Small petrol motor problem. Kawasaki Brushcutter.

**Fuzzie** · 13th July 2020, 02:34 PM

Not really woodworking related unless you consider slashing the small rubbish surrounding the big trunks before you get the chainsaw out to be fair game.

Inconveniently my Kawasaki brushcutter died on the weekend. We have our home up for sale and when it goes I'll have no real need for a grunty petrol straight shaft brushcutter like this old Kawasaki, but for the next few weeks or months I really need to keep this one alive.

Part of an alloy pulley in the string pull start mechanism broke off. An original spare is not available as Kawasaki got out of the brushcutter business a while ago. However it looks like a similar element from Victa will work as a replacement. My problem is I can't get the old piece off to try to fit the new one.

IMG_20200713_101350.jpg

I am having difficulty trying to remove the nut holding on the broken piece. I'm pretty sure it is right hand thread, but I can't see how to lock the shaft to assist in undoing the nut. I've tried wedging the broken bit against the rest of the body, but I'm fearful if I put too much force on the nut that way it may break some other piece of surrounding casting and make matters worse.

I'm wondering if the nut might actually have been initially secured with loctite as well. If loctite is involved how do you go about releasing it?

Anybody fixed something like this before? Any ideas on how the shaft might lock? I can lock the bump head at the other end of course, but I'm not sure that is really the place to lock the piston shaft to work on this nut.

**Bohdan** · 13th July 2020, 02:38 PM

Take it to the nearest tyre shop and have them hit it with a rattle gun.

**Fuzzie** · 13th July 2020, 04:00 PM

Bohdan, BRILLIANT!

Not the tyre shop rattle gun, but I went to Bunnies and they had an $8 Craftright 3 piece set of socket adapters for impact drivers. Using the 1/2" adaptor and a 12mm socket, the nut came off immediately!

**cjbfisher** · 13th July 2020, 04:14 PM

Fuzzie,
Now that you've got the socket adapter, forget about replacing the broken bit. Use the socket adapter and appropriately sized socket in a drill, and you've got an electric start brushcutter. I do it with my hedge trimmer. Beats the hell out of yanking on the cord till it starts.

**malb** · 13th July 2020, 04:57 PM

Appears that the nut is on the crankshaft and you need to lock the crank to remove or tighten it. A fairly standard trick is to remove the spark plug and thread a few feet of 1/4" diameter cord through the plug hole with the piston near bottom dead centre, keeping one end of the cord dangling from the plug hole to remove it later. Turn the crank toward top dead centre until it stops, then apply the tool to the nut. The cord between the piston and head acts as a cushion to avoid damaging piston, rod, crank or head, but prevents the crank revolving a full turn, allowing you to apply torque to the nut to release or tighten it.

**Pete57** · 13th July 2020, 06:33 PM

Originally Posted by cjbfisher

Fuzzie,
Now that you've got the socket adapter, forget about replacing the broken bit. Use the socket adapter and appropriately sized socket in a drill, and you've got an electric start brushcutter. I do it with my hedge trimmer. Beats the hell out of yanking on the cord till it starts.

Agree. I have a crappy old hard to start mower and did the same when recoil start broke (probably over use). Found I need battery drill on high speed to start the mower but so much easier.

**Fuzzie** · 13th July 2020, 07:10 PM

We're downsizing. I've already bought a $99 corded electric mower from Aldi for the new house and still working out what I'll need for a whipper snipper. It will only have to run for tens of minutes in the new house unlike the up to half day it sometimes takes me to slash the jungle slope here.

**Slave** · 13th July 2020, 09:04 PM

Fuzzie, I bought an electric wipper snipper a while back, great, light weight suprizingly powerful to do the job

**Fuzzie** · 13th July 2020, 09:22 PM

Yes I'll probably go electric for the whipper snipper. Corded is actually more appealing than battery as I really dislike the idea of buying yet another cordless battery system. My current extension cord is 20 years old and I haven't had to upgrade it yet. I even have a spare one that cost me less than $20 and is ready to run anytime.

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Small petrol motor problem. Kawasaki Brushcutter.

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