Engine characteristics of 154

[kentrx1]

The starting mechanism is something I have not seen on any other motor. I am guessing it has to keep compression fairly low for a belt to start the engine. When I am cranking mine it does not grab and catch like a traditional engine——more like a slow catch and wind up to speed. It also does not jump right up in speed when I move the throttle up. I am fairly sure the throttle is not pushing governor open enough to get proper rpms, but have not gotten that far yet. Cleaned carb and that seemed to make no difference in response. If it was a Kohler or something more like what I am used to I would say compression was low. Have only checked one cylinder as I needed to remove gas tank to check more and it was near 120 which I felt good about. Does not smoke a bit and all plugs look identical and like they are burning properly with no oil build up. Engine idles like a sewing machine—- just no power. I am really wondering if it is characteristic for these engines to need to be reved up to have much power. And governor is working freely. If throttle adjustment does not make gains then I am certainly pulling gas tank to check compression all cylinders as well as checking valve gap. I don’t hear any valve clicking but not sure if that is significant on this engine or not.

[toehead]

It should rev up pretty quickly. I can take a video of mine to show you if you want.

Double check that all the linkages of the governor are working. Mine was frozen when I got it.

[kentrx1]

When cranking mine it slowly catches. Is that normal? I can see the governor moving and when carb was of linkage all moved freely. I am hoping it is just the throttle cable not having enough movement. Plugs do not look like compression issue to me and sounds too smooth for a stuck valve—-at least to me.

[staninlowerAL]

Disconnect the throttle cable from the control lever #11 and see if the lever moves freely on the shaft #12 when then engine is not running. It must move without restriction for the engine to build rpm like it should.

Click on the picture to make it larger.

[kentrx1]

Will do. So part 11 just slides on part 12 and rotates freely? Not clamped or tighten on shaft in anyway?

[aparnell572]

I had to recently repair the governor linkage, repairing that made a huge difference in the responsiveness. If you put tension on the governor spring, is there play in the governor linkage? If so then the rockshaft extension needs the jb weld fix.

[staninlowerAL]

Will do. So part 11 just slides on part 12 and rotates freely? Not clamped or tighten on shaft in anyway?

Yes, it slides on and rotation is limited by the governor spring. It's held in place by a cotter pin as I recall. It's possible you may have to remove it to clean and free it up. Usually a soaking with penetrant solution and tapping it to rotate it will free it up. The lever is cast and therefore subject to breaking if too much force is applied. Once you get it moving, it should free up. Good Luck.

[outdoors4evr]

There should be virtually no delay in acceleration when you move the throttle. Your throttle lever requests a higher or lower throttle setting of the governor. The governor opens or closes the carburetor butterfly accordingly to achieve that throttle setting. I would guess that there is slop in the linkage between the governor and the carburetor. There is a keyway in the shaft and the socket the key fits in wears wider. This causes a the delay in throttle response when the governor calls for more or less throttle.
Check the How-To section for the fix. I think the is to epoxy the shaft into the governor socket.

[outdoors4evr]

As for the starter-generator, as a first item to check would be the wiring. Make sure your power termination areas (the end of the cables and their posts) are clean and shiny for a good connection.

[kentrx1]

There should be virtually no delay in acceleration when you move the throttle. Your throttle lever requests a higher or lower throttle setting of the governor. The governor opens or closes the carburetor butterfly accordingly to achieve that throttle setting. I would guess that there is slop in the linkage between the governor and the carburetor. There is a keyway in the shaft and the socket the key fits in wears wider. This causes a the delay in throttle response when the governor calls for more or less throttle.
Check the How-To section for the fix. I think the is to epoxy the shaft into the governor socket.

where is the how to section you refer to? i checked the arm that the throttle cable connects to and it is free. I am not quite clear on checking for play in the shaft you are referring to.

thanks

[staninlowerAL]

INDEX PAGE, Scroll down about half way. viewforum.php?f=11

[kentrx1]

INDEX PAGE, Scroll down about half way. viewforum.php?f=11

thanks....had not scrolled down that far.

[kentrx1]

Had some time this afternoon and focused on the governor and linkage. the linkage appeared tight, but i noticed that there was not as much movement on throttle cable as i thought there should be. So an hour later, after nearly every bolt was rusted tight, got the dash loose and moved enough to get to throttle. sure enough, the clamp that holds cable outside was allowing it to slip so i was only getting about a 1/4 of the movement of inner cable i was supposed to. I could probably hammer the clamp back tight, but not sure if it will stay so i am leaning towards getting a new cable----until i looked up part number and it was $50 plus! Has anyone found an inexpensive cable that works well? Other option is to try to epoxy or somehow secure the pinchers on throttle so they do not bend again and allow cable housing to slip.

[outdoors4evr]

Before replacing the cable, Check the other end of the cable. Perhaps it is binding up or the cable has frayed (and expanded in size) which may be causing an excessive pull tension on the cable. Also, lubricate the governor arm pivot point (the area where the throttle cable attaches to the governor) and make sure this is moving freely across the entire throttle range. This area is easily forgotten when lubricating and they get seized up.

Note: you may be able to replace the cable without replacing the sleeve that the cable rides in. Cable can be found at your local hardware store. Lubricate before installing.