Thought I had a bad timing belt since it fell off, but after taking it apart I see the cam shaft play issue. I was able to fix it by drilling the cam shaft hole oversize and installing a bushing. Fix cost about $40 and a few hours labor, so not sure it is worth it but wanted to try to fix it. I have run it about 5 hours so far.
Found one of these today at yard sale. Same issue. Considered modifying the cam shaft and head to accept a bearing. Might just throw it to my retired machinist. He's probably bored enough to attempt it. Stupid design overall. Definitely engineered to last 1-2 years then throwaway.
Hello! My S430 was working flawlessly for about 10 years, some heavy jobs too, until may of 2022. Oil stared to leak quickly from top of the engine, then I've found out, that camshaft started to move up and down, seal around it started to leak more and more from the engine., timing belt got loose as well. Not worth doing repair, since some key parts are not available. Time for new trimmer, this time ECHO or Kawasaki, no more poorly designed RYOBI. Very good video Murphy, well done.
i bought one three days ago ,after watching this video ,im bringing it back and getting the 2cycle version ,not because i cant do the work ,but because of time,money ,parts,wait time , etc. im going to save me the hassle down the road ,the 2cycle is 25cc compared to this 30cc ,but two cycle develops way more power and its 129 dollars instead of 199.99 so i can get the edger also for same price ! if they would put a crankshaft bearing instead of bushing,and a tension-er for drive belt ,i would keep it forever ! . this thing is a money maker only item for the industry ,not designed for consumer longevity !!! man phuck that bro lol ,thank you very much for this A+1 AWESOME VIDEO ! .I AM SUBBED NOW ALSO .!!!
Excellent video and a wander full explanation. After watching this video I was able to fix the problem with my trimmer that I recently bought it from someone who was trying to fix it but couldn’t succeed but watching this video give me a chance to fix it. Thank you so much.
Hey Murphy, I've been a small engine mechanic for quite a while now. Never stick screwdrivers in the cooling fins, they're cheap Chinese and break off easy. One time when I was doing that exact thing I must've damaged or cracked the fins on a unit because it blew apart and threw razor sharp metal right by my face. Best thing is to rotate the engine until the piston is at the bottom stroke (since it's a 4 stroke make sure bottom dead center intake) and put a string down the sparkplug hole, it will "sieze" the piston allowing you to do whatever on the crank and no damage done. Take it easy
Found this video because the S430 I've had since about 2013 didn't want to start yesterday when it was time to edge the lawn after mowing. Got frustrated and tossed that bastard in the garage and started looking at the Stihl 56 and 91 online, determined to go get one today at my local Ace Hardware. Had some time to cool off, watched a few videos, and decided to work on it today. So I pulled the covers off and inspected the belt, still tight with minimal slack (considering it's almost 10 years old). Decided to prime it and give it a few pulls, started on the 3rd try and ran fine (when it wouldnt start after 50 pulls yesterday). Changed the oil just because I had the covers off, cleaned everything up, added some fuel and edged my whole yard without issue. Heading to Amazon shortly to order a replacement carb for $40, after that I believe all my issues will be sorted, see how much longer I can run this thing for. I regularly change the oil, keep a fresh plug in it, I now use ONLY ethanol free gas with Lucas additive, and run it dry after every use before I put it up for the week. Absolutely got my monies worth out of this thing, and has been 99% problem free for me all those years only replacing basic stuff like fuel lines/filter, plugs, oil, etc.
Update on this, the Amazon carb worked great. Fired up and ran like the day I got it. Haven't had to cut very often because it's been 105+ every single day and I'm just watering enough to keep the grass looking decent (trying to conserve and all).
I am currently working on my Ryobi C430 which is several years old. I bought it new (I think remanufactured) for $99. I was really happy until last Friday when it started and then shut off and would not start again. It had zero compression. Upon further examination based on your input in this video, I discovered that my C430 has bearings in metal cages on the cam shaft. Yes, nice little ball bearings with no wobble whatsoever. BUT the compression was gone because the keeper for the exhaust valve slipped out. So I slipped it back in and put it back together and now it has compression - great! Not so great, the little engine ran for about 20 seconds and then stopped again - and again there is no compression. Sure enough the keeper is out again so I put it in again and started it without closing things up. It started, ran for a few seconds and then the rocker arm popped out and the little keeper was disconnected again. I checked the intake valve to see if it had a similar problem - it did not but the fool thing slid down inside the engine and I could not get it out. Drat. I was afraid of that but it didn't seem to be that loose. I should have known better. LOL I had to take the engine apart as you did and put the valves back into place. The valves are identical so I put the intake keeper on the exhaust valve and flattened the offending keeper with a hammer to help 'narrow' the top of the keeper hole. I'll try that - it is definitely better and if it doesn't work then I will have to figure out another way to keep the valves connected to the springs. I think that I had heard that a company had bought up a bunch of these and fixed the problem with the camshaft. Mine definitely is several years and lots of hard whacking old. Until now it has always started well - very well. But Friday I was bragging about it to a friend and guess what - it would not start again after it ran for 20 seconds and shut off.
I bought mine used & it worked fine for 2 years and about 15 mins into this 1st spring whack...wow what a Procedure. UGH I only paid $40 for it, so I guess that was about $20 a year. Now to reinvest in another whacker, I dont see me tackling this job.
Great video... you confirmed my issues and what I thought as the same issue. Only belt drive that I have seen without some kind of a tensioner. Now the question is what route to take...
Excellent video. Your repair of this engine was a real wake-up call for me to see the lame design of this engine. I just bought this model 2 days ago, and will be bringing it back within the free 30 day trial period after seeing this timing belt disaster. Thank you so much for your thorough explanation of this problem. I actually spent more money on this model hoping that it would be a good machine. I can't afford the time it would take me to repair this problem! And no tension adjustment! And you can't replace one of the major other components! Wow, wow, wow.
I dragged one of these things home one day just to play with the engine and learn how they work to find that it does not make a single fart and that I picked likely one of the worst ones lol After watching some videos I learned that some of these variations have plastic cams which is just a brilliant idea. Next up the old floppy cam bearing syndrome, just another sign of a quality build. Thankfully all I have found to be a concern so far is that the cam bearing is actually unusually stiff which seems to have actual bearings on my variation and the primer looks very aged so that will be getting replaced along with cleaning the carb before going any further. But what a rabbit hole of inconsistent parts some of these engines are, I'm amazed they are even allowed to be sold with plastic cams!
Excellent video. Great explanation of the process. The design of this weedwacker is horrendous!! Sad to see this garbage being sold. Thanks for sharing.
I've been using that garbage for about 10 years now, just finished edging my yard with it 20 minutes ago. About to replace the carb because up until very recently, I was using regular E10 gas in it. Have since switched to ethanol free in all my yard equipment, but I believe the damage to the carb has been done.
