The 4th Little Brigg's Carb

Time to checkout the carb and fuel tank.


Prior to taking the carb off the engine I took pictures of the linkages.

The only linkage removed was the one rod to the wind vane used as a governor.

First step is to clean the entire carb in the ultrasonic using cheer and borax. I not using ammonia this time.   After 4 minutes it looked like this and I removed the screws from the pump cover and pried it loose with a razor blade  taking care not to ruin the diaphragm if it was still serviceable.

It looked like it might be so I carefully removed it working the edges loose with a razor blade. 

I would replace it if I had another on hand but it looks serviceable so it will get reused.  It is easy enough to test by blowing into and sucking on the long feed tube once the carb is clean and reassembled. 

The main jet needle looked very clean when I took it out.  I wonder if it was this clean to start with or if the cleaner cleaned it in place..

I was thinking I could reuse the carb to tank gasket but it is trash.  Had I been thinking I would have taken a picture of it prior to trying to remove it.  With luck I will find images on the web.

The good news is the pump diaphragm regained some of its flexibility after cleaning.  I noticed that the pump spring was not as tall as the new one I had installed in the first pulsa-jet.  So I stretched it a bit.  The pump seems to work. 

Now I need to clean the tank and cut a carb to tank gasket.

What I learned:  I had been thinking it was the ammonia that removed the paint.  This carb lost some paint but not as much.  Mostly the pain came off the lighter bits so I am thinking it is also temperature related.  Most of the time I would rather have a clean carb then a painted one that does not work.

I had second thoughts regarding the used pump spring.  I removed the new spring and diaphragm from the other carb.  The new spring is on the left. The already somewhat stretched spring is in the center.  I placed the new spring and diaphragm in the red carb.  After additional stretching the center spring was placed into the green carb.

The image on the left was found on the net.  It is an aftermarket gasket.  There are two bolt holes on top because briggs moved the screw location.  The older green carb uses the top location the red the bottom.  Closer hole better seal.

The image was imported to make the cut for pixel tracing.  The trial cut was made with purple paper was too small.

It was easy to stretch the size a bit in MTC and cut a good fitting gasket.  OK maybe it is a bit lame to make a gasket that costs $1.50 but I don't have one on hand and with the zombie engines I am needing gaskets on a regular basis and then there is shipping.  Also keep in mind that for me this is entertainment.


The filler neck on the gas tank was crushed down on one side.  A little work with a small pliers and the cap screwed on.  To clean the tank I added gravel and about a cup of acetone.  Lots of shaking and the inside is nice and shiny.

All cleaned up and ready to go back on the engine.  That is an intake gasket on the carb intake.  Do you think the green cap gives it a bit of a Christmas feeling!

Briggis and Stratton Innovations

The Wikipedia page on Briggs and Stratton.   The greatest value to this blog is that it provides a time line for each feature.

4th Little Brigg

Today I took a look at another one of the trash pumps. Cosmetically the engine is in decent shape for its age so the goal is to repair rather then restore.   It is the red 3HP engine with the blue pump.  Model 82232, meaning 8ci", roller bearing, and pull start.  Date code is 1986 which is post 1982 and means it has electronics ignition.  This unit has a straight output shaft with a threaded end.  No keyway.  Best of all this engine has a cast iron sleeve.  Parts Manual, User Manual.

This engine, the red one,  is over 20 years newer then the 3 other 3hp engines.  It will be interesting to see the changes.  The 3 little briggs are series 0 engines and this is a series 2.

I cleaned the spark plug using a propane torch, a trick I learned on youtube from +sixtyfiveford,   I need to see if the ultrasonic cleaner works on plugs. A short workout on the pull starter but "no joy".

To go any further the pump had to be removrd. Mostly it was easy. The impeller was threaded onto the output shaft and removed using pbBlaster, a little heat, and a few raps with a wrench to vibrate the oil into the rust.  Then I took the engine over to the other shop and used s 20+ year old air chisel to unscrew the impeller.  At first glance the pump seems functional but is missing it hose connectors.

