What's on your bench today?

[GardenKit]

Also spent a while this morning quoting for 13 new Stihl machines. It seems the area was hit hard last night by some thieving scum. The phone was red hot this morning.

 

Very sorry for the guys who lost their kit.

[Rich2484]

Still havnt got my hands on a 201t yet.

 

None have come in for anything. Not even a new chain.

 

Really want to get my hands on one tho.

 

A mounfield came in with a broken cable, and its the same mower with the cable that we couldn't identify Barrie.

[GardenKit]

How did you mend it last time?

[Rich2484]

How did you mend it last time?

 

It was the OPC cable last time. Replace the inner cable with the old sheath.

 

This time its the drive cable and it has the adjuster half way down it.

 

Need to check the numbers and see if I can get one.

[GardenKit]

Had a couple of scrap Mountfields in today.

 

One has a Briggs Sprint engine with a crank so bent it wont go round!

 

The other needed repair and service. Its a chinky side valve engine and needs a head gasket (as they do). "easily fixable" as they say on Ebay, which it is. But when we add the price of the repair to the service price its best part of £100, so he bought a new ALKO instead. A far better mower.

 

So there are 2 good decks sitting outside waiting for the scrappy to call.

[spudulike]

Had a couple of scrap Mountfields in today.

 

One has a Briggs Sprint engine with a crank so bent it wont go round!

 

The other needed repair and service. Its a chinky side valve engine and needs a head gasket (as they do). "easily fixable" as they say on Ebay, which it is. But when we add the price of the repair to the service price its best part of £100, so he bought a new ALKO instead. A far better mower.

 

So there are 2 good decks sitting outside waiting for the scrappy to call.

 

Mmm, the ebay "easy fix".....if it is so easy, why haven't they done it and listed the item as working. Think they mean it is an easy fix if you are a garden equipment mechanic:001_rolleyes:

[raker]

Stihl ms230c.A mates saw who does turfing.Not well looked after, and it was bogging as though no fuel was getting through.

Broken chainbrake handle.Sheared off on the right of the saw.Red hot because someone had tried to overcome the stuck brake.

Replaced that, but the saw was still not running right.Checked the fuel line.No filter, and no end of bits had made their way into the carb.

After a clean out its running well.

[GardenKit]

Cooked the MS201T carb for 40 minutes at 50degrees in the U/S cleaner. Set the screws and refitted it . Tuned it up and its fine.

 

The basic settings (without limiters) on this saw are 11/4 turns on the L screw and 2 turns on the H.

 

This will get the saw running at round about 10000 revs. Then slowly screwing in the H will see the revs rise to 14000, but no higher due to the limited coil.

 

Any further leaning out will not increase the revs but will kill the saw.

 

I tend to take them to 14000, then back them off very slightly to around 13800 to be sure they are a little rich, rather than a little lean.

 

You need a special Stihl tool to adjust the H screw, or a carefully ground small screwdriver.

[GardenKit]

Next up was a FS85 which would start but not rev up. Classic dirty carb. so an U/S clean and new diaphragms, but still no better.

 

It was one of those nasty non adjustable carbs, so I fitted my test carb (the later adjustable type) and all was fine. Trouble is that now I dont have a test carb until another donor machine shows up.

[GardenKit]

Last job of today (yes, early finish) was an MS170.

 

It would not start for the customer, "Can you fix it?" he asked.

 

"Yes, do you want it just started, or do you want a full service?"

 

"just get it started, it is fine otherwise and I hardly use it. No service, just started. Definately"

 

Well I hate these jobs, because I guarantee I will see lots of things wrong and be tempted to fix them, but of course the customer will not want to pay, so I have to leave them.

 

Being a Stihl, it was of course going to be a poor starter, but surprisingly it was not the stale fuel issue I had suspected. It was empty. I fueled it up, pulled about 10 times, got a cough, put the choke in, pulled again and off she went.

 

I stuck it in a bit of wood, but the chain was blunt (remember, "no other work"). Managed to burn through a stick and load it enough to be happy with the fuel system. But the chain was dry. "no other work", but i just had to put some chain oil in.

 

So I took the oil cap off, it was full. But with red fluid grease:lol:

 

So I expect I will end up with it back on the bench, but will he want to pay?

 

Or will he take it away as it is and then complain to his friends that it has just been in for service?