MyS430 pull cord won't pull. It just gives a metal clink any time I try, so I appreciate seeing how to access the spool so I can figure out what metal is hitting what.
Thanks for sharing! My machine cut out last fall pruning branches. I haven't been able to figure out why. This is another avenue to diagnose. Oh and just a general comment about driving the shift out with the old socket extension. Folks, if you don't have a set of punches please do yourself a favor and buy them. They are well worth owning and make life easier in tge situations.
I have this exact unit. Bought last spring and used it maybe 6x. It got progressively worse with each use till it wouldn't start anymore. Took it back to Home Depot where I had to get quite irate before they would allow me to exchange it. Exchanged unit was a reman and was hydrolocked straight out of the box. Pulled the plug to clear that and it ran great. Fast forward to this spring where it started running like crap just like the last one. After a full inspection I found the diaphragm and gaskets in the carb were all extremely hard and brittle. I only use ethanol free fuel so I don't understand why. I bought a rebuild kit for the carburetor and now its running like new again. I'd advise anyone to stay away from this particular brand and unit. It's definitely not built to last.
@@MurphysLawGarage Have the same model . Mine has issue with the plastic made oil try and a broken oil gasket. Very poory designed & cheap quality!! Thanks,
With the same problem as portrayed here (rubber camshaft bearings wore out), I found four bearings for $6 ( uxcell 688-2RS 8mm ID, 16mm OD, 5mm bore) on Amz. Carefully noted locations of cams & cam gear, used a nail in the free end of the cam shaft to pound it out & replaced with real bearings. All by only taking off the valve cover. Runs like a champ again and timing belt is tight again (didn't replace it).
Yup. No bearings would stop the repair. I wouldn't have even found and tried this but for your video - thanks. Makes one wonder how many variations of this block they made.
I'm going to put a shoulder on my cam cog, to hopefully help stop the belt from walking off, and I'm going to put a little belt tensioner on it. It shouldn't be to difficult, I have some aluminum welding experience..
Nice machine when new. Have mine over 10 years. Looked at camshaft bearing knowing this is a common issue. My plan was to fit a bearing block on inside. It’s tight but should fit. As for oil seal hopefully it’s a standard size that can be purchased from any bearing and seal company. Another issue is carburettor and throttle cable. I replaced mine with a generic slightly bigger throat carb. 10 euro online. Mounting bolts are 31 mm between Center. Throttle cable on mine has no tension adjustment on the outer cable so when mine broke a few days ago discovered it’s nearly cheaper to buy a new strimmer. So I have ordered a generic throttle unit and cable online and when it arrives will repair ryobi as a spare. In meantime bought a dewalt flexvolt with motor in upper handle that can be fitted with different tools. Thinking my chainsaw attachment shaft from my ryobi will fit it
@@MurphysLawGarage parts arrived all looks great but sadly life and horrid weather got in the way. Will post you an update when I get around to it. Otherwise the battery strimmer is brilliant while expensive. Possibly more powerful than ryobi and plenty of battery life for my needs.
Where can I find parts for this thing? Apparently my trimmer got really hot and actually melted the plastic gear in there. Looking for the name / replacement part for that plastic belt gear on the upper end. Thanks a bunch! Great video.
Frankly, the parts are so expensive and the trimmer is so cheap it’s not worth the trouble. It was built as a throw away tool, but if you must replace it there is a parts breakdown on ryobi’s website. Find the part and google the part #
@@MurphysLawGarage thanks. The part diagrams on their website doesn’t seem to list the timing belt part # or that plastic gear. Any recommendations on battery powered trimmers? Ha
Good job. Neet to see the inner workings. Ryobi intended on how to replace it by throwing it out ,and buying another one they don't care. I can't imagine someone doing all this work, people are just going to throw it out.
Consider finding an oiled bronze (brass) bushing that has a lip on it. Bore out the bearing to the size of the hole and insert the new bushing. If there is not enough room for the lip under the gear, you might have to turn a shelf for it or grind it thinner. It will give years of service if the original bearing can be bored enough to get the new oiled bushing to seat into it. Use a little red Loktite to hold it in place. _ I did that fix to a Honda lawn mower that had the upper bearing surface worn out so bad that the crankshaft wobbled like that. As far as I know the guy I fixed it for is still using it on a fairly large lawn. _ Sorry, I had posted this as an answer to the tightener post made earlier. This idea would fix the wobble, but not the tension. A tensioner could be built using the mounting stud for an anchor and a piece of nylon to run against the belt similar to what cars use. Anchor a piece of metal to the stud using a collar and make a slab of nylon into a shape that has two outer edges that are apart more than the belt is wide and the center is thicker like double that of the edges. Mount the nylon piece so that it rotates on a shaft mounted solidly to one of the pieces and another piece that is fixed to the stud with a collar fixed on it. _ The adjustment is made by changing the angle of the two pieces that make up the connection between the stud and the belt. If the nylon piece has enough height on the raised edges, it will also keep the belt running true. It would be nice if the angle could be designed with a spring to allow it to put constant tension on the belt. So if the two tensioner arms were made with a couple of keepers for a small compression spring, they would guarantee the angle between the two arms. By setting the arm with the collar on the stud, the belt could be placed under constant pressure by the spring. If the tension began to weaken, just pull the engine apart, loosen the set screw, reapply pressure to the belt and tighten the set screw again. Hopefully the stud is strong enough to withstand this minor load. The collar should be close to the base of the stud. It might get very hot there. _ To recap: attach a collar with a set screw to the collar piece to the stud. The collar piece has a hole in it to match the hole in the tensioner piece and is allowed to pivot using a small bolt with a nut. The collar piece should have a place for the compression spring to ride opposite a similar place on the conjoined tensioner piece. Connect the tensioner piece from the end of the collar piece with the spring seats facing each other and a pin that allows it to articulate. Place a compression spring between the two arms and a set screw or two in the collar against the stud. _ Fashion a glide plate from nylon piece that is about two inches long with a thick center area. Grind out the center along the length so the width of the belt fits easily between them. The nylon material should be about 3/8" to 1/2" thick so that a hole can be drilled through its width for the pin to allow it to rotate as the belt glides over it. The distance from the center where the hole is drilled to the ends is 1" and the thickness goes from the maximum thickness of the glide at the center lengthwise to about half the thickness at each end so that the belt will glide easily over it and between the two edges that are the original material and wide enough to allow the belt through between them. If the belt is 3/8" wide, the width of the nylon piece should be about 5/8" to allow for two edges of about 1/8" thickness. That would mean that the nylon raw stock would be 2" long x 5/8" wide x 1/2" thick. Attach the tensioner glide to the tensioner arm piece and under the belt. Connect it all together and adjust the belt for a slight tension and set the set screws. The tensioner compression spring should have some distance to travel before it becomes too loose, but not so much that it cannot move in and out as the belt moves over it when the adjustment is completed. And the belt must not hit anything else as it turns. Just might work.
