# Tecumseh 50 CTR50 E-62000 engine no starting/spark.



## Texas rose (Nov 24, 2008)

Howdy folks, a newby to the site, and straight in with a problem.

My neice gave me a 1997 Suffolk Punch 18" cut, self propelled mower at the week-end, the problem is it will not start.:upset:

Having examined it and got rid of the dust, that has accumulated over the last 5 years, I find it to be in excellent condition. New plug, oil, air filter and the blade looks like new also....But it will not start.

I have tried new plug, new fuel but there's not a flicker of a spark. Can anyone shed some light on what may be the problem?

Thank you for any help/info/tips you may have. :sigh:


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## k2skier (Sep 30, 2008)

The only test for the electronic ignition coils is to remove the green shorting wire from the coil, reinstall the shroud and using the rewind pull it over and check for spark. Before I would do that, (if it's been sitting for 5 years your carb WILL need to be rebuilt or replaced also) I would give it a shot of starting fluid in the throat of the carb with the air filter removed. If it pops, you have spark (the electronic ignition coils are very reliable and rarely go bad. If you have spark with the green wire disconnected, but not with it connected, the problem is in the engine brake safety circuit.

Add; you can not flip the flywheel by hand to check spark easily like an old point ignition system, pulling with the starter rewind rope is more accurate.


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## Basementgeek (Feb 7, 2005)

Hi and welcome to the forum :wave:

Is it like this one?

http://www.edirectory.co.uk/pf/880/mia/d/suffolk+punch+petrol+cylinder+lawnmower/pid/31851272

As you can see this one is a Kawasaki engine. We will need the model number of the engine, not the model number of the mower.

BG


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## Texas rose (Nov 24, 2008)

k2skier said:


> The only test for the electronic ignition coils is to remove the green shorting wire from the coil, reinstall the shroud and using the rewind pull it over and check for spark. Before I would do that, (if it's been sitting for 5 years your carb WILL need to be rebuilt or replaced also) I would give it a shot of starting fluid in the throat of the carb with the air filter removed. If it pops, you have spark (the electronic ignition coils are very reliable and rarely go bad. If you have spark with the green wire disconnected, but not with it connected, the problem is in the engine brake safety circuit.
> 
> Add; you can not flip the flywheel by hand to check spark easily like an old point ignition system, pulling with the starter rewind rope is more accurate.


Thank you for your quick reply =kskier; 1820066.

I have tried removing the green wire and cranking the engine over using the pull rope, but, not a sausage. Not done anything with the carb yet,'tho I have cleaned the tank and renewed the fuel, popped the drain port on the carb, no muck present. Going by the condition of this machine I don't think it has done any hard work...probably because it wont start?:4-dontkno


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## Texas rose (Nov 24, 2008)

Basementgeek said:


> Hi and welcome to the forum :wave:
> 
> Is it like this one?
> 
> ...


Thank you Basementgeek; 1820071 for your input, no it is an 18" rotary mower (self propelled) the numbers I quoted came from the engine ID sticker, the suppliers numbers are; R484TR 3,2kw -3000min, 1997 1005841-A.

Thanks again :wave:


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## MrChooks (Apr 19, 2008)

:wave:Just a thought - but as K2skier said - the electronic ignitions are usually very reliable - and must be serviced as a whole unit - 

But maybe over the mowers long idle time - some corrosion / muck has built up between the ignition coil and the engine block. Try unbolting the coil assembly and clean the surfaces where the coil assembly and the engine frame mate together - just a gentle rub with emery paper should be enough. Then reassemble and try again - got to be worth a try :4-dontkno


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## Texas rose (Nov 24, 2008)

Basementgeek said:


> Hi and welcome to the forum :wave:BG


Sorry, forgot my manners yesterday...thank you for your welcome, what's the weather like in your neck of the woods, it's really dreich here in the Scottish borders.

Dreich = miserable, cold, damp and downright nasty.


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## Texas rose (Nov 24, 2008)

MrChooks said:


> :wave:Just a thought - but as K2skier said - the electronic ignitions are usually very reliable - and must be serviced as a whole unit -
> 
> But maybe over the mowers long idle time - some corrosion / muck has built up between the ignition coil and the engine block. Try unbolting the coil assembly and clean the surfaces where the coil assembly and the engine frame mate together - just a gentle rub with emery paper should be enough. Then reassemble and try again - got to be worth a try :4-dontkno


Have cleaned up the faces on the coil/flywheel (they were really rusty) but no joy. Will attempt to remove flywheel once the penetrating fluid has done its thing.:sigh:


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## Basementgeek (Feb 7, 2005)

Hi again: 

Don't forget you will need a flywheel puller,no excetions. Fly wheels are pretty easy to break.

BG


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## MrChooks (Apr 19, 2008)

:wave: Texas - do you really need to remove the flywheel - I thought all the ignition components were bolted on the outside of the flywheel.??:4-dontkno

BUT as BG said - if you decide you really need to get the flywheel off - YOU MUST USE A FLYWHEEL PULLER - believe me - if you try to lever it off - you will trash all sorts of bits around it - probably without actually getting the flywheel off:4-thatsba


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## Texas rose (Nov 24, 2008)

MrChooks said:


> :wave: Texas - do you really need to remove the flywheel - I thought all the ignition components were bolted on the outside of the flywheel.??:4-dontkno
> 
> BUT as BG said - if you decide you really need to get the flywheel off - YOU MUST USE A FLYWHEEL PULLER - believe me - if you try to lever it off - you will trash all sorts of bits around it - probably without actually getting the flywheel off:4-thatsba



Well, I just thought that there maybe a set of points (or something electrical) on the casing under the flywheel, or is it electronic ignition?
The flywheel top was heavily impacted wih old grass cuttings, so I assumed that there could be some nasties underneath, 'tho, I cannot see anything with the flywheel in situ.
Does the 'kill' wire fit from the side? if that is the case then the flywheel does not need to be removed as already suggested by BG.

