# Tecumseh Governor blown inside or not adjusted properly??



## Twes (Feb 13, 2016)

Good morning, 
I have a friend's Ariens 1332 Pro that I "volunteered" to fix for him. It seemed like your typical" I haven't ran it in a couple years" issue so iInitially I disassembled the carburetor and cleaned it but then determined it was too far gone so I replaced it. The machine starts now but I am having issues with very high idling and am suspecting the governor. Just wondering if you guys can tell by the short video clip if/how I would adjust the governor on this particular model as I haven't dealt with it before. There appears to be a small screw on the bottom linkage that affects the governor. I attempted to adjust that in and then/out but it doesn't seem to have affect. The other thing that causes concern is when I adjust the speed lever it doesn't have any affect on the motor even though the butterfly is moving on the carburetor. To further make things complicated, when the Engine is running and the Idle goes real high, if I attempt to manually move the throttle plate Away from the idle screw(which would increase speed) just to see what happens the speed actually decreases and it eventually stalls. I apologize if this was a confusing description. Hopefully the video clip Will clarify. As always thanks again for the help! PS it is a Tecumseh 13HP OHSK-130


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## FearlessFront (Aug 18, 2016)

Twes said:


> Good morning,
> I have a friend's Ariens 1332 Pro that I "volunteered" to fix for him. It seemed like your typical" I haven't ran it in a couple years" issue so iInitially I disassembled the carburetor and cleaned it but then determined it was too far gone so I replaced it. The machine starts now but I am having issues with very high idling and am suspecting the governor. Just wondering if you guys can tell by the short video clip if/how I would adjust the governor on this particular model as I haven't dealt with it before. There appears to be a small screw on the bottom linkage that affects the governor. I attempted to adjust that in and then/out but it doesn't seem to have affect. The other thing that causes concern is when I adjust the speed lever it doesn't have any affect on the motor even though the butterfly is moving on the carburetor. To further make things complicated, when the Engine is running and the Idle goes real high, if I attempt to manually move the throttle plate Away from the idle screw(which would increase speed) just to see what happens the speed actually decreases and it eventually stalls. I apologize if this was a confusing description. Hopefully the video clip Will clarify. As always thanks again for the help! PS it is a Tecumseh 13HP OHSK-130


I don't see the attachment to the video. I think you forgot to add it. Can you add it please. Thank's.


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## Twes (Feb 13, 2016)

I apologize I'm having trouble posting the short video clip . I'm only able to post this pic which prob won't help much . I will try to post the video if possible .


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## guilateen02 (Nov 23, 2014)

Is it an adjustable carb. I can't tell from the pic. If so what did you set it to. I believe it should be 1.5 turns out from seated position. Unless the governor has been fooled around with or broken previously, it shouldn't need attention.


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## Twes (Feb 13, 2016)

It is a non adjustable carb. I have no way of knowing if someone messed with the governor before me . Im only leaning that way because the rpms are pretty high (seemingly to high even for an out of adjustment carb or idle screw issue but I could be wrong) Unfortunately I still cant upload the video I think because Its from an iPhone in .mov format. Sorry I know its impossible to assist without more info I will keep trying.


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## Jackmels (Feb 18, 2013)

Easy to tell if the Governor is Toast. Run the engine at 3/4 throttle, and see if the governor arm is applying pressure by manually pushing the arm away from the carb. No Pressure=Bad Governor. Otherwise, You should be able to get it working correctly by adjusting the governor and the Throttle Screw.


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## JLawrence08648 (Jan 15, 2017)

Governor parts inside the engine rarely go. And governor's never go out of adjustment if they are set correctly from the start. And you always should buy an adjustable carburetor.

That said, governors are easy to adjust, loosening the nut, pulling it all the way over while holding the throttle on the carb to high speed. Check out YouTube.

After that I think you may have the carb linkage in the wrong hole on the carburetor, unless you have a bad carb which is rare.


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## Twes (Feb 13, 2016)

Thanks for the help , I will try the 3/4 throttle and see if the governor has resistance , hopefully it does ... I replaced a blown apart governor on another machine last year . Not the end of the world was just hoping it was the bad carb .....


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## Jackmels (Feb 18, 2013)

I've Replaced Quite a few over the years, sometimes the plastic gear goes, or the weights break away. Let us know what you find.


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## Twes (Feb 13, 2016)

Finally figured out how to post a video......I was able to upload to youtube so hopefully it will clarify what I was trying to describe. It appears as though the linkages are correct and not bent but more eyes on it the better , Thanks again all!


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## ELaw (Feb 4, 2015)

If you look at the throttle plate on the top of the carb, do you see there's a screw with a spring on it, that stops the plate at the end of its clockwise (viewed from the top) rotation?