This is very well written out and I appreciate you sharing the engineering. I don’t personally believe it’s worth the effort for a $175 weedeater, but if you have the means to engineer the repair already so be it. If you’d like to test your engineering you can have the weedeater from this video, just pay the shipping. If you have a channel or can just shoot footage of the repair I can add it to the series or we can colab.
I have x430 and I think it's enough. I have the cover off now and I had already noticed that belt looked like it might have been rubbing. Luckily it has very low hours but I think I'll check the top end before I put it back together. I have changed the oil every time I've used it so it won't be my fault. I'll let you know. Thanks for the video!
OMG, the moment you said bushing and not bearing I just wanted to throw mine into the trash. Obviously an engineered failure point. It's now 3 years old and is very temperamental. Runs good once you get it started, but starting it is just a act of energy and lots of patience. I can't wait for it to die though so I have an excuse to go get something better..
I just picked up a free S430, and the owners said it had a small oil leak. After seeing this video, I think now I know why. Wondering if it's not worth trying to fix if I can't get a seal.
Nicely done video, but I have to admit that my biggest take away is how horribly disposal this trimmer was engineered to be. First, I was disappointed to learn how difficult they engineered the timing belt replacement process to be but that does tend to come come with “the territory” these days when repairing most anything. Nothing is designed to be serviced; just replaced. However, the cam wear on a couple year old machine is completely unacceptable. Since most machines have “pattern failures” then most if not all of these machines with a loose timing belts will probably have a failed cam bearing issue as well. I have heard that frequent oil changes in these machine is mandatory. Now I understand exactly why. Maybe designing an oil filter would help (at least a little)? Great job on the video but for all their issues, I think I will stick to the 2 strokes weed choppers!
Didn't know weedeaters had timing belts. I did have a Honda 5.5 hp push mower the timing belt slipped off of. Found it out on the road one trash day. Slipped the belt back on it and it ran good for 4 years then i sold it. bought a newer one. Can't beat a free mower.
For the life of me, I can't get the flywheel shaft to pound out. Is there a trick? Is there an alignment? I've tried a mini sledge and out won't budge... Thanks! Great video.
No, it should just back out. You can see in the video i was using a light carpentry hammer. Maybe your letting the connecting rod get sideways and bind up?
Picked one of these up today for a fiver, not running. Looks like I spent too much. Really dumb design. Clearly meant to be thrown away after 2 years. Love your channel name, btw.
I own a similar engine, but installed on a Mini-Tiller for small garden. Ryobi Model RY64400. Mine had plastic cams that melted even though there was plenty of oil. There were no parts available to replace the melted cam. Ryobi designed these to fail is my guess. The newer engines have metal cams and a slightly different oiling system (check valves and hoses) Bought this model trimmer a few years ago and removed the cam and installed it in the tiller engine. Put the melted plastic cam in the trimmer and returned the piece of junk. It runs great. Where there is a will there is a way. I can't say how long this will last before the cam bearing wears out and it becomes pure junk. I do find the miniature 4 stroke fascinating in its operation, but I would never buy one again.
Hey...Thankyou sooooo much for this journey of the breakdown of the internal workings of the motor... ...it looks to me...Ryobi...does not build these engine to last longer than two or so seasons... ...I guess...that why they’re only two hundred bucks...a hundred per season... ...I’ve bought two of these machines over the pass three years...I only keep replacing them because...I’ve invested in the eco system...I have the weed wacker, the hedge trimmer, and leaf blower attachments...and just the other day...the damn engine number three has just seized up on me...in the middle of doing some yard work... ...Sir...you mentioned something about the oil in this machine...there’s something I noticed in every one of these things I’ve owned...THEY LEAK OIL RIGHT OUT OF THE BOX...🤦🏽♂️...it seems...the first place of the oil leaks is...around the carburetor and into the air filter...🤷🏽♂️I don’t understand it...I just assumed I put to much oil in it...and that was the machine’s way of leveling its self out... ...who knew...Ryobi built a flaw in the machinery... ...Well...I don’t have time to break down the engine like you so elegantly have done...so I’m off to Home Depot to buy another one 🤦🏽♂️
Im sorry they’ve caused you so much trouble. Hopefully you can get away from that ecosystem at some point. I would suggest running synthetic oil with high zinc or a zinc additive.
@Murphy's Law Garage, Mr. Murphy...thankyou so much for your response and suggestion...I will do that... ...while I have your attention...what do you think of battery operated yard/landscaping machines? ...my thought is...anything over 80 volts should suffice to cut or trim anything a average yard 🧑🏽🌾can throw at ya...
No problem. Im JB by the way. Google “murphys law” for the reasoning in the name. If you have an acre or less of property I believe electric is the way to go for all lawn equipment these days!
Like the video repair instructions but how did you know the timing belt failed before you saw the slacked up belt. I can't pull the rope without damaging my rotator cuff. Is that a result of the belt. If I don't repair it the next one won't be Ryobi. Good while it lasted.
As I have one of these on my bench in bits right now I quite enjoyed your video. Although the belt is tight on this one it is also pulled to the front of the pulley. Isn`t the timing advanced ? I expected the timing mark on the pulley to be down but the indicator rod to be so many degrees off TDC. Have you taken a piston out of this machine and if so how difficult is it to get back in. Thanks.
The timing mark on the cam gear should point at the crank and yes, it’s a bit advanced to help power/fuel economy. I haven’t taken the piston out, but such tiny rings should be easy to push in by hand one at a time. Just make sure to put the ring gaps all 90* apart never in a line.
This was good timing. Mine just did this yesterday and I determined it because air was being pushed out of the carburetor when I tried to start it. Only issue is I can't seem to find a place to order it. Can you please let me know?
Great video. Camshaft wiggle. She's a goner! Hopefully, the bushing is still good in mine. Only $12 invested, so far. Might just be a Parts Donor. Time will tell. I subbed.
I have a Ryobi S430 that is extremely hard to pull on the cord when the spark plug is in, but I can slowly pull the cord with difficulty. However, when the spark plug is out the cord pulls easily. Any ideas what can be going on, valves or timing belt?
This is truly one of the best and more helpful videos I came across. Thank you. Could you please explain in detail how to ensure/verify that the timing belt is in the correct position - when one is not ready to replacing it? Same for the valves.
After watching multiple videos and breaking down my trimmer....I’m almost convinced this is what happened to mine. First off, I know nothing about engines, so it’s pretty much figure it out as I go. However, when I was taking it apart yesterday to replace the spark plug (as someone suggested) I tried to inspect everything. I noticed that where the belt attaches to that top wheel thing....it had hardened black stuff around the inner and outer part of the wheel. Maybe melted rubber from the belt? Also, it annoyed me that the wheel wobbles. As in it doesn’t turn in a smooth circle. Is that normal? If this is what is wrong, do you thing that’s covered by the warranty and worth my time to take it in? Mine has the three year warranty and I am in year two.
