Pretty sure I need a new engine... I've got no suck!

[jcooper]

Yea, my 370 has no suck.

Cleaned out the carb, adjusted the rpm as high as it can go and my lift is only going to 8-12hg with the vac relief completely tightened down(wont open). It's also somewhat intermittent, occasionally I'll get 12(vac gauge) other times 8 and it boggs down.

Engine has 4300 hours.

It's gotta be an engine, I've changed blower belts, changed waste tank gasket multiple time searching for lift, nothing is helping.

Any ideas?

 

[Andy]

Pull your spark plugs, put your thumb over the hole, turn the engine over and see if there is compression.

 

[scotty747]

Doubt its the engine. Take the belts off the blower and pump and see how the engine itself runs. Then trouble shoot from there.

 

[bob vawter]

Pull your spark plugs, put your thumb over the hole, turn the engine over and see if there is compression.

They got these new fang-dangled things call....Compression testers.....cheap and can tell if there's a Compression issue....

 

[Mikey P]

Is the blower moving at the proper rpms?

 

[dealtimeman]

1 check compression
2 take belts off blower to ensure it spins freely but not full on spinning with no resistance.
3. Check connections/hoses from blower to tank.
4. Is Vac relief, release Vac? ( I know you tightened but is it leaking?)

 

[Andy]

They got these new fang-dangled things call....Compressor testers.....cheap and can tell if there's a Compression issue....

BDCC can't afford those, thumb is cheaper for an initial test

 

[Cleanworks]

BDCC can't afford those, thumb is cheaper for an initial test

Your thumb isn't going to tell you if you have 80 psi or 40.

 

[bob vawter]

W

BDCC can't afford those, thumb is cheaper for an initial test

What a moron!

 

[Lee Stockwell]

Rent a tester at O'Reilly, it's free.

 

[bob vawter]

Will yor thumb determine any possible leakdown between cylinders.......lik a bad head gasket

 

[Brian H]

Rent a tester at O'Reilly, it's free.

I believe that's called borrowing.

 

[bob vawter]

1 check compression
2 take belts off blower to ensure it spins freely but not full on spinning with no resistance.
3. Check connections/hoses from blower to tank.
4. Is Vac relief, release Vac? ( I know you tightened but is it leaking?)

5. Waste tank lid gasket

 

[Hack Attack]

Never done this myself

 

[clean image]

6. Make sure nothing hindering blower exhaust flow,

Interesting Les
- seems like good idea.....
- I would think a closer would be manufacture recommended brake horse power requirements at given speed, (lift/flow/pressure) as far as engineering
-

 

[steve_64]

Stick a garden hose in the blower just a little more than a trickle whole the machine is running. Let it run about ten minutes. It should run clear after a few minutes but let it flush it out then run ten more minutes dry. Oil it just before you shut it down.

 

[Dolly Llama]

Yea, my 370 has no suck.

Cleaned out the carb, adjusted the rpm as high as it can go and my lift is only going to 8-12hg with the vac relief completely tightened down(wont open). It's also somewhat intermittent, occasionally I'll get 12(vac gauge) other times 8 and it boggs down.

Engine has 4300 hours.

It's gotta be an engine, I've changed blower belts, changed waste tank gasket multiple time searching for lift, nothing is helping.

Any ideas?

Does it have a tachometer, Coop?

forget about "lift" or a minute
What's the egine RPM read when you're losing vac lift?
If relatively consistent within a 100-200 or so RPM, doesn't sound like a motor problem to me


..L.T.A.

 

[Shane T]

Does it have a tachometer, Coop?

forget about "lift" or a minute
What's the egine RPM read when you're losing vac lift?
If relatively consistent within a 100-200 or so RPM, doesn't sound like a motor problem to me


..L.T.A.

I agree, it didn't sound like a motor issue in the video.

 

[Lee Stockwell]

I believe that's called borrowing.

You pay a deposit, but get it back.

 

[Nomad74]

A 370 has no suck? Shocking!

 

[Jim Williams]

It's probably just a crack in a vacuum line somewhere. Could be the waste dump line or a fitting on the waste tank or vacuum line to blower. I had a large crack in a pvc fitting one time. No telling how long it had been like that. Maybe just the blower belt slipping.

 

[Nomad74]

On a serious note, check your waste tank lid and the seal. I had a suck issue with my 870. Turned out that my Trex handle is the same height as the tank lid. I went over a bump and the trex got wedged under the tank lid lip, making a very bad seal. It must have happened when I went over a bump.

 

[bob vawter]

On a serious note, check your waste tank lid and the seal. I had a suck issue with my 870. Turned out that my Trex handle is the same height as the tank lid. I went over a bump and the trex got wedged under the tank lid lip, making a very bad seal. It must have happened when I went over a bump.

Check # 5. !

 

[Nomad74]

Check # 5. !

That would require me to scroll up. I'm too tired for that.

 

[randy]

waste tank loose / open or blower is bad.

 

[jcooper]

Does it have a tachometer, Coop?

forget about "lift" or a minute
What's the egine RPM read when you're losing vac lift?
If relatively consistent within a 100-200 or so RPM, doesn't sound like a motor problem to me


..L.T.A.

No tach, unfortunately.

Yea, it(engine) sound pretty normal/consistent.

Hmmm, possibly not an engine issue. What a pain in the arse.




Just about shat myself after getting a engine replacement quote from my local disty. 4500 to replace and install.

I can get the engine for 1800 they wanted 3500! Holy margins. Dam!



The help is appreciated fellas.

 

[Dolly Llama]

no tach?!?!
on a small air cooled engine turning a 4 blower?

It should be run at peak torque/HP for max life and cooling .
I "think" that's appx 3100-3200 rpm for Kohler
....hard to do without a tach

4300 hours, the air cooled Kohler is tired for sure
butt... the blower lift shouldn't fluctuate between 8 and 12hg regardless how tired the engine .
when they're "too tired" they stall under load.
BUTT... the blower should make virtually same lift whether 3000 or 2000 rpm
(it's the CFM that changes with RPM)


..L.T.A.

 

[Andy]

Will yor thumb determine any possible leakdown between cylinders.......lik a bad head gasket

No, dipstick, It will just tell him if he has any compression or not. Then if there isn't he can do further diagnostics with your compression tester.

 

[bob vawter]

He can check valve leakdown as well...Mr
Smartypants!

 

[Absher Carpet]

You said its intermintent, if the engine is not at full power the blower will not produce as much lift. Does it smell of gasoline while this is happening? Kohlers have a tendency to have coils go bad. With a bad coil it can be intermintent, and you will loose more than 50% of engine power.