Was hoping for some advice.
I traded some labor for a Simplicity lawn tractor. Lady bought it brand new 2 years ago, had it delivered, literally drove it around the yard once and parked it in a shed. Been there ever since. I was under the impression it was from last year, not the year before so I’m wondering a bit now.
Shed is a concrete floor and dry so no rust formations anywhere that I can see. She just parked it and that was the end of the story. Left the gas and oil in it.
Not real good with motors and don’t want to damage anything needlessly.
So outside of draining and replacing the gas and oil, and a new battery, what else should I do to prep it up the best I can before starting this cute little fella up?
Should I spray some oil into the sparkplug hole? After it’s 100 yard maiden voyage and sitting 2 years is the tranny fluid still ok? Think I should go with a synthetic oil just the standard detergent oil?
It’s a Regent 15 HP Hydro Tractor. Kohler engine. Verticle crankshaft. Thanks.
“sobriety is the root cause of dementia.”, rez,2004
“Geodesics have an infinite proliferation of possible branches, at the whim of subatomic indeterminism.”,
Jack Williamson, The Legion of Time
Replies
ya got it - - if you can turn the engine by hand, I wouldn't worry about oil in the cylinders, but it ya wanna, 3-4 shots in each hole and then crank the engine without the plugs - tranny fluid should be fine, just make sure the dealer put some in it - I'd put a trickle charger on the existing battery and leave it for a day or two - might not even need another battery - make sure no small mammals have built nests inside the shrouding - - put some carb cleaner in the first couple tanks of gas - let the engine run for a few minutes before you put it under load - - lots of opinions on oil - I use regular and change it frequently - good score!
fuel
fire
air.
That'll do ya.
I'd change and flush out all the fluids ... but just 'cause you plan on using it forever ... starting new now won't hurt. Maybe not necessary ... but what's it gonna run ya?
I'd also check any gaskets ...
tear apart the carb and reassemble after a gas bath ...
squirt something in the cylinders to make myself feel like I'm actually rebuilding an engine and have a clue what I'm doing ... which I don't.
This is all info and knowledge that I learned when I was 14 and got an old honda xr75 that had sat for a while ...
does it have an airfilter .. get a new one too .... I did!
oh yeah .. chack the gaps on the spark plugs to make sure they're right .. then carry that little gap checker on your key ring and axplain how to use it when the chicks ask what it is ...
Thinking new paint job??
Jeff
Buck Construction, llc Pittsburgh,PA
Artistry in Carpentry
Hey Jeff, I have a chain saw which has been sitting in the basement for more than 10 years. I guess by now the gas has dried out and I couldn't even image what the oil would look like. So... same advice as for the tractor?
then carry that little gap checker on your key ring and axplain how to use it when the chicks ask what it is ...
So this is your pick-up line?
"I carry this baby so I can check your gap."
Edited 8/3/2004 1:35 am ET by TOMCHARK
2 cycle chainsaws don't HAVE oil...'cept in the gas mix.
oh, you pullin Buck's leg right?
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations.
I see Buck's still scratching his head.
To be fair I think he should at least see what the engine looks like so he can give proper advice. So today I took out the engine from the chain saw to have a good look.
Here it is.
can't wait to see the bar.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations.
well, I see the supercharger - whatcha got hiding underneath it?"there's enough for everyone"
29 CC two stroke!
That looks nothing like the xr 75 motor ...
But get it over here and I'll start tearing it apart for ya ....
JeffBuck Construction, llc Pittsburgh,PA
Artistry in Carpentry
So how does this blower fit into the scheme of things???
Or did you just take that off of thr motor on yur CS???
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming.... WOW!!! What a Ride!
Yeah, I just took it off of the engine. Here is the engine.
See the intake behind the timing belt? That's where the blower fits into.
So now can you help with my original question?
Sorry man. here it is again.
Now for bar and chain....
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming.... WOW!!! What a Ride!
Same as the tractor....
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming.... WOW!!! What a Ride!
>>Now for bar and chain....
I wouldn't worry about the bar and chain, just want to make sure I don't wreck the engine.
>>Same as the tractor....
Thanks man.
Gearhead friend has his secret formula, in a drunken fit he let it slip: A 50/50 mix of STP oil treatment and Marvel Mystery oil. He claimed the Marvel was great as a penetrating oil and the STP added body.
On cars that have set for a while he drains and replaces the oil and filter and squirts in a few ounces, the bigger the bore and the longer it has set the more he uses, of his magic formula in each cylinder after removing the spark plugs. He also removed the valve covers and soaked everything liberally. He used a pump oiler.
