Roper 8 hp Won't Start

[Berniebac]

I picked up an 8 hp Roper and wanted to get it going. It is not rusted too bad but has spent the last two years stored outside. I cleaned the carb and fuel tank. Added a new fuel line and changed to oil. Now I want to test fire it.

So I hooked my power pack to the battery (dead battery) and tried to jump it. Had parking brake engaged, gear shift in neutral, and turned the key. Nothing happened, not even a click. My ignition switch is suspect as there is a lot of play in the key and how far the key rotates, goes past the start position. I don't want to rip anything apart just yet, without checking for a few more suggestion.

Anyone have any thoughts?

 

[pugaltitude]

I picked up an 8 hp Roper and wanted to get it going. It is not rusted too bad but has spent the last two years stored outside. I cleaned the carb and fuel tank. Added a new fuel line and changed to oil. Now I want to test fire it.

So I hooked my power pack to the battery (dead battery) and tried to jump it. Had parking brake engaged, gear shift in neutral, and turned the key. Nothing happened, not even a click. My ignition switch is suspect as there is a lot of play in the key and how far the key rotates, goes past the start position. I don't want to rip anything apart just yet, without checking for a few more suggestion.

Anyone have any thoughts?

Solenoid possibly stuck.
Connect battery pack. turn ign key to on.
Bridge 2 large wires on solenoid. engine should turn.
Or safety switch.

 

[Rivets]

Battery may also be so bad that it is drawing all your jumper current. Try disconnecting battery and then jumping.

 

[Berniebac]

Thank you for the responses. I disconnected the battery terminals and tried to start it from the power pack and it was no go. I shorted across the solenoid and she started to turn over. So, I am guessing a new solenoid would be appropriate.

It would not start up. I kept it shorted for about 20 seconds and it would not run. Never even sputtered. That shorting is hard on a screw driver. But, at least it turned over.

When I get a chance I think I will check the gap between the flywheel and the coil assembly. Just by sight it looks a little too wide. The spark plug wire is cracked quite bad also, so I may be looking for a new coil unit before too long.

I wish I had a compression tester. Mine is metric and won't fit in the spark plug hole.

Anymore thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Rivets]

Did you have the key in the run position when you tried to start it? If not try again.

 

[Berniebac]

Did you have the key in the run position when you tried to start it? If not try again.

No, I held the key over all the way in the start position, but the engine never even sputtered. It kept rolling over, but would not begin to start.

So, I held in the start position thinking that I would have to do that until it jumped to life, then put it in the run position. It just never had any life at all, other than the starter rolling it over and over.

 

[Berniebac]

Well I made some progress tonight. I cleaned the magnets on the flywheel and cleaned the four contacts on the coil ( 2 facing the magnet, and the 2 where it mounts to the motor). I checked for spark by shorting it against the motor and had good spark.

I placed a jumper on the solenoid from the battery contact to the safety switch contact. Then, I hooked my power pack up to the battery cables, with no battery in at all.

I turned on the power pack and the engine rolled over, so I guess I could have a bad solenoid, or a bad safety switch. The engine would roll over, but would not catch. So, I pulled the plug and it was as dry as when I put it in.

I thought I might try a teaspoon of gas in the cylinder and see if it would catch. I poured about 1/2 a teaspoon in from a syringe I had laying around and popped the plug back in. I turned on the power pack and it jumped to life for a couple revolution. Repeated this a few times and it ran each time. It seems like there is some life left in the old girl after all.

I did do the thumb test, placing my thumb over the plug hole and rolled the engine over. The back pressure did not want to push my thumb off the hole, but there was certainly pressure there. I just couldn't make a tight seal trying to push mt thumb in to the front of the engine.

Now, I just have to figure out how to get gas to flow thru the old flo jet carb, and it just might run. I have cleaned the carb and set the screws out 1 1/2 turns, but no gas seems to get thru.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Rivets]

Make sure you have gas getting into the carb. Next put some gas into the carb, just like you did in the cylinder. If this goes no where, wevwill have to look at some thing else.

 

[Berniebac]

Make sure you have gas getting into the carb. Next put some gas into the carb, just like you did in the cylinder. If this goes no where, wevwill have to look at some thing else.

Thanks for the advice. I will give it a try, but it may be a few days. I can't get to it right now, so I will check back in later.

I also realized that when I cleaned the carb (flo jet) I did not clean the long tube that passes down thru the middle, so I might pull that and make sure it is clean. I think all the gas has to go thru it to get to the engine.

 

[Rivets]

That is your main nozzle and make sure the small holes are clean.