Starting a Howard Gem with a Sachs diesel 2 stroke

Cold starting is pretty straightforward with the right procedure. Needs a new throttle cable really and the exhaust welding up. Its quite happy to run all day long though.
If weather is cold or its being awkward then a very small squirt of easy start in where the can help but I personally don't like the stuff.
Smoke is mainly due to the oldish 2 stroke oil in the forward tank. A more modern oil is less smokey. That said though, once it has fully warmed up its fine.
We don't usually turn either fuel or oil off at their respective taps because if they are forgotten to be turned on then the systems would need to be bled out to remove the air.
Oh and when cranking, keep your thumb over the top of the handle along with your fingers. If the machine was to kick back it saves the possibility of a broken thumb. I can't even recall the Gem ever kicking back but for safety's sake.....
Have fun.

[@DictiusTeNecare]

Hi again, you can also buy "Zündfix" (look at german shops). That is felt watered with red phosphor. "Zündfix" ignites alone (ca. 75°C) under the compression in the cylinder and helps the diesel to ignite better in the cold start phase. So you don't need a lighter to start the engine. Some little oil splashes in the hole during the cylinder head before the start are effective, too. The oil will help the piston rings to seal the compression in the cylinder. Sorry for my bad english because i'm from germany. Greetings

[@jlo13800]

t runs total loss dry sump like a Duetz poppet valved 2 stroke!

[@TF856]

Don't worry about your english. A lot of people that are born and raised here don't speak very good English either. 😀

[@roveritis]

i second Chris Webb! my late Dad had a couple of them in the past and never used the wick. When i was in my late teens i secretly had a go at starting the sachs on my own did not know i needed to pull out the governor - and i got the hang of starting it that way until my dad told me i should pull it! I try maintain it a bit and use it once in a while just to avoid it seizing. today i pulled it out and it fired upon first time after two years (but forgot fuel tap closed so it could run for few seconds and i was baffled until i found out :P ) Nothing compares to the roar of the Sachs :)

[@Teapobs]

Fantastic video; I owned the same model, I bought it new in1968 and sold it around 1974. As previously mentioned the pull-out lever is to give excess fuel at start up. Never needed to use the heater plug device and could always start it using a different starting method; swing the handle from the top and let it bounce off compression twice on the third swing without stopping give it a hefty swing and it should start. The reverse gear should have the 'Dead-mans arm' working so that it can't reverse over the operator, you should have to hold the clutch lever down while in reverse gear. someone has disabled the function on that machine. Thanks for the video - Teapobs - Lancashire

[@jlo13800]

What oil did you use in it?

[@TF856]

I see that you need a tail board for that. That's what makes the finished product look so smooth and beautiful. It also helps to keep your feet out of the tine area. I really miss my G20 very much. Mine was probably from the early fifties with the J.A.Prestwich engine and it did not have the dead man function on the clutch. Mine was a barn find about 20 years ago and needed a few things like Cadillac valves and Caterpillar valve guides according to the automotive engineer that helped me get it running better. It also needed tires and tubes. Mine also had a compression release lever for that engine that I did not see on very many Gems. I really miss my Gem! 😭 I also very much miss my dad's Massey Ferguson ag tractor with a 6 foot Howard rotovator.

[@gpzephyr]

Hi all. I thought I should comment on the remarks regarding the starting wick. In actual practice this method was only ever used in temperatures around 0C, if it as warmer then the Gem would often not need any extra help in starting. The machine was sold and shipped out to Ireland, Hope its doing ok out there.

[@Ducatisatva]

Great demonstration! Lovely machine. You seem like a great guy to have a stout or a bit of tea with.

[@champvschumps4576]

High Chris, Another thing, dont pay any attension to the ID here that is for another line of discussion on youtube. Now only today here in Thailand I have been using my gem, the model I have here is what some call a 400, and some call a series 7. My model has a Hurth 2 stroke diesel, German I initially had the wick plug for starting but one time 8 years ago with no wicks available I noticed that the size and thread of the plug was the same as a diesel glow plug; I fitted one to mine and it worked perfectly, Just connect up to a battery for one minute and one turn and brrrm brrrm. I will do a video soon of me using mine here in Thailand. After 7 years using this glow plug it only dawned on me last week, I said to my mate, I cant see these engines being made just for a gem, I think they were all designed initially with a electric glow plug and maybe the wick is just something that Howard has added due to the fact the machines had no source of power

[@jlo13800]

How does a sachs diesel compare to a hirth, jlo or hatz, how much are these 2 stroke diesels, there are some bigger deutz valved 2 stroke here in the us though.I got an 8v92 2 stroke and there easy to find here.

