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#1
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Atco Commodor B17 Stalling
Hi....I inherited an Atco Commodor B17 Mower with the house we bought.
It has run fine since last August. This year, I have noticed it seems slightly noiser(and I mean slightly) than last year and seems to struggle through grass when it gets something like "long". Yesterday, After up and down the lawn twice, it slowly got slower and slower till it stalled. I tried to restart it with the pull cord and it nearly broke my wrist. The engine seemed to have seized. After about 15 mins, it "unseized" itself and I was able to start it. Again, after 3 or 4 times up and down the lawn, it ground to a halt. Seized again. This now is the norm. From "cold", it will cut for maybe four or five minutes and then seize. Someone told me to put 2 stroke oil in the petrol which I have but it doesn't seem to have done much to help. Whats wrong here??????? Why does it seize after a few minutes running and why does it unseize itself. Why hasnt it done it for the last 10 months? Is it the engine itself at fault or perhaps a bearing seizing when it gets hot? How can I fix this problem please? Many thanks in advance. |
#2
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Atco Commodor B17 Stalling
"kanewesley" wrote in message ... Hi....I inherited an Atco Commodor B17 Mower with the house we bought. It has run fine since last August. This year, I have noticed it seems slightly noiser(and I mean slightly) than last year and seems to struggle through grass when it gets something like "long". Yesterday, After up and down the lawn twice, it slowly got slower and slower till it stalled. I tried to restart it with the pull cord and it nearly broke my wrist. The engine seemed to have seized. After about 15 mins, it "unseized" itself and I was able to start it. Again, after 3 or 4 times up and down the lawn, it ground to a halt. Seized again. This now is the norm. From "cold", it will cut for maybe four or five minutes and then seize. Someone told me to put 2 stroke oil in the petrol which I have but it doesn't seem to have done much to help. Whats wrong here??????? Why does it seize after a few minutes running and why does it unseize itself. Why hasnt it done it for the last 10 months? Is it the engine itself at fault or perhaps a bearing seizing when it gets hot? How can I fix this problem please? Many thanks in advance. OK, the obvious question is...is it out of oil? It's acting like it's out of oil. If the oil level isn't low, maybe it isn't getting circulated somehow. I would think a mower would be splash type lube, but maybe it has an oil pump bad? Oil line clogged? -Dave |
#3
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And also check it is getting enough cooling air. "Heat seizure" is pretty common due to lack of cooling. May also pay to check the spark plug for the colour at the tip, as a too lean a fuel mixture can cause overheating in extreme cases. Good luck |
#4
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Atco Commodor B17 Stalling
I would like to assume that you changed the oil when you received the mower
and again at the start of the season. Check the oil level, the manual will explain how and what to look for, of course if needed fill with oil. if you are low on oil then what may be happening is that as the engine warms steel parts expand at about 7 parts per million per deg F. while aluminum expand by 13 parts, if as I would expect there has been a lack of oil to lubricate the engine then scoring has occurred and the rise in temperature causes the scored parts to bind until they cool again. Please note if the engine lacks oil then continued operation will eventually destroy the engine. If the engine has been maintained with the proper oil level, other parts in the gearing may be binding causing the problems described. At this point you might choose to consider professional help. "kanewesley" wrote in message ... Hi....I inherited an Atco Commodor B17 Mower with the house we bought. It has run fine since last August. This year, I have noticed it seems slightly noiser(and I mean slightly) than last year and seems to struggle through grass when it gets something like "long". Yesterday, After up and down the lawn twice, it slowly got slower and slower till it stalled. I tried to restart it with the pull cord and it nearly broke my wrist. The engine seemed to have seized. After about 15 mins, it "unseized" itself and I was able to start it. Again, after 3 or 4 times up and down the lawn, it ground to a halt. Seized again. This now is the norm. From "cold", it will cut for maybe four or five minutes and then seize. Someone told me to put 2 stroke oil in the petrol which I have but it doesn't seem to have done much to help. Whats wrong here??????? Why does it seize after a few minutes running and why does it unseize itself. Why hasnt it done it for the last 10 months? Is it the engine itself at fault or perhaps a bearing seizing when it gets hot? How can I fix this problem please? Many thanks in advance. -- kanewesley |
#5
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Thanks......I did check the oil level....it hasn't a dipstick but has to be topped up to the lip of the filler cap which is towards the bottom of the head. Can't say 100% what the level was but I have drained the original oil out and replaced with a universal lawnmower oil from B&Q.....Performance of the mower was still the same, stalling / seizing after a few minutes. How do I check for air flow around the head??????? I thought as it was open to the elements, the ambient air around it would cool it? Do any of you think the engine is shot? I wouldn't have thought so as when it is cold, therre is plenty of compression and it runs ok for five minutes. What if the piston rings were badly worn?.....if the rings were in good condition and the piston expanded, only the ring would have contact with the barrel and would still run. If the rings say were worn down, and the piston expanded with heat, we now have the full surface area of the piston in contact with the barrel and it may cause so much drag, it stalls the engine. Is this feasable or am I talking crap !!!! |
#6
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#7
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Atco Commodor B17 Stalling
kanewesley wrote:
ferrarif360cs;850939 Wrote: As Dave said check the oil and/or top it up or replace it with the correct grade. And also check it is getting enough cooling air. "Heat seizure" is pretty common due to lack of cooling. May also pay to check the spark plug for the colour at the tip, as a too lean a fuel mixture can cause overheating in extreme cases. Good luck Thanks......I did check the oil level....it hasn't a dipstick but has to be topped up to the lip of the filler cap which is towards the bottom of the head. Can't say 100% what the level was but I have drained the original oil out and replaced with a universal lawnmower oil from B&Q.....Performance of the mower was still the same, stalling / seizing after a few minutes. How do I check for air flow around the head??????? I thought as it was open to the elements, the ambient air around it would cool it? Do any of you think the engine is shot? There is no doubt that the engine is shot. I have never seen an engine seize without doing major damage. It may run again when it cools off but it has begun to self destruct internally. -- Art |
#8
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Problem solved.......it WAS the engine which was shot......I took it to a repairers and he removed the pull start ass'y
He took hold of the crankshaft which was then protruding and he could waggle it up and dowm by about 8mm. Because of this "movement" in the crankshaft, the piston could move up and down in a fashion when the engine was cold but when it warmed up, everything obviously expanded and the vertical travel of the piston was now at a slight angle but enough for it to jam. I got a second hand engine from another repair centre for ATCO mowers for 20 quid. This has been fitted and I'm almost running to keep up with it at full throttle. Thanks for your interset anyway....!!!!! |
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