Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

I have a Toro two -stage, 1978 vintage. It was originally a 5/24, 31625. This fall I had it repowered with a rebuilt Briggs 8Hp

Initially, it ran great. now I'm having a problem with it stalling and the recoil locks up. I'm thinking that the recoil locking is causing the stalling

I go to restart it manually, and it takes 3-4 heavy pulls to get the recoil to release. Once it does, it starts and runs fine

Suggestions as to what the problem is? no other problems other than this

thanks

Doug

   It would be hard to imagine a recoil could bind and bog down a running engine without breaking apart. If something was loose in there it might get ripped by the cup. Also, if it was binding it probably would not heal itself to pull ok later. When they bind they usually make noise like when the spring is expanded and sometimes binds on itself but that kind of problem should be obvious.

   Sometimes the rope binds on itself in the recoil pulley causing a hard pull. Do you have the standard rope in there or clothes line rope? A fat rope can retract at times on itself building out quickly causing binding instead packing in neatly taking less room.

  Is the oil level topped off? I’ve had one rebuild that leaked oil at first but cured after the rings got seated.

  Is the belt pulley retracting after engagement? If the auger belt is tensioned you could have hard pulling and say the pulley backs off on its own then pulling gets easier.

   The next time it binds stop after the first hard pull. With the rope in, the dogs should retract. That machine has neutral so put it in neutral, take out the plug and turn the crank at the pulley end to see if you can turn it by hand fairly easily. Something might be pinching the belts or you may have partial seizing.

x

Thanks for that info. I don't know if it's proper rope or not, I'd have to look at it. it looks like clothesline though. it is also very long, probably 3.5 -4 ft fully extended- maybe tha's causing the binding. The rope retracts back in ok. I'm pretty sure the oil level is good, I'll recheck

I didn't think that something else may be causing binding, I'll follow your advice.

What would cause partial seizing?

When you say the recoil locks up, does it happen with a cold engine or after the engine has run for a while, stalled and you try to restart it? If it's the latter, it sounds like your engine is experiencing partial seizure. Most seizures are caused by inadequate lubrication. Considering that your engine is a rebuild, it could be caused by an improperly sized piston. Just because a piston fits into a cylinder, doesn't make it the right size. A certain amount of piston/cylinder wall clearance is required for heating expansion. What are you running for oil? Try a synthetic and see what that does for you if you're not using it already.

It happens after it's run for awhile. The fellow who rebuilt it is a retired machinist who rebuilds rotary engines for a side business.

So,I'd assume the tolerances are good and he knows what he's doing. It's got dino oil in it now, I will try the synthetic-any recommendations?

Dougfur wrote:

Sounds like a seizure problem. Assuming the tolerances are good, isn't going to make the problem go away. You can try the synthetic oil to see if it helps but, if condition continues, you had better open up the engine to see if you have cylinder scoring and possible friction melting on the piston. Either way, if it isn't attended to, the engine won't have much of a future.

most common mistakes made from rebuilding is the piston rings being the correct size, does it do it within the first 5 mins of running?. as borat mentioned the piston or rings will expand while running causing it to seize, but in my expereince the engine will quit within a few minutes of running, let sit for 5 or 10 min then will restart. when it stops running u could try taking the starter off quickly and turn the motor over by hand or with a tool, take the spark plug out when u do this the engine should turn over easy. if not l would say u have a big problem.