When I put my multi meter on the green 'kill wire' and ground it, I get a buzzer which indicates that the wire is grounding even when the 'kill' lever mechanism is pushed right forward....it's as if the wire is touching the casing permanently.

I would rather not take the flywheel off if it is at all possible ...sods law dictates that I would probably balls things up.

Anyone got a picture of what the underside of the flywheel looks like and a layout of the electronics on the engine casing would be very helpful.:grin:

Thank you for the inputs thus far, I've got all Winter to try and sort it out, but I was hoping to use it to pick up the millions of leaves lying around the place.

Texas rose. :wave:


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## Texas rose (Nov 24, 2008)

UPDATE:

Thanks for the inputs guys.

Cleaned out the carb jets, got it running, but, it drives at a faster rate than I can walk to keep up with.

It appears to rev at half throttle, whilst I can operate the throttle to increase the revs even more, I cannot bring it down to a safe/sensible speed...although the handle returns to the tortoise, the engine remains at high revs.

I'm wondering if the governer lever between the carb and engine casing is at fault? Does it have a setting? It seems awfully floppy 

Texas rose. :grin:


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## k2skier (Sep 30, 2008)

Did you remove the carb to clean it? Check to see if the throttle plate/shaft moves freely, it sounds like a stuck throttle shaft from varnished gas sticking it.


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## MrChooks (Apr 19, 2008)

:wave: Texas - well done on getting the old girl running

As k2skier suggested - sounds like the throttle plate isn't moving freely or fully over its correct range.

Give all the mechanisms (governor arm and throttle links) a good squirt of spray lube and GENTLY exercise the linkage to ensure that it is free over its full travel range.

Also - there is a little idle speed adjustment screw that you will see limits the travel of the governor / throttle linkage. Make sure that the adjustment screw isn't screwed in too far as this is designed to allow you to set the low idles speed on the engine. 

See how you go with this


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## Texas rose (Nov 24, 2008)

Thanks k2skier and Mr Chooks, It is now 22.00 hrs here in the UK, will investigate further in the morning. The only thing I'm not sure about is the longish lever (governor arm?)located between the carb and vertical to the engine casing (seems to be very loosely connected to a shaft going into the engine casing) could this shaft be 180 degrees out? anyone got a picture of what it should look like when positioned correctly?

The ajustment screw you speak of is not coming into play yet.

Throttle plate? is this the round butterfly disc attached to the spindle shaft inside the carb body, closing off the air intake apperture when fully choked?


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## MrChooks (Apr 19, 2008)

:wave: Texas

The governor arm should be firmly connected to the shaft going into the engine housing - see if there is a screw or nut that can be tightened up to firmly attach the arm.

Yes - the throttle plate is the large round plate inside the carb throat.

See if this manual (kindly provided by my TSF colleague SABL)
http://www.smallenginesuppliers.com...cumseh_L-Head_Engines_Service_Information.pdf

Have a look at Chapter 4 - page 26 that should help you with governor connections / issues


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## Texas rose (Nov 24, 2008)

WOW MrChooks, that's exactly the kind of info I'm needing. I will print that particular procedure out and keep it in my workshop, I think the governor arm and links are the problem with the engine regarding revving too fast -I could well have reconnected them incorrectly.

I'll give it a go after lunch, will let you know how I get on. Thanks again, and to SABL for the data.


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## MrChooks (Apr 19, 2008)

:wave: Texas - yes SABL is amazing ray: - I had been looking for one of these manuals for ages and he found it in no time!

Tip - do what I did - save the entire manual to your computer (or burn on to a CD) as it contains all the "trade tricks" you will ever need to keep your "lill Tecumseh" running.

Good luck with it all


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## Texas rose (Nov 24, 2008)

MrChooks said:


> :wave: Texas - yes SABL is amazing ray: - I had been looking for one of these manuals for ages and he found it in no time!
> 
> Tip - do what I did - save the entire manual to your computer (or burn on to a CD) as it contains all the "trade tricks" you will ever need to keep your "lill Tecumseh" running.
> 
> Good luck with it all


Thank you MrChooks, have saved it to my favourites. ray: 

I seem to have solved the problem with the high revs, on closer inspection the screw in the spring steel clamp that holds the governor lever onto the governor crosshaft was so loose it was almost falling out. After some experiment I achieved satisfactory revs throughout the operating range. I did discover, after a bit of head scratching, that the small clamping screw is a LEFT HAND thread....I was wondering how i couldn't get it to screw in normally. Anyway it seems the mower operates fine with the settings it has at present. After cutting a large area of grass without incident, I've packed it away until the Spring then we'll see how it goes.

Thank all of my inputters for their help and tips.

*Merry Xmas and A Happy New Year *from the Scottish border country.:wave:


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## MrChooks (Apr 19, 2008)

:wave: a hearty well done to you & all the best for Xmas and New Year to you too from sunny Sydney


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## SABL (Jul 4, 2008)

Thanks for the kudos MrChooks!!:wave:

Looks like the tech info is handy.....I don't know how long any of the links will be available.:4-dontkno With todays economy many former reference sites have tightened up with what info they offer for free. They WILL sell you the manuals for a fee. I recommend burning to a disc or some type of storage for future reference.

Didn't have much time to get in here yesterday.....was wrestling with a 22lb turkey..:upset:

Scottish border?? I had a relative from Scotland according to family tree. He had only one name.....Egbert:grin: No kidding.


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