To me it looks like that screw is adjusted in way too far. I'd back it out about 2 turns and see if things improve. Maybe even 3. That screw controls the idle speed and as you back it out, the RPMs should drop.

If that doesn't help, see if you can get a video doing exactly what you did in this video (moving the throttle lever through its range) but with the engine running so we can see how it's responding to the throttle.

If the above does help, adjust that screw so the engine idles at a reasonable speed with the speed lever in its lowest position and you should be good.

Also if you messed with the adjusting screw on the speed control lever, you might need to get your hands on a tachometer to get it adjusted correctly. That screw sets the engine's RPM with the lever at it's "high" position and typically should be set so the engine runs at 3600 RPM max.


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## Twes (Feb 13, 2016)

A bit of an update sorry for the delay,
Since last post I replaced the throttle plate mechanism as it seemed to be bound up a bit and was a pretty inexpensive part to replace. This seemed to help a bit but still have some governor issues.....I think. I attached 2 short videos that will hopefully illustrate what I am going ton try to describe. (Just to refresh ...I have replaced the carb with a factory carb (non adjustable )like the original.) 
The blower starts and seems to run fine. it will blow snow for a few seconds sometimes up to about a minute but as soon as it hits a substantial load it dies. I incrementally adjusted the governor both directions the furthest point . It seems to help with better engine speed briefly but the governor still doesn't seem to kick in when I hit snow. 
I then tried to manually open the carb where the governor normally would under load, the RPM increase briefly and then the engine dies. Normally I would suspect a fuel issue but given its a new carb /fresh gas, etc I dont think it is. Please let me know if Im missing something .Thanks again!


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## JayzAuto1 (Jul 25, 2016)

Hey Twes.... I just saw this post....on the first pic from 2/2?? the linkage is on wrong. From the throttle lever to the governor, looks like the arm flipped down 180* that lever should rest against the little high speed adjusting screw. The video's don't show if it's put back correcctly, but it doesn't SOUND like it. Please double check that. GLuck, Jay


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## Twes (Feb 13, 2016)

Excellent I will definitely check that and let you know.


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## JayzAuto1 (Jul 25, 2016)

GEvening Twes, Again, that may be a false lead, but quick and EZ check/Fix. The first pic shows it, but neither videos show that angle. BUT, that symptom describes your problems exactly. GLuck, J


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## Twes (Feb 13, 2016)

So I replaced the throttle lever plate and replaced the linkage to the governor as it was on the original. I double checked from a repair manual (at least I think I did) to ensure I had it correct. I snapped a pic with the new one lemme know if you still see something amiss. 
ELaw I missed your post sorry, I did notice the idle screw to be in to much and adjusted it to be at a more reasonable rpm. I will take a video of the throttle lever going through the ranges while running but prob unfortunately won't be able to for a couple days. 
Any idea what would cause the machine to die when it comes under load . The throttle plate opens up as if the governor is attempting to compensate for the load but then shuts right down........ Will start right back up but as soon as it hits a considerable load same thing......throttle plate goes wide open then engine shuts down...... Thanks again for all the help.


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## ELaw (Feb 4, 2015)

From that pic it looks like the linkage is set up right, although as far as which hole the wire should be in at "3", I'm not sure. It's probably okay the way it is.

Re the engine dying under load, question: when you tested, was the engine 100% totally completely entirely fully warmed up?

Newer engines run pretty lean and you can't open the choke fully until they've got plenty of heat in them. Does it run better with the choke one notch from the open position? If so, I'd say run it that way for 10 minutes of snow removal or at least 15 minutes of idling/light load then see how it runs with the choke off. If it's okay under those circumstances, what you're seeing is probably normal.

The fact you're not running the cover over the carb might have a small effect on the above too, since the carb will be getting colder air than it would if the cover was installed.


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## bad69cat (Nov 30, 2015)

Also it sounds to me like it's starving for fuel when you go to rev it up..... it's not backfiring like a lean condition, so maybe the needle or float is not open enough to allow enough fuel in.....? You might try adjusting the float lower if its no one of those fixed non adjustable ones...... but, yeah, don't adjust anything until it's a full operating temp so you know that the choke needs to be open full, and see how it acts and adjust accordingly. Make sure the the needle rides up and down easily and isn't slightly sticking - that will make it intermittent and not smooth also. Some of the floats have a spring that must be placed correctly as well - which helps keeps things smooth.....


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## Twes (Feb 13, 2016)

Thanks again for the responses . I retried all the conditions and made sure it was warmed up when trying to bring under load , unfortunately same results, runs fine idles up/down with throttle lever but when I hit load it dies. I made a quick video of how the engine behaves when I throttle up/down and also how the engine dies when I hit snow. 
I dont think its such a thing but could the governor be partially gone? I always thought its either blown apart inside or not but mine seems to be trying to adjust especially when I increase the RPMS (like its supposed to) but then can't compensate under load ............


