OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Repairs and Maintenance Questions on Engines Questions On Victa Two Stroke Engines How To Best Keep My Victa Collection in Shape.

I have 10 Victa 2 strokes that work at the moment. Just want to know tips to keep them that way without decay setting in internally.
For example one PT accrued some water droplets in the tank despite being under cover, albeit sometimes hit with rain during windy weather but only some droplets, not sustained splashing.
Lucky I decided to check and give it a metholated spirits shake before turning on the fuel tap.
I now wan't to give them all a regular run to keep the cobwebs at bay. Some don't get a run in more than a year! How long should I let them rev to get them up to temperature before shutting them down and draining the tank by the end of the hose that goes into the carburettor and turning off the fuel tap on the tank before parking it?
What also concerns is the small amount petrol left over in the tank after draining all I can through the fuel line, and being left with oily residue from the petrol evaporating during prolonged storage. Would it be worth removing the tank each time and manually emptying every last drop back our the filler? Any tips/ ideas would be appreciated.

MF these motors are tough and can take incredible abuse. I come across a lot of these and only occasionally find one russted up and they have obviously been left in the open for years. The oil in the fuel obviously helps but I wouldn't get too fussed about the fuel evaporating and leaving the oil, only helps protect it. I have pulled primer caps off and the bowl is half full of oil. Just give them a quick start every 6 months , run for a few mins and all will be good and don't use ethanol fuel, to be avoided at all costs as AVB has reminded us

Hey NormK, I may as well ask this. Can the LM tolerate fuel with water contamination or do I have to strip it and dry it out? Isn't it true that water can't pass through the fine jet passages that fuel can?

MF these carbs can tolerate pretty much anything I have seen them half full of water because they have been left in the rain with no cap on the snorkel, strip the carb, give it a clean and they will work fine. Best carby by far I have ever seen. As for any mowers you have with the earlier alloy type carbs I would just run them, turn the fuel off and let them run out of fuel. That method has worked well with Victas for over 50 years

I was reading this thread and I thought I can tell you about my Victa's.

Yes my original and trusted full crank Victa Commando which i've had since new has always been stored in the shed when not in use. I have not always cleaned the grass clippings from mowing and sometimes there is still mud and grass under the deck after mowing. But I do try and give it a wash underneath when I can and scrub everything away with a hose. I am amazed that the deck hasn't got any deep pitted rust at all. It's only just a bit of surface rust like powder which is nothing, it has been like this for 30 years and it has never got any worse! Great strong deck and mower.

Now for my other 2 hard rubbish finds. The VC160 full crank even after sitting for 10 years the engine didn't seize up at all. When I tried the zip starter it turned like I had started it yesterday. This mower was not in the shed but I did have it slightly covered by some plastic sheeting where it sat for 10 years. Also the base doesn't look like it has rusted at all. The base on these is aluminium or something? The rear flap has rusted a bit but the base is in top condition.

Now for the Victa powertorque, this thing is the worst for rust on the deck and for the engine seizing. But I must admit I didn't have this mower covered up much at all compared to the others. I only really just had the catcher sitting on top of it for 10 years behind the shed. The steel deck has rusted quite a bit and also the rear flap has rusted. The engine was also seized up pretty bad on this one.

I have read somewhere that the early full crank steel decks the steel was higher quality, I am thinking this may be the case. Maybe the later powertorque models the steel decks were of less quality and more prone to rusting out badly.

I think it's a good idea to store your mowers in a closed shed if you can. Well that's how i've stored my full crank Victa Commando which i've had since 1982 and it's still in really good shape 37 years later. I also usually turn the fuel tap off and idle the engine until it stops then put it away in the shed when it cools down. But I do use this mower all the time and I don't let it sit for years in the shed.