OV9

My Briggs and Stratton engined Mountfield, resplendent with a “Reliable Starting” sticker, NEVER started right...

I realise I must have had a rare lemon as most folks swear by them.

One Saturday morning, I got so frustrated with it, I threw it against a wall (seriously ) and departed in a significant huff to the garden centre and dropped nearly £400 on a Toro... which hasn’t put a foot wrong since..

There’s good and shit models for Briggs and Stratton but I’m not up to date on it anymore. It’s not like a Honda or Kohler where any engine you get is decent. Of course the more expensive motors found in Hayters and the like are solid but it’s the stuff which costs a few hundred quid new that you need to be careful of and try to avoid them.

Cleaned the filthy (foam) air filter and removed the excess fresh oil that whoever just serviced it added. After 5 minutes of confused attempts to start it without pulling the operator-presence lever.... mega belm, it is now running like....

So the awesume mrs mik got me an SGS 2-stroke leaf blower & strimmer/brush cutter for Chrimbo.



I did a run-in procedure for both (10mins idling with changes in speed and a few blips).

I am a stickler for warming up an engine though before putting it under load, to ensure the oil is ready to work.... but how does that work with 2-strokes? Should I still let them warm up a bit (at idle?) before going for full throttles?

From my old motorcycle experience, they won't like idling from cold and you risk fouling the plug, gentle blipping seemed the best option back then, followed by a build up of loading until it revs cleanly.

Barry wrote: Sun Jan 19, 2020 10:23 am From my old motorcycle experience, they won't like idling from cold and you risk fouling the plug, gentle blipping seemed the best option back then, followed by a build up of loading until it revs cleanly.

So in essence, ride it like a 16 year old riding his moped to his new girlfriend

Dave!

Arf - it’ll idle and rev cleanly straight from cold Baz - I just want to ensure I am not damaging it. But with air cooling and oil in the fuel....I assume “normal” temperatures and lube conditions for the moving bits are achieved pretty quickly?

Turn on, give a few blips so it doesn’t stall. Put on gloves and earbuds, give it teh full beanz.

Just rev it. Synth oil aids longevity I have found but I expect that the shitty plastics on that will fall apart long before the chinky 2 smoke fails anyway

V8Granite wrote: Sun Jan 19, 2020 10:57 am

Barry wrote: Sun Jan 19, 2020 10:23 am From my old motorcycle experience, they won't like idling from cold and you risk fouling the plug, gentle blipping seemed the best option back then, followed by a build up of loading until it revs cleanly.

So in essence, ride it like a 16 year old riding his moped to his new girlfriend

Dave!

Pretty much

I used to fire my moped up on the centre stand, immediately hold WOT until it cleared, then set off for school..