A No-Name 19" Push Lawnmower

A roadside find, in rough condition, possibly destined to be scrap metal.

It's also easily the ugliest lawnmower I've ever seen -- a dreadful colour scheme.

Anyway, the first order of business is to deal with the stuck starter. It won't recoil. The starter cord's handle is some sort of steel bracket.

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Starter Working

The spring needed winding up. The cord is too short to be parked up on the handlebar as it ought to be, but it's long enough to work so I can test for spark.

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Starter Update -- SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2019

I installed a new cord -- an 88" MTD/Atlas item from Canadian Tire. Canadian Tire P/N 60-7553-8. $5.99 CDN + HST. I had a salvaged grip on hand. The new arrangement works fine. The 88" cord length is adequate for parking the grip up on the handlebar.

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Spark Plug

It's a Champion RJ19LM, which is correct for the engine. The plug is in reasonably good condition, but the gap is oversize. I set the gap to a snug 0.030". A spark test reveals that I do have spark.

Engine

Engine is a Tecumseh. As best I can make out the codes embossed on the front of the cowl, it's a TVS90 43368F SER 80686.

Compression Test

I got a reading of about 42 PSI. That's pretty lame. A well worn engine may exhibit 50 PSI, so this engine is past it. Just for the heckuvit, I'll see if I can get it to start and run.

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Compression Test Update -- THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2019

I did get the engine to start and run. After running the engine for a brief while, I did another compression test. That test returned a reading of almost 60 PSI. I imagine that the piston rings got a good shakeup, and started to seat better in the cylinder's bore. 60 PSI is still not great compression, but in my experience, 60 PSI is viable compression -- the engine still has useful life in it.

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Fuel Tank

The fuel tank lifts off two ways at the rear of the cowl. There's a spring-type hose clamp to be dealt with at the fuel line nipple.

The tank is all but empty. There doesn't appear to be water or sludge in it. The cap is cracked. The cap's gasket is ill-fitting, and falls out easily.

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Fuel Tank Update -- SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2019

New red fuel tank cap. Tecumseh P/N 34210.

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Air Cleaner

The air cleaner is mis-installed, and missing its cover. Two special 10-32 shoulder screws with 1/4" A/F (across flats) hex heads with No. 2 Phillips recesses fasten the air cleaner's body to the carburetor. There's a round gasket in the air cleaner's air horn where it contacts the carburetor. The gasket is inclined to stay in its groove and not come loose.

Cowl

At the front, two 10-24 x 1/2" hex washerhead screws with captive external tooth washers, 5/16" A/F.

At the rear, two 1/4"-20 hex washerhead screws, 3/8" A/F.

Governor/Throttle Control Plate On Top Of Carburetor

Note the positions of the adjustable features of the plate -- the throttle cable jacket's position and the plate's position.

• Throttle cable. Loosen off the clamp (1/4" A/F hex) and unhook the cable.
• Control plate. Two 10-24 x 1/2" hex washerhead screws with captive external tooth washers, 5/16" A/F.
• Unhook the governor spring link.

Carburetor

• Two 1/4"-28 x 7/8" hex head screws, 3/8" A/F with two 7/16" A/F KEPS nuts.
• Note the position of the governor link in the throttle lever, and unhook the link.
• Float Bowl Screw. 1/2" A/F hex.

The carburetor is a float bowl type, as simple a design as one will ever see. There are no adjustments aside from float level. There is no idle jetting. Pressing the primer bulb forces a visible squirt of fuel up and out of the main jet into the venturi.

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Start Up Trial

'Put some fuel in it, gave it three primes and it started on the first pull. So, even with compression as low as 42 PSI, a four-stroke engine will start and run.

That doesn't save this lawnmower from the scrapyard, though. It's too ugly and too far gone to sell.

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Oh, What The Hey -- SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2019

For want of anything better to do, I decided to go ahead and try to make a serviceable, saleable mower out of this piece of junk. That took a fair bit of doing. Here's what I've done.

Painting

I stripped the blue paint off the handlebars with paint remover. The handlebars, engine cowl and discharge chute all got painted gloss black. 'Looks much better.

Primer was Canadian Tire Armor Coat grey primer P/N 048-0621-0. Paint (two coats) was Canadian Tire Armor Coat gloss black enamel P/N 048-0314-2.

Deck Cracks Behind Rear Wheels

I cut two patch plates from 1 1/2" wide steel flat, and installed them with 1/8" hollow aluminum rivets, like so.

I also used the same 1 1/2" wide steel flat to fabricate two rectangular 'washers' for underneath the handlebar brackets.

The rear of the deck is now rigid as it ought to be.

Trailing Flap

The original flap was completely torn off. The pictured flap that I've installed is the same as that used on my own lawnmower. The parts breakdown in my user's manual gave me the part number -- MTD P/N 731-06953 -- so I was able to order one from the small engines place in Pickering.

For hinges, I used 1/2" All Round strapping. The hinges are anchored by two 10-24 aluminum threaded inserts, with 1/2" long hex socket head screws.

Air Cleaner Cover

The air cleaner cover was missing altogether. I had a salvaged one with a broken tab on it, so I made up for the broken tab with a 10-24 x 1" screw and another 10-24 aluminum threaded insert.

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So there we are -- the mower is now a serviceable machine. I'll try peddling it on Kijiji come spring.

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