OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Restoring, Customising and Modifying Victa Walk-Behind Rotary Mowers Victa Mower, something to learn on

Hey Guys,

Well, I am newly registered, and have been doing a bit of reading, but I can't help but want to jump in, so I apologise for what is likely to be some dump questions .

I have been wanting to have a better understanding of the components of my mower, so I can diagnose and repair issues in the future (it is starting to get on with age, but has not let me down yet, it's a Victa, and I always prefer repair over replace), but the wife has forbidden me from pulling apart our current push mower , so I managed to find this Victa out on the street, looking for a home.

Today, not thinking about posting pictures, I got stuck in, but these are a few photos as it sits now (it does have the covers etc, I have already removed them, if someone needs help visualising the model, I can mock fit everything again and take a photo), if someone can identify the model, it would be nice to know, should I need model specific parts (if anyone knows off hand).








The first issue was the pull start, a different design to what I am used to seeing, but after pulling it apart, I found the return spring hook had straightened out and was not catching. After rectifying this, I now had a functioning pull start (I will be replacing the cord, but that can wait till later, much bigger problems to be sorted).





Next I removed the spark plug and confirmed I had spark. I then added some fuel and put the spark plug back in. It fired, I had the carby fuel line disconnected so it obviously only ran for a very short period.

I then took the covers off to have a better look. The first thing I noticed was the decompression valve has been removed, and an old spark plug put in it's place (as I understand it from reading, this is not an unusual temporary fix, as this just means you have a harder time pulling on startup), but does this put extra strain on the pull start mechanism, and could it be the cause for the spring failing?



Now I have not tested the carby yet, but I wanted to at least give it a good clean first, and then I noticed this with the air hoses.



This is where I decided I needed some advice (note the air hose that has been looped on the carby). So as I understand it, the bottom connection (as in the photo), should go to the decompression valve, or be blocked off, if the decompression valve is removed. The top connection (above the diaphragm), should have a hose going from it to this point on this cover:





Am I correct on where they should go? Is there any reason why someone would connect the air hose as it currently is on the carby? If I am going to be testing the carby, should I be reconnecting the top hose to the cover and blocking off the bottom connection that should go to the decompression valve? From what I have read so far, my understanding is that if the connection is not made between the carby (above the diaphragm), and the cover, then there will not be sufficient vacuum above the diaphragm and the mower will rev high, is that correct?

As I said initially I may have some really dumb questions, so I apologise if they were. My theory is best to ask, rather than just stumble in, after all this is predominantly about me trying to learn a bit.

I will ask one more question, mainly as council collection is coming up. How interchangeable are parts between other models and this one. I am unsure about the decompression valve, I don't think the one on my other victa would fit (I don't think it has enough reach), am I going to struggle to find one that fits? Apart from a learning experience, is this mower a viable candidate for restoring to running condition (from what I have shown so far), and was it a good model (power, reliability, etc), or is it better I just play around, and then ultimately use it as a parts machine?

Thanks in advance for any help you guys can provide,

Cameron

Hi CameroninNSW and welcome to the forum.
What you have there is approx a 1980 full crank 160cc 2 stroke. In my opinion they are a nice, well balanced, smooth running machine with ample grunt.
So to answer a few of your questions, the spring in the starter usually chops out because people are too rough, they release the cord after startup rather than guiding it back in. The removal of the decompressor places fatigue on the other starter parts; rope, gear, etc but the spring usually remains unaffected as it's sole purpose is to rewind the rope after start up.
You are spot on about the vacuum lines and why people do things is something nobody can answer. My concern would be the zip tie holding the diaphragm cap in place and whether it seals correctly thus allowing the governor to work as it should. if there is a vacuum leak from the cap the engine will over rev and the consequences would be dire.
Some parts are interchangeable, carbies, pistons(one way only, form newer models into the older models and not vice versa) and thats about it. This is a full crank engine and from 1982 onwards the "newly improved" powertorque engine replaced this which is a half crank motor.
Prior to getting into this one too deep it would be wortwhile to remove the muffler and do a visual inspection of the piston and rings and examine them for scoring or ceased rings.
Do your thing and let us know how you get along.

Thank you so much for your reply! What you say about the spring makes sense, and to be honest, I am guilty of letting go of the cord, so I promise to not do that again with any of my mowers

I keep having to remind myself the purpose of this is to learn, not to necessarily fix for the sake of fixing, unless it is viable to do so, so I thank you for directing me to the zip tie and why this may have been done, and how this could have had disastrous consequences for the motor.

Below is a short video and some pictures of the piston and rings, hopefully they give an indication of the condition.