The head of the motor starved for oil and ruined the bushing that supports the cam gear (the wheel your referring to). The motor is basically a throw away at this point, the cost of repair is greater than its value. I would say it would be covered by warranty, just make sure the oil is clean and at the right level when you return it.
Im late for this video but had to say i couldent believe what i had to go through to replace my belt myself! I used a 17 ton hydraulic press to remove the crank. Worst design ive ever seen. My belt broke because the camshaft compression release disintegrated and locked up the cam. Had to eliminate the compression release and start without it.
While using my Ryobi weed trimmer, I heard a loud pop and the engine stopped. It won't start back up, when I pull the string, it has little to to no resistance. Would it be the timing belt?
@@MurphysLawGarage ...thank you for the response. Is that an item or part I can buy or do I have to order it online. I've subscribed to your channel and will like all of your videos for doing so (replying).
I got one of these for free from a neighbor and I cannot get it to start. Looks brand new, not used much. I replaced carb, checked valve clearance (good), good spark (replaced plug just to be safe), replaced oil. Not flooded. Will double check but I don’t think it’s the belt. That all said I don’t have any attachments. Will it start without an attachment. If the answer is no, I hate myself, didn’t consider it until I watched a bunch of utube videos watching them start but always with attachment
The lack of an attachment will not keep it from starting. The timing belt can look perfectly fine, but have jumped timing due to a shock load having occurred while in use. For example revving very high and being suddenly stopped by a trimmer head being tangles by a rope. The valve train and carries enough inertia to force the belt to jump a tooth or two. If this is the case you should be able to finagle it back into time with just the plastics off.
@@MurphysLawGarage Thanks. I just saw this other guy replace the bulb and the gas lines. It looked fairly easy but seeing your video gave me ominous premonitions that I may just return it before the inside warps on me too. I saw another guy notice the exact same loose wheel and realized she was a goner. Might have to go electric. Thanks for everything.
Idk if they’ve since corrected this, but its not a good omen for sure. To be clear, I use their battery powered power tools and have rarely had an issue.
Mine is about 2 years old and has run like a champ until now. The belt broke just like everybody else's. I think the design is a little flawed. Maybe they need to update the quality of the belt. It should last at least 5 years before needing any type of repairs. At any case, I took mine apart and checked the timing sprocket for any wabbling. It's tight. No degree of movement can be detected. Just thought I would share that with anyone that may question if there should be any movement or not.
This motor has a flaw that the cam has wear to it ,it plays and that's where the belt skips. There is a way to fix you need to heat up the cams inside the head just a little and then hit the camshaft with a hammer then with a rod until the shaft pops out of the head. Then you pull out the oil seal and instead put a 8x16x5 sealed bearing in the seals place. then just hit the shaft back in very lightly not damaging the plastic timing belt cam on the shaft . That will fix the timing belt from losing position , just need a bearing in place of seal. That's the fix I did to my free ryobi I picked up.
My s430 won’t start- the timing belt just comes off when I pull start. I replaced the belt but it still comes off. It seems like the sprocket that the belt attaches to needs to be replaced. Has that happened to anyone?
So....., why not just drill out the shaft guide and install a suitable bushing or better yet, a bearing? I admit for the average Joe that this is not an option but plenty mechs can do it. Although, it's probably best done by a machinist.
I got rid of most of my Ryobi gas & battery units and went with the Ryobi 120v electric & a 100ft extension cord. I couldn't be happier. No more fuel issues. I will maybe buy an extra extension cord just in case. I currently have 4 Ryobi 120v power heads I got off a single auction on ebay. Next is the lawnmower. It has been very reliable. But once it dies, no more. Electric all the way. I run my Ryobi powerheads on a Honda EU2000 to keep my bill down and the extension no more than 100ft.
@Jack Myhre Been there. Burned plenty of plug ends in the past. Went with a 12 gauge I bought at Home Depot. There is a video that shows you how to convert a riding mower to electric. All I need is a push mower for my 1/4 acre lot.
I had a s430 was the biggest piece of junk I've ever paid money for. Never ran right always leaked oil top cover fell off while I was cutting and my forearm got deeply gashed by the timing belt. I gave it away and bought a husqvarna 324l
Makes me wonder why a 4 stroke Trimmer like that ryobi is 200$+ were as you can get other 4 stroke trimmers that have a better engine design that are not even 200$? The one I have is a wild badger 31cc 4 stroke is it has almost everything you want from a 4 stroke.
It is a ryobi, they are very cheap, I have all eco equipment 7-8 years never a problem, other than replacing bottom sections that holds the string, chainsaw, blower, weed Wacker, no issues at alllll
@@MurphysLawGarage Wow! Cool! Thanks for the vid though, by the way. It’s just amazing, and a shame, that a company would so deliberately make disposable small engine equipment!
Too me switching any of this small power equipment to 4 cycle from 2 cycle is just plain stupid. All this is is some diplomat hears the word smoke and 'Oh my God!, smoke!"
Hate the s430, had one, so many problems and points of failure and poorly engineered! Scavenged it’s parts and threw the engine assembly into the trash bin! Bad enough that there’s no tensioner but the belt wheel has only one flange so the belt just rides off, should’ve had a second flange to prevent this…
@@MurphysLawGarage I got mine for $40 with a bush trimmer attachment . Want it to be my primary but concerned about reliability. I have a 2 stroke one that runs fine too
I would have to be dirt floor poor or have nothing better to do to replace this rather than buy a new one. Especially this model. Look like my timing gear is bent or warped
It's not an interference engine so bad timing won't kill it, but still the way this engine is designed is so fucking stupid. That timing gear is actually made out of plastic and it's mounted to a steel shaft so sometimes the teeth on the steel shaft will eat the teeth on the inside of the timing gear and completely strip the gear smooth. I am actually a technician for home depot so I see a lot of these things come into my shop. The valve springs on this engine are also pretty tight from the factory so that plastic gear sees a pretty decent load trying to turn the camshaft. I don't see how these things can cost as much as they do, total garbage!
All of that effort just to remove a simple wear part…ridiculously poor design choice! Was not intended to be maintained by the customer but taken to the shop! Ultimately it was designed to be replaced and it’s built to be disposable!
Not so much a horrible design... horrible general maintenance! Low oil level, break-in shavings still in the old, dirty oil. I have the exact same trimmer, probably 6 years old or more. Still runs like it's new. I only use full synthetic oil as it breaks down less in hot, air cooled engines.
The owner definitely caused the wear in the head that killed this machine, but its inexcusable to have a relatively exposed rubber timing belt with no method of ensuring constant tension as the belt ages or to prevent it from jumping a tooth on a shock load while using attatchments.
