actually got to go to an auction today. have missed them. Not that I really need any more junk, (cuz I sure don't) but I just like the experience.
the local, every other week consignment sale hasnt happened in months, and farm/estate sales have been all but nonexistent the last couple of years.
I missed a few things I wanted, got cold feet on one thing I REALLY wanted, got a few things I wasnt planning on, and passed (kicking myself now) on things early on that I would have snagged had I known Id be making a 2nd trip back to pick up part of my haul anyway...
among the junk I ended up with; 2 old weed whip mowers from the 60s, a Jacobsen reel mower from about 1972 (going by engine numbers) and stopped by a garage sale that I found yesterday after I wound up with the weed whips.... one has a stuck engine, and I remembered the garage sale had a "close enough" engine that needs work but has compression,, in case I can't get the stuck engine freed up.
All but the Jake have the nastiest gas tanks I have ever seen in 40-ish years of messing with small engines. the glass sediment bowls look like the residue left when boiling brown sugar in water.... I had to poke the gas tank outlets on all with a screwdriver, to get flow.... on one I had to take my cordless drill and a bit to break thru the crust so gas would flow out the fitting on tank bottom.... both weed whips are old enough that they have oil bath type air filters on them.... all 3 are 2 pc flo jets.
weirdly the 2 weed whips look like twins but one is a '64 (going by engine code number), its engine is a Briggs 143402; other weed whip engine is a '66, model 170402; garage sale engine is a 190432 from '71.... put side by side, all engines look identical/ except the garage sale engine has a paper filter.... it would mount right up if needed. after seeing how fast the water + simple green tuned nasty with the 3 sediment bowls and housings in it, then I changed solution to fresh, I put about double teh simple green in that I normally do.... I dunno if these are gonna be salvageable or not. I have a couple of new Stens sediment bowl assemblies here that I can put on if needed/ but that scares me on the cleanability of the carbs.... any suggestions on a stronger cleaner for the ultrasonic that won't flash-fire in my face? in case the simple green dont cut it.....
the gas tanks on all 3 are just as horrendous about the bottom inch of each, within.... they would fit in the ultrasonic width wise, but are about 1/4" too long to fit lengthwise.... Im wondering if I could put them in the cleaner tank, as much as will fit, w/o the cleaner tank's basket/ with the long end of the tank, on the rim of the cleaner, run it a few cycles, then put "long end down" in the ultrasonic and 1st end that was in the dunk, on ledge.... and fill tank with solution as far as practical each time and clean the sludge out of tank bottoms? All seem "not nearly as bad" above 1" up the walls from the bottom....
at the moment, I want to get the carbs boiled out from the weed whip with the engine that isnt stuck and the garage sale engine.... will worry about the one on the "stuck" engine if I can free it up..... the weed whip with the stuck engine may be put aside as future parts for the one that spins free..... yet to be determined.... might put the garage sale engine on that unit. I know the garage sale engine is an 8hp, I think the stuck engine (170000 series Briggs) would be a 7hp, what would an alum block 140000 series be considered?
the local, every other week consignment sale hasnt happened in months, and farm/estate sales have been all but nonexistent the last couple of years.
I missed a few things I wanted, got cold feet on one thing I REALLY wanted, got a few things I wasnt planning on, and passed (kicking myself now) on things early on that I would have snagged had I known Id be making a 2nd trip back to pick up part of my haul anyway...
among the junk I ended up with; 2 old weed whip mowers from the 60s, a Jacobsen reel mower from about 1972 (going by engine numbers) and stopped by a garage sale that I found yesterday after I wound up with the weed whips.... one has a stuck engine, and I remembered the garage sale had a "close enough" engine that needs work but has compression,, in case I can't get the stuck engine freed up.
All but the Jake have the nastiest gas tanks I have ever seen in 40-ish years of messing with small engines. the glass sediment bowls look like the residue left when boiling brown sugar in water.... I had to poke the gas tank outlets on all with a screwdriver, to get flow.... on one I had to take my cordless drill and a bit to break thru the crust so gas would flow out the fitting on tank bottom.... both weed whips are old enough that they have oil bath type air filters on them.... all 3 are 2 pc flo jets.
weirdly the 2 weed whips look like twins but one is a '64 (going by engine code number), its engine is a Briggs 143402; other weed whip engine is a '66, model 170402; garage sale engine is a 190432 from '71.... put side by side, all engines look identical/ except the garage sale engine has a paper filter.... it would mount right up if needed. after seeing how fast the water + simple green tuned nasty with the 3 sediment bowls and housings in it, then I changed solution to fresh, I put about double teh simple green in that I normally do.... I dunno if these are gonna be salvageable or not. I have a couple of new Stens sediment bowl assemblies here that I can put on if needed/ but that scares me on the cleanability of the carbs.... any suggestions on a stronger cleaner for the ultrasonic that won't flash-fire in my face? in case the simple green dont cut it.....
the gas tanks on all 3 are just as horrendous about the bottom inch of each, within.... they would fit in the ultrasonic width wise, but are about 1/4" too long to fit lengthwise.... Im wondering if I could put them in the cleaner tank, as much as will fit, w/o the cleaner tank's basket/ with the long end of the tank, on the rim of the cleaner, run it a few cycles, then put "long end down" in the ultrasonic and 1st end that was in the dunk, on ledge.... and fill tank with solution as far as practical each time and clean the sludge out of tank bottoms? All seem "not nearly as bad" above 1" up the walls from the bottom....
at the moment, I want to get the carbs boiled out from the weed whip with the engine that isnt stuck and the garage sale engine.... will worry about the one on the "stuck" engine if I can free it up..... the weed whip with the stuck engine may be put aside as future parts for the one that spins free..... yet to be determined.... might put the garage sale engine on that unit. I know the garage sale engine is an 8hp, I think the stuck engine (170000 series Briggs) would be a 7hp, what would an alum block 140000 series be considered?