After it's winter rest, my Merry Tiller refuses to start. I suspect it the points need cleaning, having checked the pluf and so on. Getting off the flywheel is the problem, in order to get at the points. Just how much effort is normally needed?. If I hit it any harder I'll break something!.
Any advice?.

Father-in-law (motor mechanic) and I used a lump of timber between the hammer and flywheel, it absorbs the shock.

BTW, we buggered up putting it back on as we didn't do it up tight enough and the flywheel ate the woodruff key and slipped round a bit.

Hopefully Clive will be along in a bit with his unrivalled garden machinery knowledge.

Hello,
On B&S engines of Merry Tiller age there is usually a starter clutch unit that acts as the flywheel nut... Officially there is a special spanner or adapter to remove this without damage...and also another tool to hold the flywheel.
Once the starter clutch unit has been undone the B&S cast iron flywheel type will sometimes move with a few sharp taps to the rim whilst taking up the weight... To quote B&S...with a gloved hand exert a pull on the flywheel and use a rawhide hammer to strike outer rim of flywheel...avoiding fins and magnets. It does add...several blows may be required on a extremely tight flywheel.!!

I don't think the smaller B&S engines with cast iron flywheels have puller holes.
However, some earlier B&S models had alloy flywheels and I seem to think they had facility to thread holes and use a type specific puller. This would be a puller with bolts screwed into flywheel rather than a leg type puller.
Leg type pullers are bad news for alloy flywheels.!!
Likewise, alloy flywheels would not stand any hammer application.!!

Never use any hammer blows on the crank end..as it will bend, burr etc...and then the starter clutch will not fit back and render the job u/s.
And avoid damage to fins and magnets.
Always use an aluminium key...never steel....the key is designed to shear in out of order circumstances.

** I really think though that if you are struggling it may be best to seek local service agent assistance with the task rather than risk inflicting any damage on machine..or to yourself.!! It will of course cost but may save damage which in the long run may cost more.?!!

All the best,
Clive.

Thanks for your replies.
Your reply, Clive, jogged my memory of how I did it before one time.
So, took apart, cleaned the points and reassembled. Still no attempt to fire up. I could see the plug spark when I took the plug out to check it and clean it. Plug was dry. Tried a drop of petrol on top of the piston. Still no go. Plenty of petrol in the tank. Not sure how the choke should be positioned at start (pushed in or pulled out), or the trottle. No engine knowledge, I'm afraid.

Hello Sammy
My MT is usually a reluctant starter at the beginning of the season. A trick that works well is to give it a very severe talking to then take the plug off and give it a snort of that 'Sure Start/Quick Start?' stuff that comes in a squirty can. Turn the engine over so that the piston is at its lowest point before this. Direct into the cylinder works better than simply into the carb as is often suggested. Replace the plug and turn the engine over at full choke and throttle and hopefully it will roar back into life.
Worth trying perhaps before descending into the bowels of the machine with a hammer.

John

If you can find the engine numbers that all B&S engines have...possibly in this case stamped into the cowling tinwork on the flat vertical section that faces the carb/air filter you may be able to freely download as a .pdf file a representative operators manual from this link;
http://www2.briggsandstratton.com/maint ... x.aspx?buy

A good proportion of engines are covered...and a parts drawing, which is always handy to have, should be available to freely download too.

By the description of push/pull choke it perhaps sounds like a 1970s engine with pulsa-jet carb...a low tank with carb mounted on the top of the tank.?? If so, then the choke is a slide at the back of the carb that is pulled out to choke for start up. This type can get worn in a dusty rotavator application and some develop a tendancy to suck back in as the engine is pulled over...needing a little improvisation or 3 hands at start up
(More recently a geared lever for choke was used and newer still a lever with a link rod.)
Often the choke needs to be swiftly pushed in once the engine first fires up..but this varies with engines and with the temp' on the day.

As an alternative to a whiff of aerosol potion...sometimes a small squirt of oil into the spark plug hole can effect an extra seal to get an overwintered engine underway again. It can perhaps help seal things temporarily if for instance a valve face has got slightly rusty during time out of use.
Petrol can go stale over winter and loose its umph to fire up...so do try with some fresh stock.
Do check the engine sump oil level and top up as required before start up.


Clive.

Thank you John and Clive for your replies.
Well, I fitted a new plug in the rotovator yesterday and put a squirt of Easy-Start in on the piston. Pulled the start cord a few times and got going. At last, I thought. A thick grey smoke came out of the exhaust after about ten minutes work, so I turned off the engine at once and checked the oil after it had cooled down. I had topped it up, but when I saw that it was thin and black I decided to drain it all out and replace it (sae30). Got a good days rotovating done today. There's no stopping me now!. Well, it did come to a stop suddenly at one point. Enough petrol, but the two screws that hold the choke assembly to the cylinder head had become loose - in fact one had got lost. There was a 1mm gap. I got a screw and springy washer and put it right.
The rotovator is as you describe, Clive. Although I'm not a mechanic, I have to admire the simplicity of it and the roughedness. Hoping for another fine day tomorrow. 'Am earlier with my work this year.

i dont know about the flywheel but when my merry tiller, 1958 version, wont start i remove the plug and pour some fuel in the hole, i then replace the plug and it starts without fail. bvest of luck

I think this answers the problem, it has been run with the choke on. It floods the engine with fuel which drains into the sump and dilutes the oil. The choke is pulled out for "ON" and pushed in for "OFF".

Larkshall. . . thank you very much for that information. I've been using the tiller with the choke not fully in. Just pulled out a little bit.

You're lucky, the choke on mine iw quite worn, so will not stay out at all, it has to be held while pulling the starter and warming up.
It does seem to pop back and forth a bit while running, so I have had to resort to strategic use of rubber bands to hold it in.

this is the tool you need for the job works perfect

Hi Philskin - is it possible to re-post your "the (choke) tool you need for the job works perfect", please??