Roper 8 hp Won't Start

Rivets said:
Forget to tell you don't run the engine for more than a couple minutes without shrouds. They are a big part of the cooling system, and you can overheat the engines very fast.
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Really, I never would have thought of that. I don't think I will do anything further till I hear back from you if you have any more suggestions. I have not pulled the flywheel to inspect the points. Not sure if they could be responsible for the noise and slight miss that I hear in the engine or not.
 
I'm back and I think we can solve your problems. First I would like the shrouds back on. When you turn the high speed needle in it is very common for the speed to increase. I WOULD LIKE YOU TO FIND A VIDEO ON THE WEB ON HOW TO SET THE GOVENOR BEFORE YOU GO BACK AFTER THE CARB. It is very difficult for me to explain with out pics. Sorry. After setting the governor, start with step #3 again. The stalling you experienced is probably due to a too lean mixture, as you thought. (Before looking at your pics I assumed that you had a large one-piece Flo-Jet carb) If I was correct you will just follow my past instructions. It will have a high speed needle coming in from the bottom. Looking at the top pic of the carb, you have two adjustments on the top. The one with the spring is the idle mixture needle. The other one is the high speed jet, leave it alone. IF I GUESSED WRONG AND YOU HAVE A SMALL ONE PIECE FLO-JET CARB, you will not have a needle on the bottom. In that case the needle closest to the air intake is the high speed needle and the other is the idle needle. Just follow the steps, but the needles are in different places. Go slow, if you feel that the engine is revving too high either bring the throttle down or stop and we'll start over in another direction. Good luck.
 
Rivets said:
I'm back and I think we can solve your problems. First I would like the shrouds back on. When you turn the high speed needle in it is very common for the speed to increase. I WOULD LIKE YOU TO FIND A VIDEO ON THE WEB ON HOW TO SET THE GOVENOR BEFORE YOU GO BACK AFTER THE CARB. It is very difficult for me to explain with out pics. Sorry. After setting the governor, start with step #3 again. The stalling you experienced is probably due to a too lean mixture, as you thought. (Before looking at your pics I assumed that you had a large one-piece Flo-Jet carb) If I was correct you will just follow my past instructions. It will have a high speed needle coming in from the bottom. Looking at the top pic of the carb, you have two adjustments on the top. The one with the spring is the idle mixture needle. The other one is the high speed jet, leave it alone. IF I GUESSED WRONG AND YOU HAVE A SMALL ONE PIECE FLO-JET CARB, you will not have a needle on the bottom. In that case the needle closest to the air intake is the high speed needle and the other is the idle needle. Just follow the steps, but the needles are in different places. Go slow, if you feel that the engine is revving too high either bring the throttle down or stop and we'll start over in another direction. Good luck.
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Rivets;

My carb has a needle on the bottom of the bowl and one on top with a spring on it. High speed on the bottom and idle mixture on the top. I am certain, from pics I have in a manual I borrowed from the library, that it is a large one piece flo-jet carb. I followed your instructions and got it running to the state that it shows in my video. Pretty good instructions I'd say. I also think the stalling may have been due to lack of gas. I was only putting a small amount in the tank to test run it in case I had to tear it all down again. At least in one case I am certain it ran out of gas.

I will check the web for a video on how to adjust the governor and will try to get that set up. I will also reinstall the shrouds to avoid overheating before I run it further. I will follow up with a post once I have a chance to adjust the governor. We are in for a few days of rain here so I might be a while before I get back to it. Will keep you posted. Thanks.
 
Sorry I have been away for a few days and haven't had a chance to work on the tractor. Shrouds have been reinstalled to assist with cooling.

Finally got back to the engine today and I have set the governor according to the instructions in the manual that I have. At least I have it adjusted as best I can. My manual suggested the use of a tach, which I do not own, and could not find one to borrow. It said to adjust the idle to 1550 rpm, then adjust the throttle stop to increase the idle to 1750 rpm, then turn the governor screw in till it contacted the governor plate. Since I don't have a tach, all I could do was to adjust the idle by ear.

I have it running pretty good at the moment, but I still have a slight sputter every now and again. But I can increase the throttle to the max, and return it to idle and it is not stalling, or cutting out. It seems pretty good to me, but if I could get it to run as smooth as possible that would be much better. I still hear the occasional popping noise up near the carb. I can't tell if it is the throttle stop screw hitting against the throttle stop, or if it is coming from the engine. Would a valve sticking make a popping noise?

The exhaust does not smell too bad either. So far I am impressed with the way it runs. Any suggestions as to what I might want to try next?

Keep in mind this tractor was stored outside for three years and has not run since it was laid up. I haven't pulled the flywheel to take a look at the points, so would this be advisable?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions you have.
 
I would let it go, could be a variety of causes, from valves, hot carbon, oil, small air leak, ignition system. Unless you are a perfectionist, I won't worry about it. Only thing I would do is add a little fuel additive a couple times this summer just to clean up any varnish or gum you may have missed. Congrats!!
 
Thank you Rivets. I really appreciate your guidance and patience in helping me with this engine. I think I will move on to restoring all of the body panels by sanding and repainting them. Nothing too fancy, just brighten Her up a little. I don't think I could have gotten this far without your help.
 
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