Repair-It

However, I was able to get one thing done today. I solved the (car) battery hold down issue.

I had to do two key things:
1) Get longer bolts. The 7" bolts were not tall enough for this car battery. I determined that they are 1/4-20 which is a very common thread. But could not source a bolt longer than 6". So I just bought some 1/4-20 threaded rod and cut to length with nuts on top (oh I just remembered I forgot the washers - I also need to anti-seize the bolts at the bottom).
2) Move the nut insert to the outer hole (yes there was an outer hole). This was the perfect spacing. There, try to do THAT with a modern machine! Next I will need to cut off the small ring terminal on the positive cable and crimp/solder a wider diameter one on that should fit this bolt. I will just leave the bolts since the battery is very secure now. The reason I like running a car battery is for winter use. I will never have to worry about running the battery down if it ends up needing a ton of cranking in like 5F or something. I will also need to fix the charging system but that will also have to wait. Pulling the flywheel is only going to require a puller so not a big deal.

Trans group for my Simplicity: https://www.partstree.com/parts/simplic ... odel-1326/

It is considered Tecumseh because I think they bought Peerless somewhere along the way (before they went under).

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Tecumseh 790031
LEVER, Brake

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I feel like it is spring steel so not sure if welding will work properly. Also it may have broken because something is seized so I need to determine if there is an underlying issue preventing the brake pads from being applied properly - I tightened the adjuster nut on the brake rod considerably, and also at the pads. Adjustment is two steps.
1) Adjust disc brake nut so clearance between pads and rotor is 0.010". I did that.
2) Adjust brake rod pretension nut until it just touches the spring. When I did that I had to move the nut like...over an inch, which was really odd. I may need to free something up and ensure it has a little grease wherever metal is contacting metal I guess.

I need brakes on this because of how I back up to the edge of my yard to dump grass. I would have to keep the brake released, and shut off the engine and that would essentially put it in park. But the brake really should work. It's a disc and little pads...and I adjusted it last season yet it was slipping when I was emptying the bags when I mowed yesterday. Not a big fan of the machine inching toward me as I stand behind it and on an incline...

$19.83 on Partstree with shipping or $18.80 on Amazon (non-prime but free shipping).

I guess I will order and then see if Adam can weld just in case something weird happens and it breaks again.

Did a lot today. Will post more later but here is a video.
https://youtu.be/yx2KTE99yso So much voltage (not really). Ok so I rebuilt the carb (and fuel pump) today. It takes a while to carefully clean all the passages and scrape gasket surfaces. I did not remove the welch plug or do the throttle shaft seal or bushing. There was some gunk in the carb bowl. Kind of reminded me of stale fuel junk, but more ethanol junk. Sort of like this jelly stuff. Not a ton but I wonder if the MMO loosened some stuff from the tank or carb and that clogged the float valve from closing fully. I do also know this thing smelled like gas even before the issue so it did need attention. The fuel line from the gas tank to the filter was hard as a rock. The line from the fuel filter to the carb was soft but...too soft. So both were really not good. Also I could not get the fuel jet unscrewed from the carb so I just left it. The kit does not come with a jet anyway so probably doesn't matter. I blew it all out with air and used carb cleaner.

I also lifted up the gas tank, dug out some mouse nest and other garbage from around the steering rack, then greased the rack. Ran new fuel line all the way from the tank to the new filter to the carb. With a real filter in there hopefully junk will stay away from the carb.

There was still gas in the intake manifold when I started it and gas burned off the exhaust for a while after it run. After I verified it ran with the rebuilt carb, I drained the oil/gas mixture. It was pretty bad. I think there was close to a gallon in there total. I guess it flushed the engine out but it definitely wasn't good that I ran it at all with that in there. Fortunately it seems fine but who knows if I did any damage.

Did the new air filter.

Next items:
- Install the NGK plugs but there is no rush here. I want to ensure I solved my fuel issue since it soaked the plugs in gas.
- Install larger ring terminal on positive cable and connect to battery terminal bolt
- See about pulling the alternator/generator stator from the junk machine. I looked into pullers and a standard 2 bolt puller seems like it will work. I only have jaw pullers though so I will probably buy something. If that doesn't fix it I will have to buy a stator.

Later on:
- New wheel bushings
- Swap tie rod from parts machine
- R&R starter to grease internals (bushings mainly)
- Probably should attach the snow thrower and try it at some point...
- I may experiment with a 1/2"x79" belt for the transmission. It just seems loose with the 80" but it does work.

I believe this is the correct alternator but apparently you can match by plug type and wire color or something.
https://www.amazon.com/Briggs-Stratton- ... B019WEE74Y

Hopefully the one in the parts machine is fine as this is $64.

I can still try to add up what I spent. There is some cost in having two machines, especially if I want them to be as turn-key reliable as possible. Most of this is up front and non-recurring and, again, will go a long way to ensure that when I actually need to rely on these machines, they will function properly. It's a matter of committing to some work (and expense) now to avoid aggravation later. And in the case of the green Deutz, to enjoy the convenience of being able to dedicate it to snow removal.

Ordered Briggs flywheel puller and 3 flywheel keys. $18.

Got my puller, flywheel keys, and new brake adapter.

I just checked the oil on the Deutz. Good news: it was actually at the bottom of the crosshatch, meaning I didn't add quite enough after the oil change last weekend. Topped it off. Looks like gas is not leaking into the oil though I guess the ultimate test would be to sit with a full fuel level. It should be fine though.

I decided to start it. Took a lot of cranking. When it started, it appears some gas came out of the muffler. I did not actually smell it though. I should have.

I don't think I cleaned the float bowl needle valve seat with a Q-tip when I had it apart. I did blast it with 100 psi of air and carb cleaner which I would think was sufficient. And obviously I replaced the needle valve, too.

Not going to get excited yet...and could probably just live with it if I installed a fuel shutoff valve. It seems to run and idle well. I seem to be having this same issue on my generator. Maybe they both just need shutoff valves.

Gas is still leaking past the needle valve and into the intake. It started with no choke since there was gas in there. I probably should take apart the carb again and make sure the float hasn't sank and maybe clean the seat with a q-tip. Other than that I could just install a fuel shutoff valve...