Need help with H60 Tecumseh

[Jim_M 178]

I have an H 60 Tecumseh that's giving me fits. It has a nice hot spark, clean tank, fresh gas, new fuel lines and a new carb.

I can pull the rope until it kills me and can only get it to pop. If I use the 2 tractor twisted belt starting method I can get it to fire up and run. It will idle, run wide open and anywhere in between. It runs great when it's running, but it will suddenly die, like it's run out of gas. If I pull the rope as soon as it dies it will just pop, but won't run. I can restart it easily with the twisted belt and 2nd tractor.

It was doing this same thing with the old carb. , I thought it was a fuel problem so I bought the new carb. It made absolutely no difference.

What am I missing here???

[sorekiwi 761]

Gotta think about this, my brain blocks out everything that has Tecumseh associated with it....

Does it have a fuel pump? or just gravity fed?

[Jim_M 178]

No fuel pump. Gravity fed, and it runs out of the fuel line freely, so it's not running out of gas.

I'm pretty close to giving up on it and buying one that runs. :hide:

[marvairplanes 34]

Tell me some more about this "two tractor twisted belt" method of starting an engine??????

Marv (NW Oh)

[Jim_M 178]

Tell me some more about this "two tractor twisted belt" method of starting an engine??????

Marv (NW Oh)

Marv,

Put 2 tractors nose to nose, twist a belt (figure 8) and put it between the 2 tractors engine pulleys, start the good tractor and push the tractors apart to tighten the belt.

Works every time.

Jim

[sorekiwi 761]

No fuel pump. Gravity fed, and it runs out of the fuel line freely, so it's not running out of gas.

I'm pretty close to giving up on it and buying one that runs.

You didnt mention timing (another joy on Tecumsehs!), which can really affect starting - but that shouldnt cause it to suddenly stop running.

I would've blamed the carb too. Can you check if the carb has fuel in the bowl when it stops running?

Are you sure that there's not a bad wire somewhere suddenly killing the spark?

I put a Honda Vacuum fuel pump an my 502, and that made it run better than the gravity feed, but dont think that would help with your starting problems (not much vacuum when your pulling the rope). My 502 has always started in a heartbeat with a shot of ether or carb clean down the carb....

We need Wild Bill here - he swears he make a Tecumseh run well (although I've never had one )

Maybe we shouldnt assume that the hard starting and the sudden dieing are the same problem. Maybe concentrate on what's happening to suddenly make it die, and then see if you still have the hard start problem?

[Duff 206]

I'm no engine man, and that's putting it mildly, but my gut is telling me that this could be electrical and temperature-related....something may, when it reaches a critical temperature, be "opening up" and killing the juice to the spark. Now that wouldn't answer the starting issue unless whatever this is also relies on a certain amount of "oomph" to build up enough juice to get things firing properly.

Another thought - are these engines prone to "vapor lock" when they get up to heat?

Am I making any sense to anybody but me?

Duff :D

[Jim_M 178]

I disconnected the kill switch wire from the switch, and I can't see any rubbed spots on it.

As far as I can tell, the carb still has fuel in it when it dies, but maybe it's just filling back up before I can get the bowl loose.

I didn't do anything with timing. Since it runs good when it's running, I didn't think timing was the problem.

What's the easiest way to check the timing on a tecumseh?

To be honest, I haven't messed with Tecumseh's much since I junked the last one I owned 20 years ago, after I got tired of putting exhaust valve springs in it all the time..

If this wasn't such a nice original little tractor I would have already junked the engine and put a Kohler on it.

[Jim_M 178]

I forgot to mention, I put a spark checker between the wire and the plug and I never see the spark weaken or go away. It's still sparking nicely as it dies.......and like I said it will start right back up as long as I use another tractor to start it.

I haven't checked the compression yet, it seems good when you pull the rope.

How many pounds should it be? I might have to check it today just so I can rule out low compression.

I can usually make anything run, but this s.o.b. is p*ssing me off!

[sorekiwi 761]

I can usually make anything run, but this s.o.b. is p*ssing me off!

This is what I hate about Tecumsehs, its just really hard for me to pinpoint the problem. It seems like the guys that are good on Tecumsehs have the "knack", and they get a kick out of being able to do something that the other 99% of guys cant!

The whole timing/points thing is a pain is the a$$. The points are under the flywheel. At least you can set the points, and adjust the timing independantly of each other. Unless you have the special tool that screws in the spark plug hole, you have to pull the head off to set timing. Instead of spec'ing a number of degree's of rotation BTDC (like everyone else in the world), Tecumseh decided to specify a certain distance of piston travel BTDC. One day I'll get around to putting some timing marks on the front pulley.

Somewhere online you can download the Tecumseh L Head manual, I'll post a link when I find it.

[sorekiwi 761]

Link to Tecumseh L head manual: http://www.terrington.id.au/miscillany/tec...1n-ser2098b.pdf

[Jim_M 178]

Mike,

Thanks! I'll let you know what I come up with. I'm going to stay away from it for a couple of days. I'm starting to be tempted to hit it with a big hammer.

