Viliers MK7 (?)

This is the engine that I got with the Beresford pump mentioned in the other thread. Looking at images online it appears to be a MK7, can anyone confirm? I'm not sure if the carb is the correct one, there were a couple of different ones with it.

I've pulled it over and it has good compression and spark, not sure what I'm going to do with it yet.

Looks like a bitsa.  Villiers MK7 or possibly MK7/1. I think it should have an air vane governor and B10 carburettor but mechanical governor was an alternative.
Let me know if you want a manual.

Woodsman wrote:Looks like a bitsa.  Villiers MK7 or possibly MK7/1. I think it should have an air vane governor and B10 carburettor but mechanical governor was an alternative.
Let me know if you want a manual.

The carb looks like an appropriate one if it came off a horticultural machine.

Woodsman wrote:Looks like a bitsa.  Villiers MK7 or possibly MK7/1. I think it should have an air vane governor and B10 carburettor but mechanical governor was an alternative.
Let me know if you want a manual.

PM sent, thanks.

I don't think the other carbs are B10s, I'll have to dig one out. The best I way I can describe them is looking like a small bike front lamp!

Well thanks to Woodsman kindly sending me a manual I now know it's a MK7, the MK7/1 has the flywheel on the other side.

This is the other carb, an S10/1.



I've found pictures of other MK7s fitted with these so I think they were used on certain applications. I suspect it maybe off an Atco mower as there are no rivet holes for a serial No./instruction plate and they had an 'ATCO' decal in the recces where the plate would normally be.

These may be of use

Thanks for that, all the info says B10 carb but clearly the manifold is different for the sidedraft carb fitted.

mattblack wrote:Thanks for that, all the info says B10 carb but clearly the manifold is different for the sidedraft carb fitted.

Indeed, looks like it's been changed to a cable control carburettor, possibly Amal, for horticultural use.

Well after a bit of searching online I think what I have is an Atco-Villiers AV3, which as far as I can see is a MK7 without a governor and with a different carb and manifold. Green paint under the blue/black would seem to support this.

I've done a little bit on it, cleaned out the fuel tank, stripped and cleaned the carb and fitted a new cork in the fuel tap. I've noticed it seems to have the wrong plug in, it's a short reach one but it must have been running on it as the bottom half of the threads in the head are carboned up. I'll fit one I've got just to try it and then order the right one (NGK equivalent to the Lodge BN specified) if all goes well.

mattblack wrote: <snip> I've done a little bit on it, cleaned out the fuel tank, stripped and cleaned the carb and fitted a new cork in the fuel tap. I've noticed it seems to have the wrong plug in, it's a short reach one but it must have been running on it as the bottom half of the threads in the head are carboned up. I'll fit one I've got just to try it and then order the right one (NGK equivalent to the Lodge BN specified) if all goes well.

This any good?



Would swap for a Lodge CB3 if you have one or sell it if not.

Thanks for the offer, but I can get an NGK equivalent for under £3.50 and it would be a shame to use a NOS plug like that IMHO (I'd have it on the display shelf!)

I'll check the few new plugs I've got first on the off chance I've got an equivalent anyway.

Just waiting for the plug to arrive so I refitted the fuel tank and cleaned out the carboned up plug threads today, while doing that I noticed something...



Not easy to see in the photo but whoever painted the engine prepped it so well that the 'ATCO Four Stroke' decal is still visible under the paint.

The plug finally arrived, I had to make a couple of cork washers for the fuel pipe fitting on the carb as the copper washers I'd used didn't seal but after a bit of fiddling with the mixture it was away after a few pulls. It actually ran pretty well at idle so I knocked up a temporary base so I can now try the pump:



I will now strip it and go through it, I have a JAP fuel tank knocking about that I might fit as I think it will look a lot better.

mattblack wrote: I have a JAP fuel tank knocking about that I might fit as I think it will look a lot better.

But the tank on your Mk7 is the original one .... ?

blue cat wrote:

mattblack wrote: I have a JAP fuel tank knocking about that I might fit as I think it will look a lot better.

But the tank on your Mk7 is the original one .... ?

AFAIK it's the original, but it's a bit modern looking to my eyes. It's also got a few dents and think there maybe some 'chemical metal' under the thick black paint. Oh, and the cap is from 5 litre oil can... I'll keep the tank and won't be modifying the bracket if I do change it. This is the other tank, looks like someone had the same idea as it's got a home made bracket riveted to the original:



Got it set up and gave it a test run, it went well. It drips some water from the drain hole but I'm happy with it overall. I will put a video up in the appropriate section.



After the test run I started stripping it. I was a bit disappointed to find a fair bit of oil where it shouldn't be, the valves stems/guides are worn so I think are the culprit. I will carry on with it though, it runs OK and it's not like it's going to be doing any real work now.

As you say - it runs well and won't be under any great strain.
Keep up the good work!

Had a Sunday afternoon in the garage

To lock the engine up to remove the pulley and flywheel I used my 'useful scrap bit of metal and block of wood' method. (Pat. pending)



The points set up is different to the other Villiers I've got. The points cam is on the crank not the flywheel and the flywheel is keyed to the crank. The timing is set by turning the points baseplate. Much less of a faf.



IIRC I paid £3 for this old valve spring compressor. Crude but does the job.



All in bits now. There is some scoring on the bore and piston which I think is from carbon in the oil. The rings are free and seem fine (it's been bored +20 thou)



Next will be cleaning everything up and seeing if I can strip the blue paint off.

Well, while scraping off the old gaskets I thought I would see how difficult it would be get the paint off. The answer was 'not very'...



I will get the rest off with the whizzy wheel. Interestingly there is no sign of Atco green under the blue, just the greeny-grey primer. As it's been rebored I wonder if it is an exchange block?

I think the best way to describe the blue paint is 'easy come, easy go'...



Today I cleaned up a few more small bits and made the new gaskets.



And then got a couple of coats of primer on the block.




Oh, and ordered a metre of copper core HT lead as well.

I unmasked the block today, looking smart if I do say so myself...



I decided to take the rings off the piston to give it a proper clean, what I should have done was eased them off with some strips of shim rather just used my fingers and a small screwdriver...



L&S have +030" rings but not +020", I've emailed Villiersparts to see if they've got any.

The new rings cost me £40 with the VAT and carriage


So I invested a fiver in some piston ring pliers...


I found that my smaller ring compressor didn't go small enough, so it was a case of plenty of oil and careful manipulation with a blunt screwdriver to get the piston back in.


Coming along now, I also got the straps and bracket off the JAP tank and the (very) tight tap out, need to give it a good clean out next.

mattblack wrote:The new rings cost me £40 with the VAT and carriage

Ouch !

Looking good though.

mattblack wrote:I found that my smaller ring compressor didn't go small enough, so it was a case of plenty of oil and careful manipulation with a blunt screwdriver to get the piston back in.

I've cut up a soft drinks can in the past and used it with a Jubilee clip to compress the rings on small pistons.