[video][/video]











Could I ask, how much scoring is too much scoring? I guess in a real life situation, you would recognise a loss of power (I assume that's what happens?), or if you had the equipment, you could do a compression test, but without a compression test, if one was to do a visual inspection and found this, would it then become either a parts mower, or need to be pulled apart and further inspected? Seems to be a lot of carbon build up around the muffler port, and I think that is carbon below the rings, and in the groves, is that what has likely caused the scoring? From reading, my understanding is that this side of the piston is likely to be the worst? How would the cylinder be effected, is this now a mower waiting for a donor piston, or is the cylinder likely to have been effected too.



I had a good read of this:

https://www.outdoorking-forum.com.au/pages/Victa/Carby%20Information/Late%20Model/Victa%20G4%20Carby.pdf

(thank you to the person who posted this).

If I understand the way the governor works, the speed of the motor and hence the spinning of the flywheel causes a minor vacuum between the diaphragm cap and the diaphragm as the fins suck air through the tube. Based on this, if I was to check the integrity of the diaphragm, put it back together and blow into the tube, would I be able to get an idea of if the cap is leaking (if I understand this top section above the diaphragm correctly, it is effectively a sealed unit, and air should not escape)?

Thanks again for your assistance, I would love to keep this going, I am doing my own homework as I go, so hopefully it isn't coming across as me just cheating on my exam and asking to be spoon fed all the answers

Cheers,

Camo

Camo, that is definitely too much scoring for something that you'd want any longevity out of, but having said that it doesn't mean it wont run, and at this point you have nothing to lose, especially if you can get it running at no cost.
IF it were me, i wouldn't bother with donor pistons etc, but i'm lazy, and the machine is fairly old. See if you can get it running and if not, start to play around with it and use it as a learning tool.

Your right, it's actually probably the best machine for me, nothing to loose and a lot to play with. I will see how it goes. Thanks again for all your help.

Cheers,

Camo

Hi Camo,
The old fullcranks are a great engine and good to learn on, especially with the great help from this site. Did my first one up with help from here.
It is good to look for other donor mowers. Recently did up a Victa tilt a cut and used donors (including a decompression valve) off another free mower! Both are documented here.
You might find one with a good barrel to warrant buying a piston.

Good luck and happy tinkering. There aren't any 'dumb' questions.

That engine looks like it was run on straight petrol.With no oil,I find that a lot.I guess due to the fact there is so many four strokes out there people forget that there two strokes need oil in its fuel.Especially as you just can't go to a servo and buy already mixed two stroke.Remember that everyone or am I showing my age?
If it was my mower I'd just use it for spares,but in your case you said you have a hard-rubbish collection coming up,so I'd hang onto it and do the drive around.You might get lucky and be able to make one mower from two.
As far as your questions go.The only silly question is the un-asked question.So no need to apologize after all it is the best way to learn with the help of people who have the knowledge.
Just keep having fun with the two strokes I prefer them over four strokes.

Greetings Cameron,
I might just address a few of your points that haven't been covered so far.

This mower has a steel deck, which makes it less desirable for a resto than an alloy deck one. That said, it will be OK if metal cancer [rust] has not already got a grip on it, and it is maintained correctly - including washing down the deck underside after every use. Full crank engine is good.

As far as the way the hose has been hooked up - that's what's classed as a 'previous tenant 'improvement''. The which passeth all understanding, on the part of those who understand how the things actually work!

There are other indications of a 'clueless tenant' having worked on this machine, such as the wire around the muffler retainer clips, and the cable tie around the carby.

+1 to Blumbly on this. You do 'know that you don't know', which is the best starting point!
No problem; this is the 'long type' Victa deco valve. While NLA from Victa, Oz-made aftermarket units are available, but not for much longer - the wholesaler has discontinued them, but there is still runout stock around. Around $35 new though. Google 'Victa EN72135' to find them.

In any case, the aftermarket units are superior from the serviceability standpoint, as they can be dismantled for cleaning/rebuild [and rebuild kits are available for around $5]. As the early Victa OEM units were, but not the later ones.

Yep, you've got it on the operating principle.

But it will be necessary to suck on the tube to check the 'airtightness' of the chamber, not blow. It's not possible to check on a slow leak by blowing by mouth, really. But it's easy to check if a partial vacuum is maintained OK, by sucking, and then sealing off the end of the tube with your tongue. It will soon be apparent if there's a leak.

Have some mouthwash or such handy though, to get rid of the nasty taste of petrol if there's a bad leak...

Had a busy few days, so I apologise for the delay in replying. Thank you all for your help, a lot of good advice, this seems like a great forum, filled with helpful members.

I have put the mower back together at this stage, and will bide my time for the next council pickup and see what is available (no point paying for parts that are just being thrown out anyway, fingers crossed). This will give me a chance to do some reading on the forum too. If I can't find anything on the street, I might see if I can pick something up from the local tip, looking for an aluminium base sounds like a good idea too.

Gadge,

I was worried someone might say I need to suck the air in, instead of blowing, mmmm...old carby flavour...lol.

Thanks again to all, for all your help.

Cheers,

Camo