@@MurphysLawGarage Great video by the way, and I agree with you 100% reguarding the tensioner. On a shock load/shock stop, would the clutch not soften the shock by slipping? Your side by side comparison of the old and new belt shows virtually no stretch on a machine that was neglected, and probably ran hot for extended periods. The sudden inertia change of the pull start, spinning the cam from dead rest to a starting speed, if not done correctly, places huge stress on components. We've all seen people start engines by just yanking on the pull start without taking up the slack to gently engage the recoil fingers and slow down the initial shock. Even with all the slop in the cam bushing, no teeth were skipped, and the rubber shavings were most likely caused by the mis-alignment on the cam shaft? One improvement I would suggest to Ryobi, make the oil fill and level check more user friendly, or a low oil shut down like the Honda's have (idiot switch ;) Cheers.
Clutches are amazingly resilient. If that powerhead was full tilt and you bound the attachment up the clutch would be have bitten hard enough to transfer a 1:1 shock load to the engine. Even if for a split second. Though its hard to see on camera, especially through a wide angle lense, the belt had about 1/8” of stretch and about 1/16” of shaving from the misalignment. That small amount of stretch is about equal to the size of a tooth on the pulley. It was so stretched that I couldnt even temporarily put it back in timing. The belt would immediately climb over teeth. The new belt corrected this, but was too loose to stay on. Ryobi could definitely have the Chinese manufacturer improve that power head. I forget now the name of the motor manufacturer stamped on the block, but when googled its basically a “world motor” thats used on many random brands over seas. Thank you for hanging out with us!
Thought I had a bad timing belt since it fell off, but after taking it apart I see the cam shaft play issue. I was able to fix it by drilling the cam shaft hole oversize and installing a bushing. Fix cost about $40 and a few hours labor, so not sure it is worth it but wanted to try to fix it. I have run it about 5 hours so far.
Considering the cost of a new powerhead, probably not, but there’s something to be said for the pleasure of fixing something yourself.
Found one of these today at yard sale. Same issue. Considered modifying the cam shaft and head to accept a bearing. Might just throw it to my retired machinist. He's probably bored enough to attempt it. Stupid design overall. Definitely engineered to last 1-2 years then throwaway.
Hello! My S430 was working flawlessly for about 10 years, some heavy jobs too, until may of 2022. Oil stared to leak quickly from top of the engine, then I've found out, that camshaft started to move up and down, seal around it started to leak more and more from the engine., timing belt got loose as well. Not worth doing repair, since some key parts are not available. Time for new trimmer, this time ECHO or Kawasaki, no more poorly designed RYOBI. Very good video Murphy, well done.
Thanks
I wan't to thank you for your comprehensive explanation,very well explained.
You’re welcome
i bought one three days ago ,after watching this video ,im bringing it back and getting the 2cycle version ,not because i cant do the work ,but because of time,money ,parts,wait time , etc. im going to save me the hassle down the road ,the 2cycle is 25cc compared to this 30cc ,but two cycle develops way more power and its 129 dollars instead of 199.99 so i can get the edger also for same price ! if they would put a crankshaft bearing instead of bushing,and a tension-er for drive belt ,i would keep it forever ! . this thing is a money maker only item for the industry ,not designed for consumer longevity !!! man phuck that bro lol ,thank you very much for this A+1 AWESOME VIDEO ! .I AM SUBBED NOW ALSO .!!!
Thank you
Excellent video and a wander full explanation. After watching this video I was able to fix the problem with my trimmer that I recently bought it from someone who was trying to fix it but couldn’t succeed but watching this video give me a chance to fix it. Thank you so much.
No problem
Hey Murphy, I've been a small engine mechanic for quite a while now. Never stick screwdrivers in the cooling fins, they're cheap Chinese and break off easy. One time when I was doing that exact thing I must've damaged or cracked the fins on a unit because it blew apart and threw razor sharp metal right by my face. Best thing is to rotate the engine until the piston is at the bottom stroke (since it's a 4 stroke make sure bottom dead center intake) and put a string down the sparkplug hole, it will "sieze" the piston allowing you to do whatever on the crank and no damage done. Take it easy
I like to live life on the edge though…
I did break a fin, but it will work without breaking if you wedge your screwdriver in the the thicker fin sections next to the magnetic.
Found this video. Thank you. Mine stopped yesterday. No start. Gonna see if I can diagnose what’s wrong.
👍🏼
Found this video because the S430 I've had since about 2013 didn't want to start yesterday when it was time to edge the lawn after mowing. Got frustrated and tossed that bastard in the garage and started looking at the Stihl 56 and 91 online, determined to go get one today at my local Ace Hardware. Had some time to cool off, watched a few videos, and decided to work on it today.
So I pulled the covers off and inspected the belt, still tight with minimal slack (considering it's almost 10 years old). Decided to prime it and give it a few pulls, started on the 3rd try and ran fine (when it wouldnt start after 50 pulls yesterday). Changed the oil just because I had the covers off, cleaned everything up, added some fuel and edged my whole yard without issue.
Heading to Amazon shortly to order a replacement carb for $40, after that I believe all my issues will be sorted, see how much longer I can run this thing for. I regularly change the oil, keep a fresh plug in it, I now use ONLY ethanol free gas with Lucas additive, and run it dry after every use before I put it up for the week. Absolutely got my monies worth out of this thing, and has been 99% problem free for me all those years only replacing basic stuff like fuel lines/filter, plugs, oil, etc.
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Update on this, the Amazon carb worked great. Fired up and ran like the day I got it. Haven't had to cut very often because it's been 105+ every single day and I'm just watering enough to keep the grass looking decent (trying to conserve and all).
I am currently working on my Ryobi C430 which is several years old. I bought it new (I think remanufactured) for $99. I was really happy until last Friday when it started and then shut off and would not start again. It had zero compression. Upon further examination based on your input in this video, I discovered that my C430 has bearings in metal cages on the cam shaft. Yes, nice little ball bearings with no wobble whatsoever. BUT the compression was gone because the keeper for the exhaust valve slipped out.
So I slipped it back in and put it back together and now it has compression - great! Not so great, the little engine ran for about 20 seconds and then stopped again - and again there is no compression. Sure enough the keeper is out again so I put it in again and started it without closing things up. It started, ran for a few seconds and then the rocker arm popped out and the little keeper was disconnected again. I checked the intake valve to see if it had a similar problem - it did not but the fool thing slid down inside the engine and I could not get it out. Drat. I was afraid of that but it didn't seem to be that loose. I should have known better. LOL
I had to take the engine apart as you did and put the valves back into place. The valves are identical so I put the intake keeper on the exhaust valve and flattened the offending keeper with a hammer to help 'narrow' the top of the keeper hole. I'll try that - it is definitely better and if it doesn't work then I will have to figure out another way to keep the valves connected to the springs.
I think that I had heard that a company had bought up a bunch of these and fixed the problem with the camshaft. Mine definitely is several years and lots of hard whacking old. Until now it has always started well - very well. But Friday I was bragging about it to a friend and guess what - it would not start again after it ran for 20 seconds and shut off.
