Predator 212cc problems

Ok so on my racing mower I have a predator 212 engine brand new... Ran only a couple of hours with fresh oil and gas... And I went to this carshow where it was raining and it ran fine most of he time... But then died... It was making a weird knocking sound... Not like a rod knock or anything I don't think... So got it back to the car let it cool off and couple of hours tried to start it and will only run with choke... Once you take it off choke it dies...Completely stock engine... So I was looking at the other day and cleaned the carb and drained thre gas tank and put some somewhat new gas in there...( thinking there could be water in the gas... ) well that didn't work so... Still knocks and doesn't run without choke... Anybody got ideas what's wrong with it?

You could have broken a valve, cam might have gone flat, governor may have broke, or a ring could also have broke.

ZSmachines wrote:

You could have broken a valve, cam might have gone flat, governor may have broke, or a ring could also have broke.

ok thanks!

There's several possibilites, but the knocking sound is disturbing. Normally, not running without choke points straight to a fuel delivery issue. But the noise... Time for a really close inspection.

I Would guess tHat the governor might be the instigator, I have seen it in Honda clones where they come apart them basically won't allow enough throttle to run except on choke.

Doc Sprocket wrote:

There's several possibilites, but the knocking sound is disturbing. Normally, not running without choke points straight to a fuel delivery issue. But the noise... Time for a really close inspection.

yup!!

ZSmachines wrote:

I Would guess tHat the governor might be the instigator, I have seen it in Honda clones where they come apart them basically won't allow enough throttle to run except on choke.

like the linkage or the actual governor?

What type of oil did you use? And did you break in the motor? It takes a 3 hour break in period. Gotta go easy on the motor the
frist three hours, if not you could of wore out some parts in the motor befour it got broke in. Crack the case and take a look.

truckin42 wrote:

What type of oil did you use? And did you break in the motor? It takes a 3 hour break in period. Gotta go easy on the motor the
frist three hours, if not you could of wore out some parts in the motor befour it got broke in. Crack the case and take a look.

ok I'll have to crack the case open... Will do!... And oil... I think I used 5w30 I'm not exactly sure...

Check over your flywheel key as well. Make sure it has not sheared, because that has happened alot. For a new motor there isnt no way it could already failed. Flywheel key is just another possibilty. Check valves, and check valve lash. I race these motors. Break in should of been fine with that oil. Ive broke them in by letting it run and let it heat up then hi rev it. Seats rings in real good.

Generally speaking, I see two common reasons for timing key failure:

1) Engine comes to an abrupt stop. A mower blade striking a rock, a really bad backfire (caused by other factors), transmission lockup, etc. This is the very reason the timing key is aluminum, and not steel. It is an engineered weak link in the system, designed to prevent catastrophic engine damage in case of a sudden stop. Never give in to the temptation to replace with a steel key. Just don't do it.

2) Flywheel not torqued down correctly. Factory torque spec for the flywheel nut or recoil clutch can be anywhere from 80 ft/lbs to 150ft/lbs. "tight enough" is NOT tight enough. If I had a nickel for every time I saw or heard of a timing key failure as a direct result of someone not correctly torquing things down, I'd be rich. I would safely say that 95% of key failures I have seen can be attributed to this.

I don't think this is the problem here, but sure doesn't hurt to check it out. Just remember that if you DO check it out, re-torque it properly.

*Point of note regarding the key, vs nut torque spec: Its worth mentioning (despite a common misconception) that the timing key is NOT the same as a key in a wheel hub, pulley, sprocket, etc. The timing key's sole purpose is to index the flywheel to the crankshaft at exactly the right timing setting. FACT: If the flywheel is lined up correctly and the nut torqued down to spec, you do NOT need a timing key. Some racers don't actually use one...

Did you let it break in before using it? New stuff usually needs time to break in.

Thanks to modern materials and manufacturing, engines really do NOT need anywhere near as much of a break-in procedure or period as they did back in the day.

What I do is pretty simple. Out of the box, I start the engine and let is warm up at idle speed. After about 5 minutes, I give a couple quick blips of the throttle, and shut it down. I change the oil, and put the engine to use. I basically take it easy for the first couple hours of operation, and then change the oil. After that- normal use and abuse.