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This may not be the correct place to ask this question, but I'm not sure a more appropriate place exists.

I have a Craftsman 32.8cc 10in tiller with a two-stroke Tecumseh engine. It ran fine the first day I used it, but then I ran inside to grab water and it tipped over and stalled out. I couldn't get it started again.

The next day, I was able to start it, but it kept stalling out. I don't think the idle was set too low, because the tines were actually spinning slowly -- but the only way I could keep it from stalling was to pull the tines out of contact with the ground and rock it forward periodically. On top of that, the throttle doesn't respond anymore.

I did notice a bolt had fallen out of the muffler, so I replaced that. A more thorough inspection revealed that the governor spring wasn't hooked to the throttle assembly anymore. I've tried reconnecting it, but it seems to unhook itself again every time.

I ordered a new governor spring assembly, but wondered if there was a way to jury rig it in the meantime. If the spring's hook is bent, can I solder it to the throttle? Or should I assume the spring has lost tension too?

wax eagle
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    Soldering a spring ruins it. It takes the temper out of the steel and anneals the wire, leaving you with soft, non-springy iron. – Fiasco Labs May 20 '13 at 23:49
  • Huh, interesting. Thanks, never knew that! –  May 20 '13 at 23:56
  • Tried to make sense of their manual, man, it's ugly scanning. It is a standard air vane governor, just can't really tell how everything's supposed to tie together. – Fiasco Labs May 20 '13 at 23:59
  • Yeah. I know. The paper version wasn't much better at the shop I visited this morning. I can take a picture this evening, I think, if I can figure out how to remove the gas tank. –  May 21 '13 at 00:01
  • You should just be able to bend the hook and reconnect it to the throttle - I do it with lawn mowers all the time. – Jeff May 30 '13 at 13:41

1 Answers1

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I had to order a new air vane assembly, which included a spring. It was not easy to install -- had to remove the engine from the base, then detach the two bolts inside of the air filter.

The tricky part was that the air vane instructions had some weird reference to part colors. It took me forever to figure it out: the spring had a red streak across it, which indicated which hole it was supposed to attach to.

The other end of the spring (the circular end) attached to the throttle assembly. It was tricky to attach without bending or stretching the spring, especially since I then had to hold three pieces together at the same time while bolting the engine back together.

It works now! Thanks for the assistance.

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