Max II Project

[garrett1308]

Pulled the spark plugs, they were clean as can be, no oil on them.
The air filter is dusted with oil. When I first bought the machine, I noticed a puddle of oil in the pan of the air cleaner.

[garrett1308]

Got bored today. Ended up cutting apart an old trampoline and building a removable soft top. Does it look nice? No. But it does get the job done pretty well, and it should be very durable. Building the frame was pretty straight forward. For the top and sides of it, I used the mat from the trampoline, and used a butane torch to cut, well burn, the doors and windshield, and in doing so, cauterized the mat to prevent it from fraying and falling apart.
I have a few zip ties holding the mat onto the top of the frame, and keep the doors and windshield from blowing around by clipping them to the 5/16 thread bolts that secure the lower tub to the upper tub.

[garrett1308]

Got bored today. Ended up cutting apart an old trampoline and building a removable top. Does it look nice? No. But it does get the job done pretty well, and it should be very durable. Building the frame was pretty straight forward. For the top and sides of it, I used the mat from the trampoline, and used a butane torch to cut, well burn, the doors and windshield, and in doing so, cauterized the mat to prevent it from fraying and falling apart.
I have a few zip ties holding the mat onto the top of the frame, and keep the doors and windshield from blowing around by clipping them to the 5/16 thread bolts that secure the lower tub to the upper tub.

[Murphyslaw]

Check out this web site. Spiderwebshade.com

We use these on our Jeeps but it so happens that the one that fits my 97 wrangler tj also fits my Max iv perfectly. They are held on with what they call "spider balls". They are little bungie cords with the balls attached. The one that fits my Max is the tjkini.

[garrett1308]

Might have blown the 16 horse vanguard today. Finally got it adjusted right so after about 20 minutes of regular driving, I figured I' take it through the creek. Did not work out so well; motor died, and I ended up having to balance on the back of it to pull start it. It turned over and ran, but with hardly any power or speed; full throttle couldn't move the machine. Took the air cleaner off and saw plenty of white smoke (gasoline). The engine backfires when it gets turned over. Tomorrow, I'll tear into it to find out what's up, though an intake valve not seating for whatever reason is pretty high on the list.

What else would be a likely culprit or worth checking?

[garrett1308]

Check out this web site. Spiderwebshade.com

We use these on our Jeeps but it so happens that the one that fits my 97 wrangler tj also fits my Max iv perfectly. They are held on with what they call "spider balls". They are little bungie cords with the balls attached. The one that fits my Max is the tjkini.

I'll probably end up picking one up soon, it looks like a driving garbage bag with the trampoline pad on it. Took it off a few weeks ago to avoid getting strange looks.

[garrett1308]

Tore the 16 horse down today. Had the intake push rod sitting loose in the galley, and the exhaust rod bent up but still in place. Replaced them both and set the valve clearances to .004 using a feeler gauge. Other side's valves were out of tolerance, so I reset them as well. It starts first pull now, idles just a little rough and runs terribly with the throttle opened up. Not long ago I went through the entire fuel system; cleaned the tank, replaced the fuel line and got a new fuel pump. Carb is clean and the jet in it is clear. Plenty of fuel in the bowl and the float is working correctly. Any other ideas?

[ARGOJIM]

Adjust valves to zero clearance, remove the spark plugs and roll over by hand checking for valve to piston contact. You may need solid push rods.

[garrett1308]

Adjusted both sides to zero. Checked to see if there was any contact. There was none. I sprayed the valves on the troubled side with a little wd-40. Now I can take it out for 15-20 minutes before it drops both rods. It does it on the same side that had the bent rods. Doesn't bend them now, just drops them loose. Has done this a couple of times now within the past day. Springs feel good and springy, and there doesn't feel like there's any play in the valves. What else is there to look for?

[ARGOJIM]

gummed up valves? may require removing head and cleaning valves and seats.

[garrett1308]

That was probably it. Sprayed the heck out of them with wd40 and wd40 specialist while actuating the valves and was able to take the max out for a few hours today with no issues. Thanks argojim!

[garrett1308]

How open should my throttle plate get on the max? I don't want to play with my governor too much and accidently blow the motor. I would like a little extra speed out of the machine at max throttle, but the plate only opens up about 1/2 way.

Building a wrap around bumper for it right now out of 2" angle. Probably would have been done over the weekend if I hadn't caught myself on fire with a grinder. Worst part about it is my grinder broke right after. All in good fun though. In the next few weeks, I think I'm going to build some bearing cages. Would like to have a dually setup at some point.

Any one have any ideas to adding an automotive alternator to a Briggs and Stratton motor while keeping the pull rope? I'd like to have a secondary charging system to handle a high output led light bar I picked up, and to power a speaker setup.

I think that's about all the questions I have for now. I'll have more when new crazy, and likely unnecessary, ideas pop up into my head. Thanks

[garrett1308]

Ammeter is acting up. Wondering if yall could point me in the right direction. When I first start the machine and give it gas, the ammeter jumps up to about 10 volts. Let off and hit the gas again, but it only hits about 5 volts. Stays around there for the rest of the time out, except when I turn on my lights or winch. Both are run to the battery, and when I turn them on, I get a positive jump in volts until I turn them off again. Put a new battery in it today, and checked all the wiring. Re-grounded a few things due to corrosion, but nothing major. Is this normal behavior for a machine with a bad alternator? Or is something else going on?

Also, when I turn the lights on which are run through the key (factory light setup), it drops the voltage like normal.

It may well be a bad alternator, but the motor doesn't have very many hours on it.

[ARGOJIM]

The ammeter is showing the rate of charge from the alternator, the draw of the starter is calling for a larger charge than the headlights. If after a few minutes of starting the machine and higher rpms the ammeter goes down to near zero the system is fine, when you turn the head lights on the gauge may show a draw at idle but rate of charge at full throttle.

[garrett1308]

Have any max 2 owners separated the seat from the floor, and hinged the seat to the frame for better battery accessibility?
Little worried that the floor would be too loose. Any opinions?