# Toro 38584 2 Stroke R Tek Bogging Down Not working



## Rutom (Jan 28, 2019)

Hi guys,
New member here hoping you could help with any suggestions you might have.

I picked up a non starting toro single stage last year. Thought it would be a fun project and learn a bit about small engines. 
I got it starting/idling but it's got other issues now. As soon as you try to push snow it bogs down and either dies or goes into this low rpm idle/surge. 

Things I've tried:
-cleaned carb/tried a cheap chinese carb
-new fuel, fuel lines, filter
-new plug
-tried adjusting the governer spring/linkage.
-opened it up and removed the shroud to see the vane, it seemed fine.In fact it looks really clean under the shroud. Although I' not entirely sure what to look for. 
-removed the muffler to see if there was any scoring on the piston, none...it looks brand new.

Wonder if it's the governor. Although, maybe I'm going in the wrong direction. Was wondering if you have any suggestions. I was thinking about changing the governor spring. Only other thing I could change was thinking maybe it could be the head gasket? I did hear some hissing when I had the shroud off and tried to listen to it turn over. I have no idea what its supposed to sound like.

I've attached a video of what happens: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1udldBLZC-zctV_fTcQskyqE6ZQX9-Y_S/view?usp=sharing

Would appreciate your help from Toronto Canada.


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## UNDERTAKER (Dec 30, 2013)

* Try another carb. Don't go DICKING AROUND with that Gov 2 much unless you know where the original spot was to begin with. you could just send the thing to Kingdom Come if it is set wrong. some of those china made carbs are not worth BULLSPIT!!!!!!! If you still have the Toro 1 rebuild it or if you are not comfortable doing that yourself. then find someone who is. But yes it is a carb issue that is making it run all WONKY!!!!!! ALOHA From The Paradise City. :smiley-rpg027::smiley-rpg027::smiley-rpg027::smiley-rpg027::smiley-rpg027:*


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## Rutom (Jan 28, 2019)

Thanks for the reply Powershift!

Yeah, I was worried about messing with the gov. I actually got a known good Walbro carb from a local small engine guy and has the same issue. I called Toro and then briggs to see if they were able to help with a service manual for setting the gov/linkage/vane. Toro sent me to Briggs who wanted $30 for the service manual for the motor.

I'm going down another rabbit hole. I found this (below). The coil resistance on mine is ~1000 ohms. Can somebody with a working rtek tell me their resistance on their coil? I might order a cheap chinese magneto for funsies...although the oem is a nice looking part...made in Germany!:

https://www.walleyecentral.com/forum.../t-160961.html
hakaplan
02-08-2016, 12:53 PM
If your engine is a Briggs & Stratton (includes Toro R-tek and Lawnboy Duraforce) you can test the coil easily with a multimeter set to ohms. One lead goes into the spark plug wire hood and the other touches ground (any metal part of the engine). The reading should be between 2.5K-5K (2500-5000) ohms. If it isn't, the coil is bad. This is the very first thing you should do if you have this problem. If your engine is a different make and you can't determine the proper range, contact a seller of your engine's coil and ask him to test his and report the reading. Compare it to yours. If it's radically different, odds are that yours is bad. Don't even waste your time messing with the carburetor. Aftermarket coils are inexpensive. Replace it and I guarantee it will solve the hot start problem. THEN if you continue to have performance issues, delve into the fuel system.


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## tadawson (Jan 3, 2018)

Do yourself a favor . . . step away from the craptastic Chinese parts . . . you don't need any more problems!

Typically dying under load is going lean, plain and simple . . .


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## Rutom (Jan 28, 2019)

You're probably right tadawson. Don't want to throw too much money into this, bought it more to learn something. It's weird that the same thing happened with multiple carbs now.


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

Why did you tip it forward that far while it's running? The float in the carb works based on gravity. Tipping the engine forward almost 90 degrees may produce weird carb results anyhow, since the float might move out of position. 

Are you sure that the gasket between the carb and the engine is intact, and sealing? You can check for air leak at the engine/carb interface by spraying that area with carb cleaner, for instance. If the engine sound changes, you have an air leak there. An air leak can make you run lean. 

Admittedly, I don't know why it would only happen after getting into the snow. Is it immediate when you get into snow?


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## tabora (Mar 1, 2017)

The standard angle of operation limit for most small engines is a constant 15° angle under normal operation. Exceeding that causes both fueling and lubrication issues rapidly!


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## Rutom (Jan 28, 2019)

Sorry guys, 
I was trying to replicate the problem in my garage, I didn't have snow at the time. Apologize for the crappy camera work. My intention was to show the governor. I should get my wife to film when it bogs down in the snow. It doesn't take much to bog it down. 

I have an update.
I managed to find a Lawnboy service manual. I couldn't bend the old air vane to factory specs so I picked one up locally, also picked up a new governor spring. The new linkage made the blower run a bit better (now surges on idle though). Same issue...it actually revs up a bit better in the snow but will bog down, but now seem like it will just die. We're talking 2-3" of snow. 
@RedOctobyr - i tried the carb test and it ran better when spraying some carb cleaner around that plate with the governor. Thanks! 
I switched the gaskets but haven't had a chance to retest (don't want to wake the neighbours). If this gasket set doesn't work (from the chinese carb) I'll pick up a set from my toro dealer. I was using the original gaskets.


With the carb off, I cleaned it again. Feel like I'm getting a bit closer. Hopefully I will have an update tomorrow. Fingers crossed it works. We're headed for vacation Friday and was hoping to have this blower working so my brother doesn't have to shovel our drive.


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## Rutom (Jan 28, 2019)

Well boys it works! Thanks @RedOctobyr. You diargnosis definitely helped. The chinese carb gaskets seem to be doing the trick now. When reinstalling the carb i removed the plug and pulled the cord a few times and I was able to get some gas to come out, so maybe the needle wasn't sealing? It starts on one pull now, it never used to do this.

I want to get a cheap tach to see where this thing shoudl idle. It sounds the best its ever had but it still sounds like it's running too hard. Not sure an easy way to determine the ideal RPMs without a tach.


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

Awesome! A tach is the simplest and most reliable method. And for $10-15, it's a good investment. 

You can try phone apps that listen to the sound and try to figure out RPM, but I don't trust them as much. You sometimes need to give them the expected RPM range up front. But if you were sure of that, you might not need the app in the first place


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