OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Repairs and Maintenance Questions on Engines Questions On Tecumseh / Kirby Engines Victa - Ultima - 5hp Tecumseh.

Hey Guys,
I picked this up for free on the weekend. It appears to be in reasonable condition with the exception of a missing plate on the side of the carburettor where the throttle linkage is located. I am pretty sure it is a Tecumseh.
I have read a couple of threads about the engine and they all appear to be fairly negative however I wouldn�t mind trying to get it running rather than just using it for parts. I am just not sure about the missing plate where the throttle linkage goes. Is it still worth trying to repair without the plate? Could I make something up?
Model Numbers are as follows:
- ULT50 5000320
- Date of Manufacture 6262K
I have included some photo�s below and would appreciate any thoughts from those who have worked on the engine. Being a Tecumseh it should be of reasonable quality, nearly all the tecumseh�s I have encountered a damm good engines so I am hoping I can resurrect this one back to life.
I do like something different for a challenge.
Jaffa.

G'day Jaffa,
That mower looks complete and the price was right.
I am not familiar with that air cleaner set up either.
I'm used to seeing the carb and muffler on the same side.

I can see where the clamp bit into the plastic on the throttle cable.
You could cut a piece out of an old catcher to cover that hole.
Then find a way to clamp your cable outer in place.
See you have a starter cord hanging out.
I agree, Techumseh engines are great.
Enjoy.

Hi Peter, that is a 207cc Tecumseh Ultima. It was built on the 262nd day of 1996. I personally love the grunt these engines have but yes, they are a relatively odd ball motot. My old man has one and it's got oodles of power and runs pretty much the same as a Briggs Quantum.
I have not done much work on these before other than the usual service items but i can tell you this much.
the "Hi Zone" filter is a standard Victa long paper type cartridge, Plug is a J19LM, the missing plate is just a metal cover which you could make out of some 16 guage plate. It just bolts onto the two holes on the little plate above the throttle linkage. The cover wouldn't need to be a perfect fit, just big enough to mount to the 2 holes and enough material on the back enf to support the cable clamp.
Do the usual tests and see if it's worth proceeding with the project.

Oh, yeah, forgot to mention, the starter is a regular tecumseh starter and the "usual" starters are fully compatible, although nearly all of these came out with a zone starter hence the extra rope length.

The carby's on these are pigs to work on. Plastic fuel bowl held on with a big metal clip. Not fun to service at all. When these first came out we have numbers of these with carby issues with warranty. No adjustment. Just remove and replace.

they are good when they are running but the most common repair here is scrap it and bolt a 2 stroke on

Ok guys thanks for the pointers. The mower wasnt the easiest to work on however it came up a treat.

The carby was relatively easy to work on. I just took some photos as I went to ensure everything was as it should be once it was back together. The carby was full of stale fuel and dirt however once it was cleaned up it started first pull.

The mower powered through the long grass when tested and idles very nicely. Just like a Briggs Quantum actually. I do find the Quantums easier to work on.

I have included some photos below to help others and a picture of the throttle plate I made up as per Marks suggestion. Its not perfect by any means but it fits nicely and does the job.

Well others might not rate tecumsehs, I have done a fair few now and whilst a bit fiddly to work on I never get complaints about their ongoing performance.

Jaffa

G'day Jaffa, pleased your mower work out alright.
First time I have ever seen that style of carburettor, so I looked it up.
Here is a great thread for servicing it.
http://outdoorpowerinfo.com/repairs/tecumseh_vector_carb.asp

All the Techumseh engines I have done so far, have worked out really well, except for the one I am doing now. I have tried 3 different carbys now and none of them prime the engine for starting. Once the engine is running, it is fine.
So will have to buy a new carb to complete this mower.

I've never liked the Tecumseh carburetors, which seem to be to be more temperamental than Briggs ones and harder to work on. I also see the PCV valve design as just plain silly, since it will mount either the right way up or the wrong way up, and if you happen to put it on the wrong way up, it will pass oil through the breather hose. However the base engines seem impressively durable in my limited experience - probably more durable than an aluminium bore Briggs.

Mark, thanks very much for posting that link. Had I have read that before pulling the carby apart I would have had to take so many photo�s. It�s great for future reference.

On a separate note you mentioned priming issues. I have had this before and when I ended up replacing the needle , seat and re-setting the float height my problems were gone. The new carby�s on ebay are cheap but I always like to try and get the genuine carby right. I get the kits from china and haven�t had a problem with them to date in regard to reliability. Happy to PM you the details if you like.

Grumpy, I agree with you regarding the carbies being difficult to work on however when they run properly I really rate them highly.

I will be on the lookout for more Ultima�s as they are a good engine.

Thread can probably be closed unless any others have some comments

Mark, Grumpy and Bigted thanks for your help.