Nice
I bought mine used & it worked fine for 2 years and about 15 mins into this 1st spring whack...wow what a Procedure. UGH I only paid $40 for it, so I guess that was about $20 a year. Now to reinvest in another whacker, I dont see me tackling this job.
Great video... you confirmed my issues and what I thought as the same issue. Only belt drive that I have seen without some kind of a tensioner. Now the question is what route to take...
Electric...
Excellent video. Your repair of this engine was a real wake-up call for me to see the lame design of this engine. I just bought this model 2 days ago, and will be bringing it back within the free 30 day trial period after seeing this timing belt disaster. Thank you so much for your thorough explanation of this problem. I actually spent more money on this model hoping that it would be a good machine. I can't afford the time it would take me to repair this problem! And no tension adjustment! And you can't replace one of the major other components! Wow, wow, wow.
Thanks, you’re very welcome
I dragged one of these things home one day just to play with the engine and learn how they work to find that it does not make a single fart and that I picked likely one of the worst ones lol After watching some videos I learned that some of these variations have plastic cams which is just a brilliant idea. Next up the old floppy cam bearing syndrome, just another sign of a quality build. Thankfully all I have found to be a concern so far is that the cam bearing is actually unusually stiff which seems to have actual bearings on my variation and the primer looks very aged so that will be getting replaced along with cleaning the carb before going any further. But what a rabbit hole of inconsistent parts some of these engines are, I'm amazed they are even allowed to be sold with plastic cams!
Yep, throw away equipment.
Excellent video. Great explanation of the process. The design of this weedwacker is horrendous!! Sad to see this garbage being sold.
Thanks for sharing.
No problem, thank you.
I've been using that garbage for about 10 years now, just finished edging my yard with it 20 minutes ago. About to replace the carb because up until very recently, I was using regular E10 gas in it. Have since switched to ethanol free in all my yard equipment, but I believe the damage to the carb has been done.
MyS430 pull cord won't pull. It just gives a metal clink any time I try, so I appreciate seeing how to access the spool so I can figure out what metal is hitting what.
I’m glad we can help.
Thank you. This is the most epic take down of the S430. Scientifically proven to be Ryobi's biggest hunk of garbage.
Fact!
Only fit for the trash bin!
Someone just gave me one of those . I don’t think it was used much . I didn’t even try it yet . But I thank you in advance for your video
You’re welcome
First time doing this but I learned a lot from you (thank you)
You’re very welcome
Thanks for sharing! My machine cut out last fall pruning branches. I haven't been able to figure out why. This is another avenue to diagnose.
Oh and just a general comment about driving the shift out with the old socket extension. Folks, if you don't have a set of punches please do yourself a favor and buy them. They are well worth owning and make life easier in tge situations.
A punch would damage the crank, a brass drift would be the proper tool.
I have this exact unit. Bought last spring and used it maybe 6x. It got progressively worse with each use till it wouldn't start anymore. Took it back to Home Depot where I had to get quite irate before they would allow me to exchange it. Exchanged unit was a reman and was hydrolocked straight out of the box. Pulled the plug to clear that and it ran great. Fast forward to this spring where it started running like crap just like the last one. After a full inspection I found the diaphragm and gaskets in the carb were all extremely hard and brittle. I only use ethanol free fuel so I don't understand why. I bought a rebuild kit for the carburetor and now its running like new again. I'd advise anyone to stay away from this particular brand and unit. It's definitely not built to last.
Definitely
@Jack Myhre nope
Thanks for sharing your experience
Np
@@MurphysLawGarage
Have the same model .
Mine has issue with the plastic made oil try and a broken oil gasket.
Very poory designed & cheap quality!!
Thanks,
With the same problem as portrayed here (rubber camshaft bearings wore out), I found four bearings for $6 ( uxcell 688-2RS 8mm ID, 16mm OD, 5mm bore) on Amz. Carefully noted locations of cams & cam gear, used a nail in the free end of the cam shaft to pound it out & replaced with real bearings. All by only taking off the valve cover. Runs like a champ again and timing belt is tight again (didn't replace it).
Yours must be different, there were no cam bearings in this motor. Just cam to aluminum head - fixing would have required a machine shop.
Yup. No bearings would stop the repair. I wouldn't have even found and tried this but for your video - thanks. Makes one wonder how many variations of this block they made.
I'm going to put a shoulder on my cam cog, to hopefully help stop the belt from walking off, and I'm going to put a little belt tensioner on it. It shouldn't be to difficult, I have some aluminum welding experience..
Its cast, so welding will be fun, but I’d love to see it.
It’s certainly possible, but IMO not worth the fuss for a $175 weedeater built so poorly.
Excellent video!
Thanks
Nice machine when new. Have mine over 10 years. Looked at camshaft bearing knowing this is a common issue. My plan was to fit a bearing block on inside. It’s tight but should fit. As for oil seal hopefully it’s a standard size that can be purchased from any bearing and seal company.
Another issue is carburettor and throttle cable.
I replaced mine with a generic slightly bigger throat carb. 10 euro online. Mounting bolts are 31 mm between Center.
Throttle cable on mine has no tension adjustment on the outer cable so when mine broke a few days ago discovered it’s nearly cheaper to buy a new strimmer.
So I have ordered a generic throttle unit and cable online and when it arrives will repair ryobi as a spare.
In meantime bought a dewalt flexvolt with motor in upper handle that can be fitted with different tools. Thinking my chainsaw attachment shaft from my ryobi will fit it
Any success?
@@MurphysLawGarage parts arrived all looks great but sadly life and horrid weather got in the way. Will post you an update when I get around to it.
Otherwise the battery strimmer is brilliant while expensive. Possibly more powerful than ryobi and plenty of battery life for my needs.
Where can I find parts for this thing? Apparently my trimmer got really hot and actually melted the plastic gear in there. Looking for the name / replacement part for that plastic belt gear on the upper end.
Thanks a bunch! Great video.
Frankly, the parts are so expensive and the trimmer is so cheap it’s not worth the trouble. It was built as a throw away tool, but if you must replace it there is a parts breakdown on ryobi’s website. Find the part and google the part #
@@MurphysLawGarage thanks. The part diagrams on their website doesn’t seem to list the timing belt part # or that plastic gear. Any recommendations on battery powered trimmers? Ha
Definitely Milwaukee, but if you have a different company’s tools already get their version. They’re all pretty darn good these days.
I love the how to’s. Thanks.
Any time
Great advice thank you very much
You’re very welcome.
Good job. Neet to see the inner workings. Ryobi intended on how to replace it by throwing it out ,and buying another one they don't care. I can't imagine someone doing all this work, people are just going to throw it out.
They sure did, but quite a few people have attempted the repair.
