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Collection, Preservation and Display of Old Lawn Mowers

Atco 2stroke kick start flywheel removal

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Hi all

Started my new project today restoring an old atco kick start. It's got very good compression and fuel is getting to chamber. However have no spark so need to take flywheel off to check everything there. I managed to secure the flywheel and undo the end nut. However because new to this machine and set up, I went very gently but then it stopped. Not knowing what was the problem I reversed everything and put up this thread in hope of help and explanation.

Thanks all

wristpin Sun, 09/09/2018

From memory the flywheel side starter dog unscrews from the flywheel retaining nut. That nut then starts to unscrew but then goes tight - the self extracting mode. Further undoing exerts the extracting force to release the flywheel from its taper on the crank. 

In the day, Villiers provided a spanner that could be struck with a hammer to assist with extracting the flywheel. In the absence of such a tool a close fitting ( whitworth) ring spanner is a good substitute.

 

 

Man cave Mon, 10/09/2018

So it's not going to hurt to exert more pressure on nut to undo once it goes tight again, I was afraid if I went further it may snap and will I still need a puller to get fly wheel off?

wristpin Mon, 10/09/2018

Never damaged one yet! That’s how Villiers designed it. 

Putting a puller of the legged variety on the rim of the flywheel is far more like ly to do damage.

The limiting factor is holding the flywheel firmly enough to exert the required turning force on the centre nut. The “. Recommended” tool is an overgrown oil filter strap wrench. Hard to find but not that difficult to make.

 

 

wristpin Mon, 10/09/2018

Hammer Tight Spanner, still available:

https://villiersservices.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&products...

That is the pukka item - in a previous existence we called them slogging or flogging spanners and some were much larger and designed to be hit with a sledge hammer.

These two, I have always understood to be "Villiers" but may be not. The bigger one is marked 1/2"W but the smaller one is unmarked. Both are quite substantial with the tommy bars passing through the tubes and welded into place.

I usually use a good old offset ring spanner and hit it with a plastic cased dead blow mallet. 

Man cave Mon, 10/09/2018

Your info is a great help. I've booked marked the link for the spanner. No doubt I will be back again needing more help to get this machine back to as close to original as possible. I couldn't find a mixture bottle with a 16:1 mix Mark but thankfully technology gave me an app which works it out for you. Are there any rules that I should be aware of once the flywheel is off. I was once told to handle the electrical components of an old briggs engine carefully as sometimes they still hold charge. Is this true guys?

 

Chris G Mon, 10/09/2018

I think you would have to be very unlucky to still have any capacitance left in the system to give you a belt - unless you have been winding the flywheel round?

Wear some rubber gloves if worried, but if its been out of action for a while I would not be concerned 

wristpin Mon, 10/09/2018

Condensers / capacitors , in good condition, can hold a charge for a couple of days . Only enough to make you jump .  An old pre PC pre elf and safety workshop prank was to leave a couple around and wait for some unsuspecting individual to pick one up.

Chris G Mon, 10/09/2018

True off topic story, I had a pretty serious bike accident appox 25 years ago and recovery was slow but work had me back on bench duty as I was going mad and I was fixing up 240v till mother boards, I got a belt so hard I uncontrollably stamped my leg. Opened up about 25 stitches.. I can still remember the pain. 

Man cave Tue, 11/09/2018

Wow yeah bet that did hurt. Best I wear some gloves as you guys have said cos I did turn her over a few times to see if she would start. I will update thread soon as I'm sure I'm going to need more advise.

Man cave Tue, 11/09/2018

Wow yeah bet that did hurt. Best I wear some gloves as you guys have said cos I did turn her over a few times to see if she would start. I will update thread soon as I'm sure I'm going to need more advise.

wristpin Tue, 11/09/2018

True off topic story, I had a pretty serious bike accident appox 25 years ago and recovery was slow but work had me back on bench duty as I was going mad and I was fixing up 240v till mother boards, I got a belt so hard I uncontrollably stamped my leg. Opened up about 25 stitches.. I can still remember the pain. 

I too have had a belt from a 240v capacitor - the starting cap on a small motor- and it was not pleasant.

Just to reassure the original poster;The cap on an old Villiers , particularly if original, is unlikely to hold its charge for more than a minute or two at the most and won’t be more than a tickle.