'86 Westwood T1200

Hello,
Done a fair bit of engineering since the last update.

Engine swap. '98 Powerbuild out, and the original '86 I/C Pull start back in!

Cant upload pics atm for some reason but will soon

Sounds like its coming along nicely. What kind of pullstart is on the motor?(what does it look like) Kind of curious cause i want to put one on my i/c motor

There is still something wrong with Servimg. Anyone else know what the deal is?
The recoil start is bolted to the shroud and uses the starter clutch mechanism to engage it. Its what was used on the old 3 & 5 h briggs. Will try and get pics uploaded soon, I've got them taken.

I haven't used servimg for much on here since maybe a year or so back when someone was saying some of their pics were getting deleted off here. I've used photobucket since then.

Those older style briggs pull starts work ok most of the time. Sometimes they either squeal really loud on the crankshaft or they don't grab when you pull it if they get too dry. A little oil fixes things back up. Newer "tecumseh" type is much simpler and usually maintenance free. Then it's easier to get the flywheel nut off with a regular socket.

Thanks for the info guys, and servimg seems to work ok for me (I'm using an ipad mini) takes a long time to get a photo uploaded though.

Still not working for me. It says something like 'Server has been reset'. Anyway, couldn't get that I/C Briggs goin, turns out the timing was off (Kicked back and blew smoke out the carb). So I delved further and deeper and found that the flywheel key has completely sheared! Tried removing it with my flywheel puller but the bolts I had weren't long enough (the shaft sticks up about 2 inches above the flywheel to hold the starter clutch. But today I nipped down to my local hardware store and got some really long 1/2" bolts to fit it. Still haven't tried it yet but I will soon.

Been a while so I thought I'd update.
Pulled her out of the garage yesterday. Tried to get the flywheel off today, still no luck. It was soaking in WD40 for nearly a month. Tried a wee bit of heat too.

Here she is, been sitting for near a month

Right, so should be going to my uncles place on Thursday to try and this flywheel off using the 20 ton press he has. Drained all the oil out and am in the process of removing the engine bolts. I hope it all goes well, we could break the casting really easy with 20 ton!

Oh and Rockinator, I still havent forgot about the photos for you, I'll get them as sonn as i can!

MatthewD wrote:

Oh and Rockinator, I still havent forgot about the photos for you, I'll get them as sonn as i can!

Theres no rush lol

Right finally got the flywheel off! Will get more details and pics up later, but right now I have a question;

Got it all back together, but when you try to pull it over, it's really stiff. Is this normal like the big end of the new rod bedding in or is it a bad thing?

MatthewD wrote:

Right finally got the flywheel off! Will get more details and pics up later, but right now I have a question;

Got it all back together, but when you try to pull it over, it's really stiff. Is this normal like the big end of the new rod bedding in or is it a bad thing?

it should be tighter than before, but not much tighter. You may have the bearing too tight, it shouldn't be much tighter than it was before.

We had to take the whole engine down to get the flywheel out so maybe something went wrong with the reinstallation. The first time I put it together I don't recall it being as tight as it is now, but then I realised I had forgot to put the oil back in so I've got it filled with new oil tonight and we'll see how it is in the morning. Do you think that oil would make a big difference?

yeah if you had cleaned all the parts and got the oil off them then yes it could just need oil to loosen it up.

Thanks, so I've been turning it over and it is getting less stiff. Now I've come across a bigger problem;

This engine has a starter clutch, but when you try to pull it on the 3/4th pull the top part will pop out and the starter slips on the ball bearings. I believe that the mesh screen is designed to keep it all in place, but when I bolt it on, the starter clutch doesnt want to spin on the shaft anymore. Any ideas? I've never worked on one of these before, I've only got 2 engines with this feature.

So I left the pull start and tried to start it via the electric starter. It will fire when you pour some fuel down the carb but won't run. Ideas?

Check the basics:
Fuel,
Spark,
Compression,
And air.
Once you know you have all four of these, begin the diagnosis. Check all your little attachable things like the PCV breather. If it still isnt starting, i would pull off the carb and clean it. Sounds like your needle valve could be stuck from it sitting. I cannot stress enough how important it is to double check, triple check and just because you can bring someone over to check to. Could be something really simple that you forgot.

Thanks. I replaced the spark plug and it is getting spark. The PVC breather isn't connected but would that stop it starting? Tomorrow I think I'll take off the carburetor and clean it. I've got a small engine repair guide that tells yoi how many turns the idle and needle valves need to be turnt. Once I do that I'll put a drop or two of petrol in the plug hole and see if it starts, hopefully it should.

The pcv breather wont stop it from starting, i just using that as a reference since i couldnt think of anything else lol hopefully it will start, good luck to you!

I generally start off with adjustable jets about 1-1/2 turns out. I can't stand those older style ball bearing starter clutch deals. There's usually an oil hole at the top. Make sure it will spin backwards free on the crank. Which ever way it is anyway. One or the other. If it's a press fit piece of tin on it to hold the balls in place, there isn't much you can do to keep it from poping out. Most had screws holding it down though I think. I had a 5hp briggs that would kick back sometimes and blow that clutch thing apart. Finally got a new one which stayed together better.

Well I have one on a 3.5hp Briggs that works which I'm gonna try and install on my 12.

She lives! And then dies. There was no timing key so I made one by cutting down a woodruff key to a square one to fit. It ran well for about 10 seconds then it started knocking really badly. Worse than a big end knock. I think it is the balancer which has either sheared the bolt or come very loose. Now I have to take it all apart again to see what's happened.

So gave up on this IC engine. I think the crankshaft may be bent. I stripped it right down, couldnt see anything wrong, built it up and it was still knocking. So I put the old Powerbuilt back in. After I sorted out some probs with the throttle (see my other thread) I finally got to ride this mower for the first time in about 5 months! But then my belt snapped, it was a fairly new belt though. I think the problem was the belt kept turning round inside out and it got quite frayed, then broke I guess. I'm thinking of putting a couple of idlers (maybe adjustable) and belt keepers to stop it doing that. Any other ideas?

Anyways, got some upto date photos for you all

Try putting a v idler pulley in if you can. Should help wirh keeping the belt in line.

Right okay. I dug through my scrap pile and found a flat idler pulley (likely from a clutch of some mower or other) and I'm thinking of using it in an adjustable idler deal. Dont think I have a v pulley but I'll check tomorrow.

Right, finally back at this tractor. Got a new belt about 2 months ago but it's still tearing it's self apart. The problem is my transmission pulley has been cut into (the belt groove) and its cutting the belt. So I'm going to completely redo the whole belt system and try and get my pulley problem fixed. Once I get that fixed, I've got a wee throttle issue to do with stripped threads on the engine block but I (hopefully) can fix that easily enough. After that, I'm gonna return this thing right back to it's original state (bar the speed) so it looks the same as the day I bought it because I think it was better that way.