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## ELaw (Feb 4, 2015)

That's not a governor problem you're having there.

In the video where you push the machine into snow, you can see the governor opens the throttle to try to compensate for the engine slowing down. So the governor is doing its job. But when the throttle opens, the engine dies.

That's most likely a carburetor problem... I'd say most likely the main jet is too small (maybe they installed the wrong one at the factory?) or clogged. The float level being way off is another possibility.

A less likely possibility is an air leak between the carb and the engine. Maybe the gasket where the carb attaches to the manifold, or where the manifold attaches to the engine? But usually such problems cause more trouble at low load than high.


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## Twes (Feb 13, 2016)

Thanks ELaw makes sense, 
Given the fact I didn't skimp with an aftermarket carb would my next best option be to adjust the float / pull the jet while Im in there?


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## ELaw (Feb 4, 2015)

I'm honestly not sure!

I think the jet is the most likely issue, but if you open it up and don't find it clogged, I'm not sure how you'd tell whether the right one is in there or not.

Do you still have the old carb? Maybe you could swap the jet over.


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## Twes (Feb 13, 2016)

*Checkin in.....*

Wanted to check in so no one thinks I blew off the thread.......
Pulled the float bowl and made sure the carb/jet was same size as previous carb. Also inspected /cleaned the jet which seemed cleaned as I expected given its new. Still same symptom..........At a loss for now.......I'll check back if/when I make progress thanks again for all the help....


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## jtclays (Sep 24, 2010)

Have you checked compression? Spec'd the valve lash? Best carb and governor in the world won't work if she's farting out the head gasket or the valves, especially under load. Is this an onboard battery start machine?


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## Twes (Feb 13, 2016)

Yes it is in fact an on board battery machine. I haven't checked valve lash because I figured if it runs and idles good they were ok but makes sense now that you say it......


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## jtclays (Sep 24, 2010)

I'm just thinking out loud what I would do in your position, not bashing. I think you've done due diligence to the carb and linkages and I would look for another cause. I know from my experience buying used, they can start and run like they need carb work and end up being head gaskets and valves. Just another thought is if the wiring is compromised and your load is causing a fault (even the key switch, coil failing under load). Seems to me something else is going on, or the owner hasn't told you all the things done to it prior. Off chance the fuel line is snotted soft and sucking shut when the throttle opens, bad gas cap, 3 ounces of grass clippings in the tank from previous owner siphoning gas out of lawnmower.......just rambling thoughts trying to get you some satisfaction for all the work you're doing:icon_scratch:


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## Twes (Feb 13, 2016)

Hmm......all good ideas I should've thought of before now .....! Particularly the soft snotted up fuel line . I noticed the line is soft and I had to cut some back at the carb, was planning on replacing it once I got it running ..........guess I'll be doing it now......thanks again .


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## guilateen02 (Nov 23, 2014)

Also don't forget spark. I just finished an OHV LCT that would start one pull, throttle up and down perfectly, as soon as it touches snow it would die out and start right back up. Plug was junk and would spark just enough to run without a load. It's worth a shot before you start tearing into the engine. Your plug is about 2 - 3 bucks. It's worth a shot.


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## Twes (Feb 13, 2016)

Going to pick up a spark plug and some fuel line this week and go from there............


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## jtclays (Sep 24, 2010)

If it sat for a while, you never know who's been visiting on some blowers, too:icon-cheers:


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

I think trying adding choke as the engine dies makes sense. 

If you're moving the throttle plate directly, and it's dying, that seems like a fuel issue, but possibly spark, as was mentioned. If you have an inline spark tester, you could connect that, to allow monitoring the spark as the engine dies. 

To help eliminate the carb and fuel as a cause, I suppose that you could try spraying a bit of gas into the carb's intake as the engine was dying, to see what happens. If it comes to life again for a few seconds, then you could more-confidently say that's starving for fuel, vs losing spark, etc.


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## Twes (Feb 13, 2016)

Waiting for the new plug to come in as they didn't have in stock but might be worth mentioning I did attempt to spray some starting fluid into the carb as it was dying and didn't make a difference ....kind of makes me think it's maybe a weak spark/bad plug ....?


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## mehal (Feb 19, 2019)

Hi Twes, did you ever resolve this issue? I have the same problem (and I'm in Waltham, MA) and can't seem to find what is causing the issue.


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## mehal (Feb 19, 2019)

PS - I also have the same machine Ariens 1332.


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## Twes (Feb 13, 2016)

I believe it ended up being the spark plug of all things. I think I intially overlooked it as being the culprit because the symptoms didn't seem consistant to a bad plug. Lessoned learned for me....don't overlook the basics/obvious........


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## mehal (Feb 19, 2019)

OK, thanks


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