With the pump gone I pulled off the blower shroud and head.  The valves look good.  You can feel a compression release acting on the exhaust valve.  See Briggs and Stratton Innovations.   Very little hard carbon but a lot of soot.  The cylinder wall looked good too.  I did not measure it.

With everything looking good under the hood I started to put the head back on.  The UPS man had just delivered my "TEKTON 24320 1/4-Inch Drive Click Torque Wrench" from Amazon and I anxious to give it a try.  Sadly it did not matter what it was set to it did not click.  It even jammed up as one turned the adjusting ring.  It is going back. I put the head back on guessing at the torque.

I have been twisting off bolts since I was a kid so I have to take a bit of care.  Anyway after adding a dribble of gas to the intake I spun the overrun clutch with my 3/4" drill.    The thing would fire and stop the flywheel dead in its tracks. I did get it to run once and it ran quite well till it used up the gas.

Given that we know the valves are working correctly I would guess that the flywheel key is sheared.   Just to be safe I am letting it rest over night with a dribble of pbBlaster on the exhaust valve stem.  But my bet is on the key-way.

To check I will have to pull the overrun clutch and remove the flywheel.    For the time I am ignoring the carb and fuel tank.  If the engine won't run it don't need fuel.

If the output shaft of this engine is the same as on the generator it may end up doing duty there.  Would need to tear further into the generator to find out. So far I have only removed the shroud.  I may even put the trash pump back on it if I can get the hose connectors I need of one off the other pumps.  The 3 hp is not quite so hard to move around as the larger ones.

Thinking that the key is sheared I have been doing some reading on http://oldMiniBikes.com tonight.   It was very informative.

1. Never use a steel key
2. Torque flywheel to 60 ft/lbs
3. Never strike the flywheel
4. Lap the flywheel to the crankshaft with valve lapping compound
5. Use a 1" socket on the starter drive to tighten it with a torque wrench
6. The concave side of the washer faces the flywheel

The claim is that if you lap the flywheel-crankshaft fit it takes the strain off the key.  So much so that a key is not really needed.  I have visions of going through keys like water so this was good news.  I have been using a 1" socket to drive the starter to crank the engine so #5 is a bit of a no brainer but good to see it in print.  Even if it is not the sanctioned method.

A guy on ebay has 25 keys for $11 including shipping.

Pulled the flywheel today and the key is not sheered.  Put it all back together and it did the same thing.  Next I changed the plug, screwed on the impeller to give it more rotating mass (flywheel effect) and put the pull start back on.  It started.  Took off the impeller, it still started.  The pump impeller is cast and has been brazed!   Think shrapnel !   This pump is junk unless another impeller from the lot fits it.

Drained the oil

Next the Carb.

Oil Filter Wrench Blues

Yesterday I changed oil on my wifes 1995 Lincoln Town Car for the first time since we purchased it.  It is a very nice car with just 108K on the odometer.   The guy who last changed the oil must have been a gorilla!

The oil drain plug came out with a long enough wrench.  The oil filter was another matter.   I could not find my best oil filter wrench so I tried two of the band clamp variety I had collected over the years.  The larger of the two actually bent.  The other did not bend much but it also did not move the filter.

The band types bent the filter but did not take it off.

My favorite oil filter wrench is this one, no idea on the age. It was easier to position and only took a few minutes to get the over tight filter off. Add brand and patent# here.

That got me thinking maybe I should obtain a spare in case I broke or lost this one. But all I found on the web were Chinese copies like this one.  For some reason I do not think it is as good a tool. 

There are several other types of oil wrenches on the market and some may be quite good.  But with the good one I have there is/was no need to look further.

Wash and Wear ?

I am learning how to wash engines without petro chemicals and it is not easy.  Makes me wish for a huge ultra sonic cleaner it does!

