OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Repairs and Maintenance Questions on Engines Questions On Victa Two Stroke Engines Powertorques - Carby Needle Issues

Have a Powertorque mower that has only started once, has spark, the compression reads 68 psi, the same as my other working Powertorque which starts first time. The machines are almost identical however the problematic one has 3 bolts rather than the 3 screws that normally secure the top cover on these machines, I've got one of the bolts off but the other 2 have been rounded off and they're deep set so I'm not suRe how I'm going to get the cover off.

Tiger, nothing unusual about that, some have 8mm bolts, some have phillips head screws. You will have to drill the heads off with a 1/4 inch drill bit, once you get the top off you will then be able to get the remaining bits of thread out. Sometimes you might have to drill and tap new threads into them, or replace the pull start body

And further to this Tiger, if the plastics are good and you want to save them, seeing these are bolts and not phillips head, the center of the bolt can be difficult to find and you can drill off center. I would turn up a sleve to fit inside the plastic with a 1/4 inch hole through it and that will keep your drill bit on the center so you can drill the head off

Thanks Norm, great idea about the sleeve, will explore further.

Can you not cut a slot into them or cut/grind some flat spots on opposite sides ?

or is it not accessible ?

They're recessed, can't get dremel,or anything else in there.

Drilling them out takes about 5 mins, easy fix

3 bolts, one came out with a socket, other 2 bolts were rounded, one drilled out ok, the other one felt like some kind of hi tensile steel, it kept deforming my HSS bits which I kept having to sharpen on the grinder. It's loose but it needs more drilling to let go completely.

Probably a grade 8 (10.9 metric). Find yourself a carbide tip drill bit. Here we have masonry bits with carbide tips that will work. I have to use them on broken muffler bolts. I had only one to fail due poor bonding.

One comment about HSS bits there are different grades and many home improvement stores sell the el cheapo grade versions. I buy mine from my nut, bolt and screw distributor. Those home improvement ones I brought would not even cut a fraction of an inch and now the ones I am using will an inch or so into grade 5 several times before dulling. Also don't over speed the bits as they will lose their hardness due to over heating.

Masonry drill bits will drill it out easily, but not in their current form, you have to sharpen them like a normal drill bit and you need a diamond grinding wheel to do this

NormK, I would need to differ with on this as I have used them to even drill out broken extractors without modification which are way harder. Unless your bits in Your area are made differently.

AVB, you could be right, but I have found they do a great job if they are sharpened, they can drill through hardened steel like mower blades etc with ease

Another Powertorque brought back from the dead, running how a Powertorque should, with throttle control, adjustable idle speed and a kill switch that works, even though it is a bo bo design

A big thank you to Norm for all his help in getting this to run the way it runs. The mower in question I've had for a few months and in that time I've only got it to run once and that was by putting a few drops of petrol straight into the spark plug hole. So, I do what I've done many times before in this situation. I take off the muffler and inspect the piston and bore, both look ok but I do notice that the rings are stuck. The compression reads 68 psi, this is more than other powertorques I've had which would start first time. I was all set to change the rings assuming that that would increase the compression enabling the mower to run. Norm thought it was a carby issue and went ahead modifying the cam and adding washers in order to make the throttle more functional. The mower then starts and runs. On these mowers it seems it's vital that the correct proportion of petrol and air is delivered to the combustion chamber. I cannot argue about the way it runs, it runs very well and the throttle is more functional. I have tried it again tonight just to see if it wasn't smoke and mirrors and it starts first time. For the recording have not changed the ring sap and the compression measures 63 psi, that's 5 psi less than before the Normtreatment but that seems inconsequential as I can see with my own eyes. I thought I knew a lot about powertorques but I certainly got a lesson today. Norm takes great pride with his machines and I am very appreciative that he shared his time and knowledge today.

Hi Tiger, how did the float needle work once you put the fuel tank on, with the fuel bottle I have a bit more gravity helping the needle drop.

Hi Norm,

Yes it seemed to, have only tested it once. I have epoxied the cracked holes in the plastic top and waiting for this to dry, I'll then attempt to cut some grass with it and report back.

So gave it a proper test today. Mowed the lawn today, love the throttle control. Only issue is that it took 8 or so pulls to get it started, once started it ran fine and didn't miss a beat.

Tiger, the reason it took that many pulls to get it started is because of the crap carby needles and there is no fix because they are all rubbish made in China junk. Did you tap on the top of the carby to try and get the needle to drop. Other problem with the primer is you have no idea if it works or not. Great carby but dismally let down by junk replacement parts

G'day Norm, I didn't resort to tapping the carby although that probably would have got it started sooner. Apart from the starting I must say you did a magnificent job on the throttle adjustment as well as the other enhancements. It runs so sweetly now, almost a pleasure to mow the lawn.

I wonder if rather than sanding down the needle, we could ream out the brass jet that the needle sits in? You'd have to get some small reamers but at least it's measurable. Just a thought to the problem of the needle sticking.

Hi Tiger, further sanding of the needle won't help, been there done that. I'm reluctant to try reaming the seat, so difficult to see up in there. Such a pity that they are let down by these needles, I might have to give up on fixing them, sick of spending hours trying to get one to work

I reckon it will be hard to give up on them despite their well documented carby issues. Why? Because these machines are so reliable, they cut through anything, they're relatively easy to service, they seem to outlast a lot of other mowers, they work on all angles and length of grass doesn't bother them. I hear your frustration but are any of the mowers out there perfect?

Are the problem needles aftermarket or genuine Victa?

These are the needles I've been using:



Unfortunately the needle doesn't scan in very well.

That needle looks a 100 times better than the junk I have been getting. I got some needles from a mob in SA just before Christmas, because the ebay pic looked like that one, but what did I get, same old rubbish I had been getting from the supplier in Melb

I got the pack from the local hardware store that had been sitting on the shelf for years. Unfortunately there was only 2 left in the pack of 20.

I know of another old Victa dealer near here who may have some good quality ones, but the new owner has put up the price on everything.

Have you tried GA ones?

http://www.gaspares.com.au/program/...UMB=2048&GROUP=MW%20FSY%20CARP%20VIC

https://www.[Censored].com.au/victa-black-plastic-carburettor-inlet-needle-cr03404a.html

Looking at them they look the same as I have been getting and they state"non genuine"

Thats a shame. Generally GA & Bynorm parts look identical so I wonder if the quality has dropped across the board?

Is it worth hunting for old stock needles then?

Before Christmas Pushmower Repairs did tell me he had another source he was going to try but I have not heard back from him. I have sent him another reminder email

What do you think the retail price should be? The local mower place charges $2 each.

I would happily pay double that if I could get ones that work, put in a new needle and be able to forget about it, at the moment I pray a lot and keep my fingers crossed, and that is after a couple of hours swapping things around. The problem is even once I get one to work, I can't guarantee the next time I turn the fuel on that it will work, it might not seat and flood or it won't drop to allow fuel to flow