Yerf Dog

[C Baker]

Just got a project for my son. Its older model I believe and has a Tecumseh 5.5HP Powersport. Questions are.
1) It is easy to start but doesnt want to stay running?
2) If it stays running its idle surges, to the point where it wont move.
Ive taken the carb off and did a quick clean, didnt change the issue. While working on it, I tied the linkege back open and started it and it ran amazing, just couldnt stop it, LOL (switch saved me). Took it off and it does the same thing, Thanks for any advise.
Also was gonna replace clutch as a maintenance items, anybody know part# i need

 

[souperman000]

When you cleaned the carb, did you poke out all of the little jets with a small piece of wire? There may be gunk in there that you missed on your first cleaning.

to the forum!

 

[C Baker]

I did not use wire, I was using spray carb cleaner and then blowing it off with my air compressor. The cart did not come with an air cleaner assembly, just exposed carb right know. Think that could be some of the issue? Appreciate the welcome.

 

[C Baker]

i was originally planning on just replacing the engine, but like i said when i wired the linkeage open it ran crazy fast. So the motor appears fine, just working the bugs out of it

 

[souperman000]

Here are some links for cleaning the carb:

How to clean a carburetor the right way (with lemon juice)
http://ezinearticles.com/?How-to-Cle...Way&id=1460030
http://www.diygokarts.com/vb/showthr...ht=lemon+juice

An air filter always helps. With it missing, some gunk may have gotten sucked into the carb.

 

[smgs92]

my advice would be to go to harbor freight and buy a 212cc predator for $100 brand new engine instead of putting money into a tecumseh which has a limited life anyway you'll have more power, you can buy a warranty if the engine dies take it in get a new one free, and theres tons of aftermarket parts if you wanna build it up later on.

 

[C Baker]

Thats the engine I was looking at actually. will my clutch pieces work with that setup. They have pretty good reviews and everyone likes their warranty

 

[souperman000]

my advice would be to go to harbor freight and buy a 212cc predator for $100 brand new engine instead of putting money into a tecumseh which has a limited life anyway you'll have more power, you can buy a warranty if the engine dies take it in get a new one free, and theres tons of aftermarket parts if you wanna build it up later on.

Sure you could do that, but fixing this engine will give you more experience and may even be more fun! I don't understand where you go the limited life thing from. Technically, every engine has a "limited life." Well taken care of, any engine, be it clone or tecumseh, will last for many years.

 

[OzFab]

Also, the Tec will probably have a longer PTO shaft than a predator (most do) which will create alignment problems with your clutch

 

[chris_the_poser]

Why spend money when you don't need to. I have clone motors on karts because when I got the karts the karts needed a motor. The karts that I have with tecs or Briggs still have those motors on them. Fix what you got it will be more rewarding and cheaper than the "just go out and get a clone" motto

 

[smgs92]

Sure you could do that, but fixing this engine will give you more experience and may even be more fun! I don't understand where you go the limited life thing from. Technically, every engine has a "limited life." Well taken care of, any engine, be it clone or tecumseh, will last for many years.

the fact that tecumseh has an aluminum sleeve and steel rings while the predator and any other well designed engine uses a steel sleeve.
the fact that tecumseh's are known to be bad engines and they're out of business.
the engine also would not have as much power and that may be fine for now but as his son gets older he's gonna get heavier and want to go faster theres a huge aftermarket community for these engines i know there used to be a decent aftermarket community for tecumseh but i havent seen any in a long time.

 

[OzFab]

Manco went out of business too; by your logic, we should stop buying them too

 

[smgs92]

my point is an aluminum sleeve is going to cause premature loss of compression

 

[qtband]

Fix the Tecumseh. Then your not just a parts changer, you're a DIY'er.

 

[jamyers]

The Tecumseh could well have a cast-iron sleeve, iirc. Even if is an aluminum bore, lots of then run for years with no issues. Plus, it could well have a "series 1" carb, which is WAY more adjustable than any of the carbs on any newer engines. The MORE important issue is user maintenance / care - which means that blanket statements regarding engines are just that - blanket statements. All that aside...

Does your Yerf-dog have a centrifugal clutch or a Comet-type Torque Converter?

Somewhere on the engine there is a data plate with the model and serial numbers. Please post those so we'll know exactly which engine (and thus carburetor) you have.

I'm betting that with a good thorough cleaning your Tecumseh will work great for a long, long time.

Got any pics you can post? We love pics, they truly are worth a thousand words.

Oh, WELCOME to the forum!!!




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[C Baker]

Thanks guys all good info, im gonna give this tecumseh a shot. The carb does not appear too adjustable. Its no choke, just the red primer bulb. I will post up some pics tonight, gotta clean her up a little so you can see everything clearly. Like stated earlier, the idle surges like crazy. I wired the governor linkeage back and started it up and she ran lights out. Ran it for a little like that to hopefully run out any junk. Took the wire off and started it again and still surges. Surges to the point where it wont move.

 

[C Baker]

As i stated earlier, I will post up some pics when I get off work, but found this pic on the internet. This is the same clutch thats on mine

 

[jamyers]

OK, you've got a Comet 30-series (assymetrical belt) "Torque Converter", or to be precise; a Constantly-Variable Transmission, or CVT. You're going to love it, I guarantee! (having that is another small reason to keep the Tec engine - it's got a longer crankshaft made to completely grab the Comet driving unit - if you convert to any other engine you'll need to space the driving unit 3/4" out from the engine and get a longer bolt to hold it on. Not really a big deal, but still...)

Don't forget to find and post the engine model numbers, and in the meanwhile I suggest you head over to http://outdoorpowerinfo.com/repairs/tecumseh_carburetor_cleaning_repair.asp and see if you can't find your carb there. That is THE "go-to" site for taking apart and cleaning small carbs.

Also, you'll want to read up on the care and maintenance of Comet CVT's, the "helpful links" sticky-thread at the top of this forum has a LOT of great info.

Also, you might check out my Yerf-Dog build thread in my sig below, looks like we've got the same kart (but my Tec engine was missing lots of parts, so I converted to Predator).

 

[C Baker]

Thanks for the info, headed to those links to study up

 

[C Baker]

ok here are the pics we discussed. While taking pics found some issues. The clutch pulley not coming out of the engine (rear most) has side to side play. Additionally the throttle linkeage has me confused, looks like a mess. Not sure why it isnt running directly to carb, instead it goes thru this maze of wire linkeage. Any thoughts or directions would be appreciated