So far I have used a gel based engine cleaner.  A campbell hasfield cleaning gun.

Next it was a small tub of hot soapy water and a brass brush on a picnick table. Then I took it to the car wash where I was sure there was hot water a few days earlier.  Six quarters latter it was a little cleaner and most of the goo ended up on me.

Now I am working in the kitchen sink with still a bit of hold out grime in the hard to get too spots.

Update: Dec 29th

More cold weather.  I cleanded the block cover/pan in the sink and finished off with qtips.

More ultra sonic cleaning in the house today.   On the left you see the head about to go into the cleaner.





While hand washing the bock in the kitchen sink I tried Cheer laundry detergent.  I had recalled the speed shop telling me they used Tide block washer.   It worked better then the dawn when faced with large amounts of grease and oil.

Carb Day

Today I cleaned the L68E carb for the spare ANELD and cleaned the pulsa-jet off the 3 HP briggs.  I moved the ultra sonic cleaner into the house so it would be easier to work then in the sub freezing shop.  But of course the ammonia I used in the heated cleaning solution is not a good idea in confined spaces.  If I do this again I will need to skip the ammonia.  The other ingredient in the cleaning solution is dawn dish soap.

The ultra sonic did a nice job on this carb.  The back side is stained but I would rather live with that then remove the plating.  I want to try soda blasting to see if that removes it without damaging the carb finish.

I did not remove the throttle or choke shafts.  The throttle is a little loose and further cleaning would make it works, it may need a new shaft or bushing to be perfect, this is not about perfect.   The choke is way too tight.  I may still have to remove it. All the jets but one came out.  The one that did not was checked with a copper wire.

I still need to cut a bowl and manifold gasket for the AENLD but I already have the patterns I made for the AENLD on the roller, so that should be easy.  The main jet packing died in the ultra sonic clear but I have the graphite string stuff so that should not be a problem.  I have not installed the float that that horrid fiddly spring that goes with it.  Still need to go over everything to see if it is tight.  The throttle to governor rod is in good shape but rusted into the carb.  I am going to leave it that way.  With luck the engine will run fine where it is.  If not I will pull the carb and use the torch to heat up the thing and get it loose.

Again I did not remove the throttle plate.  I also left the two lift tubes in place. My thinking is the ultra sonic does a good job of cleaning these without removal.   The choke is the pull tab on the end near the rubber intake.  It is still far to stiff.  The pulsa-jet needs a carb to tank, and a manifold gasket cut.  I replaced the fuel pump diaphragm with one I just happened to tack onto an ebay order.  I was lucky.

The bad news is that as soon as I added the ammonia the paint mostly came off.  But I was expecting that.

Three Little Briggs #1 Teardown.

I evaluated two of the engines cylinders today using snap gauges.  One was still within or very close to factory spec and did not have any junk connected to the output shaft so I tore it down.   Someone had been there ahead of me because there were only 2 bolts holding the engine cover on. The other was 0.003" out of round and might be a good candidate for chrome rings.

To my great surprise this is a ball bearing engine.  I also found the model number on the shroud which came off one of the others.  It is 80232  which confirms that it too is a ball bearing engine.  It was made in March of 1963.   I worked outside today on the tailgate of little truck and the bright sun made all the difference in finding the number.  

The rod cap rods a bit odd.  Need to figure out if this was on purpose.  Update: the good people at OldMiniBikes.com informed me this is from the factory.  It was confirmed with a picture from Ebay.

Everything is off the block but for the muffler and the valves.   Not quite sure how to get the bearing off the crank.  It will be hard to align the camshaft with it there.   The carb is still bolted to the gas/fuel tank.

Note to self:  Push rod in the glass jar goes nearest the cover or front of the case.

In better light I can see lines in the cylinder wall and one in the piston.   If everything else is OK I will ignore them.  

At this point I must admit it is the metallic green color that has drawn me to this engine.  

