Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

Hi, I purchased an old (1972) Toro 726 today. Unfortunately, it will only run on full choke for a minute or so then stall. Can anyone help me with the carb settings for this thing?  I picked it up thinking it only needed to have the carb cleaned. I've since changed the head gasket, spark plug, fuel line, fuel filter (clear, inline, paper  element, arrow is supposed to point in direction of flow right?). I've found that when she begins to stall if I choke it with my hand over carb she will suck some more fuel and run for awhile longer. The fuel filter does seem to be running low on fuel and after starting it I can even see bubbles in the fuel filter. Any advice will be much appreciated. Thank you,

Carb settings: turn screw until lightly seated (tight). Then for idle: back out 1 turn. For high speed: back out 1 to 1.5 turns.

The arrow is supposed to point in direction of flow  - thats correct.

"I've found that when she begins to stall if I choke it with my hand over carb she will suck some more fuel and run for awhile longer." Actually, you are cutting off the air supply to help balance the fuel/air mixture due to the carb running too lean (lack of fuel).

As for the bubbles in the filter, try bypassing it with a section of steel tubing & see if the problem goes away. If the fuel tank is metal, it could be rusted inside (very common), and the scale could be blocking the path of fuel out of the tank.

If compression is low (I see you replaced the head gasket), that will also cause the engine to stall unless on full choke.

Sorry I can't be more definitive here, but it sounds like your Toro may have a multitude of problems. If you have a compression gauge, I would start there & see what the compression actually is. If its low, you have to find the cause, as all the other work isn't going to help "mask" a compression deficiency. If this the original engine, it has ignition points & a condensor so keep that in mind also.

Good Luck!
Marty

Thanks for the response. Since I don't have a compression tester, I'll probably bring it to a local small engine place and see if they can help. Here are a couple of pictures in case anyone is interested in seeing a dinosaur. :)

Can anyone tell me what the factory carb settings are for this carburetor? Thank you!

72Toro726 wrote:

I posted them above - take a look

Marty

Thanks for the carb settings. After removing the high speed jet and letting some gas pour through it. I was able to get the snow blower to run fairly well for about five minutes off the choke at various throttle positions, then it started to run bad again. Do you think I just have some bad stuff floating around in the carb that is messing things up?

Hey MaxIron,

I also have a JD 185 lawn tractor...

It appears that I'm getting Oil on top of the piston. Anyone know where this oil could be comming from and or how much it might cost to get this fixed? Thank you,

You have a 185? Nice tractor! A hyrdo is just fantastic to operate. I wish mine had one!!!

You could very well have more crud in the carb, or even the fuel tank. Those metal tanks are known to rust, so you might be getting rust flaking off & getting into the carb. Both should be checked.

About the oil on the piston - are you sure its oil? If the carb is flooding, it may be fuel. If it IS oil, it could be a clogged breather, or the rings need to be replaced along with a reboring of the cylinder.

I don't know your mechanical ability, but this machine sounds like it needs some serious attention in order to get it 100%...

Marty

I dropped the 726 off at a local small engine repair shop yesterday. Hopefully, it won't be anything major. Thanks for all of the advice.

72Toro726 wrote:

Please let us know what he finds & repairs.

Thanks! - Marty