.

Hi Grumpy & Jaffa J, I've just pushed a thin rag hrough the air cleaner . This tells me there is nothing restricting the air flow, I will also post a photo of the gaskets and which way they should be very shortly.

And the nail polish is not what you think.!

Also I would check the hose inlet on the air filter box and the hose itself as there could be something getting sucked through when you put the top on . Bit of a mystery but not for long.

Jaffa, this is the part I've been wanting you to check, but the communication hasn't been working so far:



That is simply roebuck's picture of the bottom half of the air cleaner, with a red circle around the air cleaner's air intake, which is what I want you to look at. Is that rectangular passage clear and open, including the area around the engine's cooling fins? If it is blocked up somehow, either with a foreign body or some mud or grass, all is explained.

I've also been asking for pictures of the corresponding part of the top cover of the air cleaner box, to verify that it is not somehow blocking that air intake.

Thanks for posting those pictures, Rob. Hopefully we are now getting somewhere.

Baffled.

Rob, assuming the top cover goes around the outside of the bottom of the air cleaner box, the cutout in the top cover has to straddle the intake port that sticks out from the bottom part. See yellow oval superimposed on your picture:



At this point I can't see any way to mess it up unless the top cover can be fitted with its rim inside the bottom part instead of outside it. That is why I'm guessing that the snorkel on the lower part is somehow blocked or obstructed.

I doubled checked the air intake last night and nothing is restricting the intake from what I can see. My photos below show you it is pretty much the same setup as Rob posted. Thanks for your efforts Rob.
I changed the gaskets around last night and still the same result but on my second inspection, I noticed the breather hole and wonder if this is something to do with restricting air flow and not allowing the engine to start. I could be completely wrong but I thought it would be worthwhile posting up.
The gasket that goes against the manifold position is self-explanatory. You can�t really get that wrong. Mine is positioned the same as Robs. The second gasket (after the spacer) has a hole in it. (See my photo below). My gasket I thought should be positioned the same as Robs however I noticed on the back of the carby a small hole which aligns with the hole in the gasket so I changed the position which looks to be more accurate. (Again I could be wrong through). After doing this change late last night I didn�t get a chance to see if the engine would start so I don�t know if it made a notable difference.
Unless I am mistaken from my photo�s below nothing unreasonable is restricting air flow��. I have mine set up exactly as per robs in the airbox department. I cleaned and dried the whole compartment before re-installing it. I cant see a way to install it incorrectly.