I have the carb in the ultra sonic cleaner.  It has not been disassembled.

Three little briggs (trash pump engines)

The problem is identifying these engines.

Based on the following from a Briggs user manual I think I have ID'ed the engine.

The following show the fuel pump on the carb and the text does not say anything about the tank half full so this carb is a pulsa-jet. 

According to the parts manual standard sized chrome rings are part # 297201.  Service manual is 270692-domestic.pdf.

Found a video of a similar engine. The label looks a bit more modern then what is on the one shroud I have.  All I can find of it now is this still.

Meet the Candidates

This past summer I obtained several used, used up, and abused engines.   Generally I prefer to have engines that actually serve a function rather then sit on the shelf.  But I expect I will end up with a few when all is said and done.

As I start on each engine I will start a post for it.  

Auto Augar with Clinton 2 stroke 

Status: RUNNING

This Clinton powered AutoAugar post hole digger was on its way to be melted down for scrap.  

It was missing the pull start, had a messed up hand throttle, and needed carb work. The carb bowl gasket was bad so I cut one using my cricut.  Clinton recoil starters are pricey so I used the recoil starter and the cup from a Tecumseh parts mower.  It does not bolt on but firmly friction fits against the original mounting studs.   I tried it out and it digs about as well as any on the one man units now being sold.    

Essick VR30RE
Status: RUNNING (engine only)

Two of the largest engines are 9.2HP AENLD Wisconsin's.  The first is on an Essick VR30RE road roller.  Rebuilding the carb and cleaning up the magneto was enough to get the engine running. The roller need a bit more work. Read about that journey at VR30RE.BlogSpot.com.

AENLD
Status:  IN PROGRESS

About the time I started working on the roller my neighbor showed up with another AENLD in his pickup.  The fellow who gave it to him said it ran which I am sure was true when it was last started.  At the time the engine on the roller was not working and I was thinking I might have to do an engine swap. The magneto from this engine is currently on the roller and I am in the process or rebuilding the carb.  This one does seem to have less hours on it and better compression.

Currently I am working on the carb and the magneto needs new points.

WEEDEATER 20" mower

Status: RUNNING

When the renter next door moved out he offered this mower to another neighbor.  The seen that it had been sitting without an air cleaner and was very difficult to turn over. After they rejected it I grabbed it.  A bit of PB blaster in the cylinder fixed the problem with it cranking hard and seafoam in the gas cleaned up the carb. An exact match for the air cleaner came from a donor mower.  It looks and runs like new.  And if you want one wallmart is selling a big wheel version for about $165.  

Admittedly it is a cheap mower but it is lightweight and cuts well for me.

Cooper Klipper Trim

Staus:  UNTOUCHED

This little gem was also on its way to the scrap yard.  It has what I think is a 3hp B&S with a vacu-jet carb.  The chains are rusted in and I have not tried to turn over the motor.

Note to self:  Do a post on vacu-jet and pulsa-jet carbs.

Ariens RM1332
Status: TAKEN OUT OF SERVICE

I picked up the Ariens 2 years ago and it burned a bit of oil  It has gotten to the point that the coil consumption is so excessive I fear to run the engine.   It has a 13HP B&S IC engine.  It does a super job of leaf collection.  We call it go-putz.  Note: standard sized chrome rings 392331 

The city auctioned off some of their old equipment using sealed bids.  We had the winning bid on the VR30RE and a lot of small engines.  It included 6 trash pumps, 10hp briggs insect fogger, a mystery wisconsin and a 15KW briggs powered genset.  There is also a 3 cylinder speedair compressor powered by a 2 cylinder military engine.

I want to include a better picture of the compressor here.  The motor is hard to see in its current paint so I will also include an image of what it is supposed to look like.  Either the motor or the compressor is seized.  It also has a delco generator/start unit as does the VR30RE.  It would be so cool to have this working and self start.