governor

[AAm]

two questions 49 cub
#1 is the throttle rod supposed to open the throttle freely. mine does not, it will only go to about 3/4
open. the governor is . binding (hard to operate).
#2 does removing the governor change the timing?
I can remove the throttle rod and use pliers and open it.

thanks Avery

[Glen]

Hi,
The throttle lever should move freely especially in the rear half of it's movement. From straight up and forward, it pulls on the governor spring, so it is going to feel harder to move.
The farther ahead, the more tension on the spring.

There are usually 1 or 2 notches at each end of the quadrant that are not used, the lever won't move into them.
There is a stop on the governor for the high speed. I don't know if the arm is hitting that, or the linkage is partly frozen. The stop stops the lever from going farther ahead.
A 1949 Cub should go 1800 RPM, full speed. If it is adjusted to go 1800 RPM, there may be more than 2 notches at the forward end of the quadrant that are not used.
You could check the high speed and see what it is.

It sounds like the governor linkage arm on top of the governor might be partly frozen, from no lube, and hard to move, a common problem with Cubs.
Below is a pic from TM Tractor of the governor, and arm, lube it with penetrating oil where the cotter key is, and at the other end of it, about 1" toward the right side of the Cub.
It may take time to free it up, the arm should turn freely on the shaft, keep lubing it, and working it.
Don't pry on the arm hard, or hammer on it, it can break.
When it is free, oil it with motor oil.
The arm turns on the shaft, the shaft is supposed to be solid on the governor.

The notches need to be good in the throttle quadrant, so the lever doesn't slip back by itself.
The notches can be worn, and the lever can wear where it meets the quadrant.
The notches can usually be improved by filing them with a small 3 cornered file, unless they are too wornout.
TM Tractor at the bottom of the page has a new quadrant.
Some people on here weld the notches, and the lever, and file them to original shapes.

If you remove the governor, you can get the magneto out of time. The governor drive gear has teeth, and is run from the engine timing gears.
The magneto drive is made on the end of the governor drive gear.
There are timing marks on the gears that need to be aligned.
There may be nothing wrong with the governor.
The governor's external linkage needs to be adjusted right, so the governor will work right.

The 2nd pic below shows the position of the magneto drive, when the engine is at number 1 cylinder TDC.
The 3rd pic shows the governor gear, the magneto drive is on the right.

[Crimson Tim]

two questions 49 cub
#1 is the throttle rod supposed to open the throttle freely. mine does not, it will only go to about 3/4
open. the governor is . binding (hard to operate).
#2 does removing the governor change the timing?
I can remove the throttle rod and use pliers and open it.

thanks Avery

Are you asking about when the engine is running or stopped?
Either way, it is typical for the hand throttle lever to move pretty freely from the rear position to vertical, then to feel like you’re fighting a spring from vertical to the forward position. It’s stiffer when the engine is not running.
The travel of the lever varies. Mine is a quite a bit more limited than what Glen explained (though probably I just need to do the carb linkage adjustment procedure )
I would assume the governor should be able to open the throttle fully, but only when it’s giving you maximum oomph because you’ve got a heavy load on the engine. If you’re looking at it while it is running with little or no load, it should *not* achieve fully open throttle.

TBH, I’ve never paid attention to what the throttle does when the engine is not running. I guess maybe it should be wide open then, shouldn’t it? No matter what the throttle lever is set to, the engine speed (being zero) will be “much too slow” per the governor, so it should ask for as much throttle as it can get?

[AAm]

Thanks for your input.
More info, 49 cub with magneto. Not running.I am not sure I want to tackle removing the
governor. I think the timing is spot on now. I wouldn't want to get it out off time. will try oiling the shaft
to free it. By the way it is not running.
Thanks
Avery