[@jlo13800]

How does a hirth 2t diesel compare with a sachs 2 stroke diesel, we got a 4 cyl 2 stroke air cooled Duetz where i work at on a welder! The oil tank holds like 4 gallons and near the back of the engine. the pump tanks pushes into th bearings and then it burns up. just like this sachs does, Its says to SAE 30 of 40 low ash oil only!

[@KeithSilva2]

I love these old machines and have three of them. I'd like to find a diesel machine like the one in the video. Good job!

[@stevenking2980]

Nice machine and nice video and vid quality, from NC USA. Love the vid. Excellent work.

[@jlo13800]

You have one of these

[@hv53kma]

WARNING - These 2-stroke diesels work on a total loss system for lubricating oil. They burn most of it, but some will collect in the crank case at the bottom of the engine. Before attempting to start these engines you should undo the drain plug at the bottom of the engine to let any excess oil drain so the engine can't run on its own oil. ONLY use a monograde 20w engine oil (can be purchased online) - NEVER any other grade. These engines can be hard to start if there is insufficient oil in the governor case. To check this, look for oil in the sight glass below the cold start knob. If more is required, add monograde 20w oil through the filler hole on the other side of the engine until the sight glass is full. The special starter fuses are designed to be oil soluble, if you use any thing else as a fuse and this becomes stuck inside the engine, you can only remove it by stripping the engine rather than squirting oil in to make it dissolve. I am translating a copy of the Sachs D500W owners manual from German to English to sell on ebay if people will think this is helpful let me know.

[@jlo13800]

Will shell rotella SAE 30 work? I got that for 8v92 2 stroke but cut in some xd-100 synthetic 2 stroke for enhanced film strength.

[@BeamerTheFox]

man ide love to have that motor in a boat. great video

[@2bitmarketanarchist337]

Incredibly cool

[@douro20]

These engines were similar in design to two-stroke gas engines in that they have an air intake in the crankcase. Oil is introduced into the engine via a simple aspirator connected to the intake. I believe the first engines of this type were introduced by Stihl in 1948 and made into the early 1960s.

[@jlo13800]

Hatz and Deutz make 2 stroks diesels also, i see a deutz tripple on a welder with a sepratet oil tank. It can run sae 40, sae3 or tcw3!

[@douro20]

@@jlo13800 Yes, and ILO and Stihl as well. Stihl's design is the most unique out of all of them, the most distinctive feature being that of an exhaust valve in the head.

[@rotaryhoes]

Really enjoyed that video, fantastic machine. I have never seen one of these engines in Australia, would love to get my hands on one though.

[@MrHangerone]

sweet video!!!

[@gravedigr12]

this is awesome thanks for this:)

[@PatrickBaptist]

What a mean sounding little machine ahahahaha

[@hv53kma]

Nice machine, is it still for sale? This is a two stroke diesel so that lever isn't a decompression lever, but its an excess fuel device for starting (its located behind the fuel pump).

[@matthias.t2660]

You need Zündfix !!!!

[@fidgetspinner6378]

Matthias .T Yes, works great on my Holder B10

[@brendanfoley1able]

Hi I'm looking for engine parts for a Sachs if anyone has any information it would be appreciated. Thanks Brendan

[@jlo13800]

You have one of these engines, How much are they, You can get Deutz poppet valved 2 strokes, i seen one inline 6 aircooled with a separate oil tank of afew gallons. How did the sachs compare to the Hatz and JLO diesels?

[@AMANSAGGU1]

I have this same rotavator

[@jlo13800]

Is it a sachs 2 stroke or hirth 2 stroke diesel?