Consider finding an oiled bronze (brass) bushing that has a lip on it. Bore out the bearing to the size of the hole and insert the new bushing. If there is not enough room for the lip under the gear, you might have to turn a shelf for it or grind it thinner. It will give years of service if the original bearing can be bored enough to get the new oiled bushing to seat into it. Use a little red Loktite to hold it in place.
_
I did that fix to a Honda lawn mower that had the upper bearing surface worn out so bad that the crankshaft wobbled like that. As far as I know the guy I fixed it for is still using it on a fairly large lawn.
_
Sorry, I had posted this as an answer to the tightener post made earlier. This idea would fix the wobble, but not the tension. A tensioner could be built using the mounting stud for an anchor and a piece of nylon to run against the belt similar to what cars use. Anchor a piece of metal to the stud using a collar and make a slab of nylon into a shape that has two outer edges that are apart more than the belt is wide and the center is thicker like double that of the edges. Mount the nylon piece so that it rotates on a shaft mounted solidly to one of the pieces and another piece that is fixed to the stud with a collar fixed on it.
_
The adjustment is made by changing the angle of the two pieces that make up the connection between the stud and the belt. If the nylon piece has enough height on the raised edges, it will also keep the belt running true. It would be nice if the angle could be designed with a spring to allow it to put constant tension on the belt. So if the two tensioner arms were made with a couple of keepers for a small compression spring, they would guarantee the angle between the two arms. By setting the arm with the collar on the stud, the belt could be placed under constant pressure by the spring. If the tension began to weaken, just pull the engine apart, loosen the set screw, reapply pressure to the belt and tighten the set screw again. Hopefully the stud is strong enough to withstand this minor load. The collar should be close to the base of the stud. It might get very hot there.
_
To recap: attach a collar with a set screw to the collar piece to the stud. The collar piece has a hole in it to match the hole in the tensioner piece and is allowed to pivot using a small bolt with a nut. The collar piece should have a place for the compression spring to ride opposite a similar place on the conjoined tensioner piece. Connect the tensioner piece from the end of the collar piece with the spring seats facing each other and a pin that allows it to articulate. Place a compression spring between the two arms and a set screw or two in the collar against the stud.
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Fashion a glide plate from nylon piece that is about two inches long with a thick center area. Grind out the center along the length so the width of the belt fits easily between them. The nylon material should be about 3/8" to 1/2" thick so that a hole can be drilled through its width for the pin to allow it to rotate as the belt glides over it. The distance from the center where the hole is drilled to the ends is 1" and the thickness goes from the maximum thickness of the glide at the center lengthwise to about half the thickness at each end so that the belt will glide easily over it and between the two edges that are the original material and wide enough to allow the belt through between them. If the belt is 3/8" wide, the width of the nylon piece should be about 5/8" to allow for two edges of about 1/8" thickness. That would mean that the nylon raw stock would be 2" long x 5/8" wide x 1/2" thick. Attach the tensioner glide to the tensioner arm piece and under the belt. Connect it all together and adjust the belt for a slight tension and set the set screws. The tensioner compression spring should have some distance to travel before it becomes too loose, but not so much that it cannot move in and out as the belt moves over it when the adjustment is completed. And the belt must not hit anything else as it turns.
Just might work.
This is very well written out and I appreciate you sharing the engineering. I don’t personally believe it’s worth the effort for a $175 weedeater, but if you have the means to engineer the repair already so be it. If you’d like to test your engineering you can have the weedeater from this video, just pay the shipping. If you have a channel or can just shoot footage of the repair I can add it to the series or we can colab.
Thanks very much for that last top... have 2 of these to look at ...🖒🖒🖒🖒🖒 new subscriber
You’re very welcome
I have x430 and I think it's enough.
I have the cover off now and I had already noticed that belt looked like it might have been rubbing.
Luckily it has very low hours but I think I'll check the top end before I put it back together.
I have changed the oil every time I've used it so it won't be my fault. I'll let you know.
Thanks for the video!
You’re very welcome
goto 35:02 before you get in too deep.... Glad I went out and bought a 2 cycle replacement.
👍🏼
Thank you sir
OMG, the moment you said bushing and not bearing I just wanted to throw mine into the trash. Obviously an engineered failure point. It's now 3 years old and is very temperamental. Runs good once you get it started, but starting it is just a act of energy and lots of patience. I can't wait for it to die though so I have an excuse to go get something better..
Yep, junk
I just picked up a free S430, and the owners said it had a small oil leak. After seeing this video, I think now I know why. Wondering if it's not worth trying to fix if I can't get a seal.
Yep
Nicely done video, but I have to admit that my biggest take away is how horribly disposal this trimmer was engineered to be. First, I was disappointed to learn how difficult they engineered the timing belt replacement process to be but that does tend to come come with “the territory” these days when repairing most anything. Nothing is designed to be serviced; just replaced. However, the cam wear on a couple year old machine is completely unacceptable. Since most machines have “pattern failures” then most if not all of these machines with a loose timing belts will probably have a failed cam bearing issue as well. I have heard that frequent oil changes in these machine is mandatory. Now I understand exactly why. Maybe designing an oil filter would help (at least a little)? Great job on the video but for all their issues, I think I will stick to the 2 strokes weed choppers!
I agree, thanks
thanks for the great video, question could we buy a new motor?
Its not cost effective, you might as well get a new machine.
Its not cost effective, you might as well get a new machine.
Great job. Thank you!
No problem
Didn't know weedeaters had timing belts. I did have a Honda 5.5 hp push mower the timing belt slipped off of. Found it out on the road one trash day. Slipped the belt back on it and it ran good for 4 years then i sold it. bought a newer one. Can't beat a free mower.
It was probably a shock load the slacked the belt enough for it to jump off.
Great job explaining!
You’re welcome
Have a link to replacement belt??
Unless your belt is shredded its more likely that your cam gear is sloppy like this one.
I see edge in one section is starting to get chewed up and sliver of a fray
Thats likely because the cam is sloppy like the video demonstrated. Slide the belt off and see if the gear wiggles. If it does, its garbage.
@@MurphysLawGarage thank you very much for the assistance
You’re very welcome
For the life of me, I can't get the flywheel shaft to pound out. Is there a trick? Is there an alignment? I've tried a mini sledge and out won't budge... Thanks! Great video.
No, it should just back out. You can see in the video i was using a light carpentry hammer. Maybe your letting the connecting rod get sideways and bind up?
I've spun the counter weight and connecting rod both ways to expose the back of the crankshaft. Nada... Seems odd to me too. Thanks for the reply!
I would say its time for a handheld propane torch to apply some heat! No problem.
Heat the counterweight? Or the housing holding the bearing on the other side?.. I thought about this, but ran out of time last night working on it.
The counterweight.
Picked one of these up today for a fiver, not running. Looks like I spent too much. Really dumb design. Clearly meant to be thrown away after 2 years. Love your channel name, btw.
Im sorry Ryobi got you too. Thank you!
