More Great Tips on Installing an Electronic Governor
This Tech Tip is a continuation of a discussion of engine governors first started in
- Tech Tip #80, Governors on Industrial Engines: a Brief Overview and continued with
- Tech Tip #136, Upgrading A Hoof Or Pierce Belt Drive Governor To An Electronic Governor, and
- Tech Tip #138, Electronic Governors: Upgrading a Belt Drive Hoof or Pierce (Part Two).
Here are some common installation problems when installing/retrofitting an electronic governor.
Five Easy Tips When Installing an Electronic Governor from Foley Engines
- Correctly position the actuator. The actuator shaft must be parallel with the throttle shaft going to the aspirator (i.e. carburetor, throttle body or fuel injection pump).
- Bridge the terminal. The “L” & “M” terminal on the controller must be bridged via a toggle switch. This is the toggle switch that the operator will use to change the engine from low idle to high idle.
- Install the mag pickup correctly. The magnetic pick up offset should be between .010” to .015”. If this is anything different it will cause the actuator to send an incorrect signal to the controller which will make the make actuator work too hard.
- Check the actuator voltage. The voltage going to the actuator should be anywhere between 4-6.5 volts. This voltage test should be measured when no load is the engine. If you experience higher voltage to the actuator it is probably caused by one or more of the above things. Higher voltage to the actuator will cause it to remain idle, giving you the impression that it simply doesn’t work.
- Remove the throttle return spring. When retrofitting an electronic governor to a carbureted engine, make sure the throttle return spring is removed from the carburetor. This will also make the actuator work too hard and result in premature failure.
Written by Dr. Diesel
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