He lets it set for a time, when I worked with him it was a couple of hours of breezing and sipping beer, to soak past the rings a bit. He then adds a touch more in each cylinder. With the battery and ignition disabled he slowly turns over the engine with a breaker bar. Any substantial grinding or binding he stops and adds more juice and /or waits a bit more. I noticed he worked it both ways on the Chevy that had been idle for years outdoors.
Working it about twenty minutes he finally got it to go completely around twice. He worked it by hand for another ten minutes until he felt it was smooth enough. He added more juice to the cylinders and valves. He then installed a good battery and with the ignition still disabled and spark plugs out he cranked the engine with the starter. He placed rags over the spark plug holes to catch the spray. A little at a time and a bit longer and faster each time. Resting between every few times and adding more juice as needed.
In a minutes or two he was satisfied with how it cranked and that the oil pressure came up. Once satisfied he installed the spark plugs and valve covers. After fiddling with the carb for quite a time he started it and let it run for a couple of minutes at slow idle to get it warm. Once warm and idling slowly he added a quart of Liquid Wrench to the oil. This he let circulate for another five minutes or so at slow idle. He had perviously filled the radiator and while running a check for circulation and obvious leaks was made.
He them shut the engine down and immediately drained the oil. He replaced the filter and refilled with oil. He also removed and threw away the old spark plugs. Replaced with new ones and a new battery installed we got in and went for more beer. He drove slowly at first and paid attention to the sounds the engine made but after a while we tried out the eight-track.
He said he gave it a tune up the next day. Had to replace the water pump, radiator and a few other parts. He drove that beast for five years or so before selling it for something he liked better. He had a thing for cars that needed work. Once they got too reliable he kind of lost interest. He would get a car running really well, painted and in near mint condition only to show up the next day with a beater, a little money and big plans.
Don't know if any of this is applicable to a lawn tractor but maybe you could adapt a few of the techniques.
Rez,
You have the right idea. Get all the gas out and change the oil. I would not worry about the trans. Personally, I would not put any oil into the cylinder ... its not supposed to be there and will just make a cloud of smoke when it starts, and possibly foul the plug. The oil will just settle to the bottom of the bore anyway and wont help much. If you are worried about the cylinder being dry, give it a shot of WD40 or something similar, but dont get carried away. If the engine has a pull start, I would give it about 20 good tugs with the plug wire off to get some of the oil splashed around in the crankcase. You could also use the starter for about 20 seconds or so with the plug out to do the same thing. If you do this, do it BEFORE you put any fuel in the tank.
The only thing else I would do is after running the engine for about 15 minutes to get it good and hot, I would change the oil again. Read the owners manual if you have it.... Some small engine manufacturers do not recommend synthetic oil.
Bill Koustenis
Advanced Automotive Machine
Waldorf Md
.........about small animals inside the engine shrouding.......I've seen them eat or piss all over the electrnics to the point of ruin. Also, if they built nests in there and you run the engine, it wont cool properly and you will overheat the engine.
Pull the shrouds unless your posotive there ain't no meece in there!
Eric
The engine and transmission oil should still be OK -- it wasn't run long enough for them to get dirty.
Not a bad idea to squirt a couple of squirts of oil into the spark plug hole. Resist the temptation to pull the crank while the plug is out, though, as the new electronic ignitions are easily damaged if the plug isn't properly connected. Put the plug in (and the spark plug wire on) and pull the crank slowly a couple of times to distribute the oil.
Drain the gas and put in a couple of squirts of Stabil (helps degum things) and just a quarter tank of fresh gas (in case you have to remove the carb). Charge the battery, or replace it. (It's about 50/50 whether it's good or not.)
Your biggest danger is that the carb is gummed up, but even that's not too likely given how new it is. If it won't start or starts but runs poorly then likely the carb needs to be cleaned. Sometimes, if you can just get it started, the gum buildup will wash out after an hour or so of running.
I'm guessing it will start right up, sputter a little and run a little rough for 5-10 minutes, then be fine.
Resist the temptation to pull the crank while the plug is out, though, as the new electronic ignitions are easily damaged ...
really? electronic ignitions are that fragile? - - maybe we should return to the days of the magneto..."there's enough for everyone"
Basically, if the engine is cranked with the ignition wire neither connected to the (grounded) spark plug nor connected directly to ground then the voltage on the secondary can build up high enough to damage the ignition system.
Or so I'm told.
i've got a old tractor that sits for years at a time with a rototiller on it. throw in some new gas ,charge batt and fire. it will be fine after all you've got a kohler you should only expect it to last 15-20 yrs anyway![vs b&s 4 yrs} so go mow some grass. larry
I'm tryin' man. Looks like I'll be doin' the push one more time."sobriety is the root cause of dementia.", rez,2004
"Geodesics have an infinite proliferation of possible branches, at the whim of subatomic indeterminism.",Jack Williamson, The Legion of Time