OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Repairs and Maintenance Questions on Engines Questions On Victa Two Stroke Engines Powertorques that won't start

I have a few Powertorques that won't start for some reason. They have compression and spark but for some reason won't give even a flutter of an attempt to fire, even with a bit of starter fluid in the plug hole. Only thing I can think of is pull them down, hone the bore, fit new rings and a new lower crank seal. Anybody have any other thoughts?

I know you and I have discussed this a few times Norm, but I wonder whether they require at least a minimum compression to run. I know they run on minimal compression but perhaps the Powertorques in question don't quite have enough to run. I'm not sure where I saw it (it may have been the Victa manual) but I read they require minimum of 70 or so PSI. You and I have got them to run on less than that but I guess there's a bottom point to it. If it doesn't start with starter fluid, it has to be compression unless somehow the spark is compromised inside the combustion chamber. If you fit new rings and hone the bore and it still doesn't start I'd question the compression. You can borrow my compression gauge if it helps (if you don't have one already). Anyway I'll follow this thread as I'm interested in the outcome.

Hi Tiger, I just keep putting these motors to one side, I know within 5 mins if they will run or not. Problem is the pile of discarded Powertorques is growing all the time. One day I will have to find out what the problem is but I'm not convinced compression is the issue. I have never bothered checking the compression on a Powertorque, I remove the decomp valve, put in a spark plug and see what the compression feels like. A couple of days ago I started a full crank that I struggled to find the compression but it still ran ok. Gave it a hone and a new set of rings and another great little motor up and running and hopefully LRT is happy with it

Yes Norm, it is running really well. Thank you for your helpful advice - much appreciated.

Happy to help Caleb, and now you know the secret to making an LM carb work as it should

Hi Norm, this may seem like an obvious question but have you checked the piston through the exhaust port to see if the pistons are scored?

Hi Bigted, I have checked a couple and they have some scoring, but I have started some with bad scoring on the piston with a squirt of starter fluid in the plug hole, but these motors I'm talking about won't give the slightest flutter. Eventually I will rebuild them, just wondered why they showed no sign of life

Long shot but if you're convinced Compression, Spark and Petrol are ok then it leaves timing but from memory this is set on the Powertorques and is hard to alter.

Tiger the timing on these can't move, the flywheel is located on a flat on the crank. When I get a chance I will pull one apart and see what I can find, thing that concerns me at the moment is the $15 price tag on the lower crank seal, not sure if this is Victa specific, I'll take one up to the bearing place and see if they have that one, a seal that size should be worth no more than $5

Hello Norm and all,
While doing up a pt I took the module from it for my Orange PT. Works well. It cut a super heavy grassed area like a mad chainsaw, specially with razor sharp blades and dry grass. Then it stopped. I changed the plug and it went...
My Maroon Queenslander PT is now in need of looking as it has lost power.
And the one I am working on at the moment has the starter problem, I can't put the friction spring back........
When they are dead, it looks like electrical, old wires, old plug, rusted coil. It's like something is shorting, maybe those old hardened wired have cracked and shorting.

I was checking my Orange PT today and didn't have a rubber boot on the plug as I rigged another plug, anyway ran next to the wire fence, it shorted and I felt the current running to ground through my clog... those rotten comfortable work boots sometimes have a sole 2 mm thick........
cheers
speedy

Speedy, yours is an easy fix, pull the starter off the maroon one and put it on the one with the dodgy starter, then you have 2 running and only one that needs working on. And that is another Victa thing that gets up my nose, the Victa rubber spark plug cap they want $9 for but I get 5 whipper snipper ones from some mob in QLD for $10 and they don't look any different to the Victa ones

Know what you mean...7.50 usd for 2 180 degree terminals and boots and these are aftermarket. In my case I need the terminals and not just the boots. I 90 degrees are fairly cheap though.

Here I am repairing a Briggs coil that mice has chewed through the high tension lead. Briggs don't offer replacement parts just new coil and the new coils don't even come with the rubber boot. The old boot here is also bad. Briggs do offer the 90 degree terminals but still no boots.

After a few hours found a source for 180 degree terminals and boots though fairly expensive in my opinion but still with lead still a 1/3 of the cost of a new Briggs coil without the boot.

Hi Norm, nothing uncommon there, if they're scored they generally don't like to fire because they dont have enough comp. A quick hone and a ring set and the'll be good to go.

Thanks Bigted, when I get a chance I"ll put a set of rings in one and see if that solves the problem.

Curious...What are you guys using to hone these 2 cycle ported cycles? I would a ridge hone is order but I haven't done a larger 2 cycle cylinder; just small 25-33 cc using a ball flex hone.

I generally use a 3 leg stone hone

Hmmm, A three leg flex type hone usually gets me into trouble here on 4 cycles as they just make out of round and taper conditions worse. The ridge hones I use have two stone and two wipers so basically there 4 points of even contact. I use flex type hones for just as glaze breakers if just rings are worn out so the new ones will seat properly.

There have been times that I need to hone to nearly the next oversize before I can get the out of round and taper removed. I had one recently that I was at .018" over before taper was gone on a .020" over sizing. I was getting a little nervous to say the least since I had already order the oversized piston set.

It sure would be nice they started making .030" overs again and not just the .020" overs. Probably not enough material nowadays for doing .030" oversizing though.

AVB, no problems with the amount of material in these Powertorques and there is no problem using a 3 leg hone when you are using stones about 4 inches long

Tnx, Just learning something new. I reckon I still alive. Don't learn without asking sometimes.

Ok back to this old problem. This one I sold a few weeks ago and it was running fine. The woman assures me that they have not straight fueled it but it has all the symptons except that the spark plug looks as I would have expected, not the light brown/dry that usually indicates no oil. Spark is good, tried several plugs, compression good everything seems as it should. What baffles me is that even with a squirt of starter fluid in the plug hole it doesn't give the slightest hint of wanting to fire. This is exactly what I get from a motor I know has been straight fueled. Any thoughts?