[@DictiusTeNecare]

Hi, please DON'T use two stroke oil. Use an normally 10W-40 or 15W-40 motor oil or BETTER: HD20, HD30 or other low compounded motor oils. Two stroke oils are not build for such high pressures in plain bearings and cylinders with pistons. Sorry for my bad english because i'm from germany. Greetings

[@jlo13800]

Oh i run fill and run my free kohler mower with xd-100 2 stroke oil, I also cut in some xd-100 with shell rotella for 8v92, Did you ever kick over a kx5 or cr500 them girls put plenty of pressure on their bearings. If i hed this 2 stroke i would run klotz techniplate sythetic 2 stroke in it or castor 927 maxima, but they are kinda of thick though. Todays 850 ETEC rotax has a lot of compression also and puts out more heat and power than this sachs diesel.

[@jlo13800]

Back in my naughty old days i used to change and mix pennzoil semi-synthetic TCW3 in my 69 caddy 472 coupe deville, it ran fine on it and kept mix at 60:1.

[@jlo13800]

Todays 2 stroke oil is far supieror to this oil stuff, i did a fill up with g gallons og quicksilver TCW3 on a 6-71 and shes runs clean cooler ans smoother that ever

[@jlo13800]

2 synthetic oil is much better and holds better under higher loads, get over it times have changed.

[@jlo13800]

Damn what is with your hatred with 2 stroke oil? have you had a bad experience with it? get over it, i filled many n4 stroke with xd-100 2 stroke oil feed into fuel for total loss and its much cleaner. My detroit 8v92 i get shell rotella 2 stroke rated low ash oil and no problem cut with some xd-100. Get over it.

[@stevenking2980]

That's the modern no till method.

[@jlo13800]

Just take a modern harley davidson 1600 v-twin and make it a uniflow 2 stroke, that will produce much more power! A honda 1800v-twin would be another 2 stroke mod as any port pattern can be cut into it with high power laser or plamsa, this sachs does not make much power for its size.

[@jlo13800]

what kind of bearings does the engine use?

[@DictiusTeNecare]

Sorry for the late answer: For the crankshaft there are cylindrical roller bearings and hydrodynamic plain bearings for the connecting rod and the piston pin.

[@jlo13800]

@@DictiusTeNecare OK i thought so just curios. there are some sick nitro glow 2 stroks that run a special bronze bearings that can turn insane reves as rollers are to heavy to turn up that fast and take up a lot of space. This sachs is a lot like a Deutz 2 stroke or JLO (ILO) 426, 660 2 stroke diesels. i once saw a hatza 2 stroke diesel on a dirt stomper that both a separate oil tank and fuel tank. its was crankcase pressurized but you had to keep the oil cap on the dry sump tank on tight or have a real mess as it's bouncing like crazy! It was uniflow like theose big 760 stihl 2 stroke diesl, ports on bottom 2 exh valves on top and hand crank start!

[@jlo13800]

My 8v92 2 stroke is plain stel coating bearings that run on little oil. I use sae 40 cut with heavy duty Evinrude ETEC XD-100 oil. The XD reaqlly has much better film strength!

[@jlo13800]

Oh BTW there are special bronze graphite bearing one can buy for a 2 stroke 66cc to 80cc bike racing engines. They allow higher rpm and run up to 80:1, yikes a normal needle roller would go nuclear by then! I want to get some made for my yz-250 motor.

[@jlo13800]

@@DictiusTeNecare Huh thats how my 7.3 power stroke diesel is: split oller on the mains and plain bearings on the rods journals an wrispin! I thinks some type of poppet valved 2 stroke turbo in the f-250. But the german motors are buit with much better hardens chrome, moly nickel steel stuff! A 4 joke kohler on a sit down mower here is an annoying high revving disposable POS as most 4 jokes are. I would love to a a sachs 2 stroke 600 engine! i heard a lot of good things about them. How much are they to get one bought andf shipped here????

[@AMANSAGGU1]

Hello sir I have same GEM rotavator I wanna sale

[@champvschumps4576]

UH sorry mate but there is a lot easier way to start that engine and you don't need a plug. About 7 years ago I bought this model from a retired gentleman who had it from new. He had 2 acres and worked the machine for over 40 years, despite that it was in excellent condition, I took my mate to have a look at it, The owner said it hadn't been started for around 4 years, My mate applied his technique and without any heater plug and broom started first time. I may do a video of him doing it in about August when I make a return visit to the UK I did sell it on to my mate when I moved to Thailand

[@jlo13800]

OMG these 2 stroke diesels are indestructible! i dont think my 8v92 detroit 2 stroke would go that long with a few rebuilds!