Jim

[sorekiwi 761]

Mike,

Thanks! I'll let you know what I come up with. I'm going to stay away from it for a couple of days. I'm starting to be tempted to hit it with a big hammer.

Jim

Or you could just put in a Kohler!!

[joebob 45]

sounds like a sticky valve I had a 10 hp do that to me, let us know what the compression # is that might help , there not as bad as everyone make them out too be ( patience is the key)

[Michael Bullington 5]

Does the system have the charging coils under the flywheel ?

I had a engine once that was shorting out my coil and causing the engine not to run....what I found out was the one of the two charging coils was touching the bracket that holds the coil and causing my spark to be to weak to fire properly. These small coils have insulators, but mine had got bad over the years, i relplaced the insulators from another engine and it ran great!

may not be the case but you never know

good luck!!

[Jim_M 178]

Nope, no charging system. I haven't worked uo the courage to do anything with it yet, maybe this weekend.

[Michael Bullington 5]

do you have another coil ,,,handy,,,might give that a try when you start testing...its rare these go bad , but you never know...Ive seen these spark, but not enough energy to keep the engine running

Michael

[Jim_M 178]

I don't think I do. It has a nice hot spark that never seems to weaken, so I'm pretty sure the coil is good. I'm leaning towards timing. I think it may be retarded a few degrees.

[HORSEOFCOURSE 0]

i HAVE A H60 OFF FROM A HAHN SNOWBLOWER THAT I JUNKED AND I REBUILT THE CARB AND NEW HEAD GASKETS AND CLEANED EVERYTHING UP I COULD ON IT. I HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM THAT YOU DESCRIBE WHEN IT IS COLD OUTSIDE LIKE TODAY. I HAVE REBUILT THE CARB AND HAVE CLEAR FUEL LINE ON IT SO I KNOW FUEL IS GETTING TO THE CARB ALLRIGHT LIKE IT SHOULD. I WOULD ALWAYS HAVE TO PUT THE HEATER ON IT FOR ABOUT 5 MINUITES AND IT WOULD START RIGHT UP AND RUN GOOD. IT ALWAYS STARTED FINE WHEN IT WAS WARM OUT TOO. ANYWAYS I PUT IT BACK TOGETHER AND IT POPS THROUGH THE CARB AND RUNS FOR A SECOND AND TEASES YA. AND YOU HAVE TO MONKEY WITH THAT CHOKE AND EVRYTHING HAS TO BE JUST SO AND IT WILL START AFTER ABOUT 20 PULLS. IT DID QUIT ON ME TODAY WHEN IT WAS HOT CAUSE IT WAS UNDER ABOUT HALF LOAD AND IT JUST QUIT. I NOTICED THE GOVERNOR DOESN;T SEEM TO OPEN UNDER LOAD LIKE IT SHOULD. ANYWAYS I HAVENT PUT POINTS AND CONDENSOR IN IT YET BUT THAT WILL BE NEXT. IT ACTS LIKE TIMING TO ME LIKE A DISTRUBUTOR BEING OFF ON A REGULAR ENGINE. I WILL DO THAT SOON AND LET YOU KNOW HOW I MAKE OUT. I WILL TAKE A KOHLER OR BRIGGS OR WHATEVER ANYTHING BUT ANY DAY OF THE WEEK OVER A TECUMSEH. YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO TALK TO A TECUMSEH TO FIX A TECUMSEH AND IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO TALK TECUMSEH YOU HAVE TO BE ONE OF THE CHOSEN FEW THAT BELONGS TO AN ELITE GROUP OF ENGINE MINDREADERS. javascript:emoticon('')

[TJ 175]

:hide:

[oldandred 15]

Frist welcome aboard newbie

The tecumseh engines are simple you just have to make sure every thing is clean and the carb, is the most important part if there not dipped in the carb cleaner and washed out and blown out real good you may as well but a new one as Stone will agea with me there not the easy one to work with from what you atre saying it sounds like the carb has some trach still in there.

Try taking it apart again and blowing air though all the passage ways or use a can of carb cleaner if you dont have the carb cleaner that the carb sits in for a few mins,

like i said there can be a bear but you ghave to clean them up really good.

keep us posted

and cap locks sound like youre shouting

[rustbucket 4]

wheren i redid the carb on my H-60 i used tiny pipe cleaners and such to get into all the small nooks and cranies and clean her out really really wellas well as a nice long soaking in carb cleaner to break up all the crud and gunk build up. the engine now runs rather smooth and nice.

[WH854 44]

Maybe these will help you.

http://www.mytractorforum.com/images/refer...ngine_maual.pdf

http://www.mytractorforum.com/images/refer...o18castiron.pdf

Chas :hide:

[.5racer 14]

On the main carb bolt on the bottom of the bowl, there is a verry small hole at the bottom next to the hex of that bolt . MAKE sure it is ceaned out ,that will do it every time.