Maytag help-sooner the better

[Ihorse]

I am trying to put together a little show--I thought I would use a matag washer with a ton of other stuff--the maytag engine gives me a pop or two--that is all--I have never even tried to start one of the little things--so a tip or two would be good, I don;t have the time to spend learning on the fly this time--
thanks d,j,--- ps, I have two of the little buggers--one long frame--one short frame-long is early 1927--short is early 1928--if that matters.

[Sky]

i would say check your spark, weak yellowish whiteish kind of spark, change your condencer and clean the points, try to start the engine, still does the same thing? then i would clean the carburator out and clean out the pick up check valve tube in the gas tank, im not sure of carburator adjustments on the maytags do to im not fermiliar with maytags but if the carb does have a gas mixture adjustment screw, that could be the problem to,...thus you adjust the screw intell the engine starts acting right again.


Sky

p.s. and if non of the above make improvements, check engine timing, if the maytags have a way to adjust the timing? also check engine seals, good compression and sealing is critical to a good running 2 cycle.

[Dick Welty]

Ihorse,

Make sure that you have your oil gas mixture right, there should be plenty of info in the archives. About 16 to 1 if you use 30 weight or 20 to 1 if you use modern 2cycle oil . I like gocart caster oil as it smells good and has exceptional lubrication properties but it is pricey.

On a 92 that hasn't run for a while I remove the carb bolts and lift the carb off to clean the jets with air and check the check ball. even if I screw up the gasket it only takes about 15 or 20 minutes including making a new gasket.

When you put it back to gether tighten the needle valve all of the way in and that should be with the pointer pointing all of the way to the close on the crank case.

Unless someone has previously screwed with it that is the way it should go.

If you are reasonably shur that the mixer is clean then don't mess with it.

Set the mixer over to the open condition and give it a good kick or two or three. If it dosn't start then turn the lever to the full closed position as it is probably flooded.

Once it starts set it in the allmost verticle position and after it warms up turn it closed untill it starts to loose power under load.

I put them under load by carefully putting pressure on the flywheel with a rag.
Remember to take care not to get the rag caught in the flywheel as it might jerk off several of your fingers when it suddenly catches in a fan spoke.

Lord willing I still have 5 full digets on each hand.

Another thing that comes to mind is that reciently when I was starting one to give to one of my grandsons I found that seemingly identical sparkplugs were not identical in performance.

I took a plug from a known runner and got several others to run fine but when I tried the seemingly good plugs in the runner it would not run properly.

I also took the flywheel governor adjustment cover off and cleaned the points which made all of the difference in the world. I have several Maytags that have set in my barn for 10 or 15 years since I purchased them just waiting to be started. If the ran when I purchased them they probably won't run untill I do some cleanup.

I hope some of my experiences will help you get you Maytags going they are still a favorite of mine.

[Ihorse]

Thanks guys--this afternoon Iwill know--I am tearing my hair out trying to get this shindig ready-and most of you know my health has not been the best--maybe this show thing was not the best idea--and maye it wil do me some good, if I live through it--I will post some pics of the set up coming along,
it is a lot of work [alone] to do about 40 pcs,.
incl power providers and driven equipment--ie-engine-saw----tractor-baler. ect-ect
thanks d,j,

[Tom S]

Ihorse,

Dick said it pretty well.

I would say the most often diagnosed problems are:

#1 Check valve is stuck or malfuntioning

#2 Dirty points. Coils almost never are faulty, condensors once in a while.

#3 air valve in carburetor stuck or air valve spring missing or broken.

#4 spark plug

If all else fails use a 16lb maul, strike the engine as hard as possible for as many blows as you can before taking a rest. This will surely eliminate your problems.

Best of luck!

[Ihorse]

It runs fine now--stuck ck ball--plugged pu holes and a looking good but,
crappy 3095--used another, runs fine now
thanks d,j,

[Neale Behm]

Speaking of spark plugs......I've not had too much success with Autolite 3095 or Champion 25 plugs in Maytags. They seem to foul out pretty quickly. The best explaination I've heard for the problem is that they don't reach as far into the cylinder as the Champion 34/Maytag plugs and don't get hot enough to keep clean. Another example of "just because it fits doesn't make it right" I guess.

[Andrew Mackey]

Could be you don't have the carb set up right. If it is set too rich, it will foul plugs. If you run the engine with no load, set the mixture leaner than normal - turn in the mixture screw 1/8th turn lean and let run a few minutes to clear excess fuel out. Keep adjusting in, and waiting until the engine begins to fire more rapidly than usual. back off one 1/8th turn, and leave it. When not under load, the crankcase and cylender load up with excess fuel. when the engine ignition returns ( governor opens points), the engine is flooded, and eventually the plug fouls. To clean fouling plugs, start engine. load flywheel until engine just runs without missing. adjust fuel mixture needle in very slowly, until engine begins to slow down. Stop adjusting needle, maintain load for several minutes. Increase load slowly until engine stops, and let cool. Remove plug, and inspect. It should be clean and dry. If you use this procedure at the end of a days run, for about 5 minutes, or so, the plug will not foul, and it will be nice and clean for the next day's service! This will tend to burn off the loose carbon in the cylender too. It is a good idea to load the twins as well, as at idle, they tend to carbon up as well.
Andrew