I own a similar engine, but installed on a Mini-Tiller for small garden. Ryobi Model RY64400. Mine had plastic cams that melted even though there was plenty of oil. There were no parts available to replace the melted cam. Ryobi designed these to fail is my guess. The newer engines have metal cams and a slightly different oiling system (check valves and hoses) Bought this model trimmer a few years ago and removed the cam and installed it in the tiller engine. Put the melted plastic cam in the trimmer and returned the piece of junk. It runs great. Where there is a will there is a way. I can't say how long this will last before the cam bearing wears out and it becomes pure junk. I do find the miniature 4 stroke fascinating in its operation, but I would never buy one again.
👍🏼
Hey...Thankyou sooooo much for this journey of the breakdown of the internal workings of the motor...
...it looks to me...Ryobi...does not build these engine to last longer than two or so seasons... ...I guess...that why they’re only two hundred bucks...a hundred per season... ...I’ve bought two of these machines over the pass three years...I only keep replacing them because...I’ve invested in the eco system...I have the weed wacker, the hedge trimmer, and leaf blower attachments...and just the other day...the damn engine number three has just seized up on me...in the middle of doing some yard work... ...Sir...you mentioned something about the oil in this machine...there’s something I noticed in every one of these things I’ve owned...THEY LEAK OIL RIGHT OUT OF THE BOX...🤦🏽♂️...it seems...the first place of the oil leaks is...around the carburetor and into the air filter...🤷🏽♂️I don’t understand it...I just assumed I put to much oil in it...and that was the machine’s way of leveling its self out... ...who knew...Ryobi built a flaw in the machinery...
...Well...I don’t have time to break down the engine like you so elegantly have done...so I’m off to Home Depot to buy another one 🤦🏽♂️
Im sorry they’ve caused you so much trouble. Hopefully you can get away from that ecosystem at some point. I would suggest running synthetic oil with high zinc or a zinc additive.
@Murphy's Law Garage,
Mr. Murphy...thankyou so much for your response and suggestion...I will do that...
...while I have your attention...what do you think of battery operated yard/landscaping machines?
...my thought is...anything over 80 volts should suffice to cut or trim anything a average yard 🧑🏽🌾can throw at ya...
No problem. Im JB by the way. Google “murphys law” for the reasoning in the name.
If you have an acre or less of property I believe electric is the way to go for all lawn equipment these days!
What were the symptoms of a bad belt? Bad timing, loss of power, other?
No run condition
The No Tensioner is a Chinese Variable Valve Timing design.
LMAO, its effective
Like the video repair instructions but how did you know the timing belt failed before you saw the slacked up belt. I can't pull the rope without damaging my rotator cuff. Is that a result of the belt. If I don't repair it the next one won't be Ryobi. Good while it lasted.
It had a no start condition with kick back and coughing.
As I have one of these on my bench in bits right now I quite enjoyed your video. Although the belt is tight on this one it is also pulled to the front of the pulley. Isn`t the timing advanced ? I expected the timing mark on the pulley to be down but the indicator rod to be so many degrees off TDC. Have you taken a piston out of this machine and if so how difficult is it to get back in. Thanks.
The timing mark on the cam gear should point at the crank and yes, it’s a bit advanced to help power/fuel economy. I haven’t taken the piston out, but such tiny rings should be easy to push in by hand one at a time. Just make sure to put the ring gaps all 90* apart never in a line.
@@MurphysLawGarage Thanks for that. Do you have any idea how many degrees it is advanced.
No, you’d have to put a dial on it.
This was good timing. Mine just did this yesterday and I determined it because air was being pushed out of the carburetor when I tried to start it. Only issue is I can't seem to find a place to order it. Can you please let me know?
Im glad I could help! Is the cam gear moving around as if the head is worn out? If it is, throw the machine away. 901656002 is the Part#
@@MurphysLawGarage I checked the cam gear as soon as I got home, it's good and solid. Thanks for the info.
Your very welcome.
Great video. Camshaft wiggle. She's a goner! Hopefully, the bushing is still good in mine. Only $12 invested, so far. Might just be a Parts Donor. Time will tell. I subbed.
Thanks so much
I have a Ryobi S430 that is extremely hard to pull on the cord when the spark plug is in, but I can slowly pull the cord with difficulty. However, when the spark plug is out the cord pulls easily. Any ideas what can be going on, valves or timing belt?
It most likely jumped timing from the timing belt issues.
I wish you would’ve shown a little bit more detail on how to get to Top dead center on the crankshaft and the camshaft.
Just line it up, but before then - throw this thing in the garbage
This is truly one of the best and more helpful videos I came across. Thank you. Could you please explain in detail how to ensure/verify that the timing belt is in the correct position - when one is not ready to replacing it? Same for the valves.
With the piston at the top of its travel the valves should be closed and the marks on the pulleys align with the marks on the block/head.
Can the piston of this machine be taken out so that you can change the piston rings? I have a machine just like this one but it smokes sometimes.
I dont believe so
After watching multiple videos and breaking down my trimmer....I’m almost convinced this is what happened to mine. First off, I know nothing about engines, so it’s pretty much figure it out as I go. However, when I was taking it apart yesterday to replace the spark plug (as someone suggested) I tried to inspect everything. I noticed that where the belt attaches to that top wheel thing....it had hardened black stuff around the inner and outer part of the wheel. Maybe melted rubber from the belt? Also, it annoyed me that the wheel wobbles. As in it doesn’t turn in a smooth circle. Is that normal? If this is what is wrong, do you thing that’s covered by the warranty and worth my time to take it in? Mine has the three year warranty and I am in year two.
The head of the motor starved for oil and ruined the bushing that supports the cam gear (the wheel your referring to). The motor is basically a throw away at this point, the cost of repair is greater than its value. I would say it would be covered by warranty, just make sure the oil is clean and at the right level when you return it.
So, did it run after you put it all back together ???
It immediately tossed the timing belt again
I have a husqvarna 128 djx with a timing issue is the process similar to this one?
Timing process would be similar, yes
Im late for this video but had to say i couldent believe what i had to go through to replace my belt myself! I used a 17 ton hydraulic press to remove the crank. Worst design ive ever seen. My belt broke because the camshaft compression release disintegrated and locked up the cam. Had to eliminate the compression release and start without it.
I believe it
While using my Ryobi weed trimmer, I heard a loud pop and the engine stopped. It won't start back up, when I pull the string, it has little to to no resistance. Would it be the timing belt?
Definitely
@@MurphysLawGarage ...thank you for the response. Is that an item or part I can buy or do I have to order it online. I've subscribed to your channel and will like all of your videos for doing so (replying).
You can get the timing belt online easily, its only about $12. Thank you very much for your viewership!
Where can i get the belt?
If its slipped off the head is damaged and it will keep happening:
www.smallenginesprodealer.com/part-ryobi-564207001/
I got one of these for free from a neighbor and I cannot get it to start. Looks brand new, not used much. I replaced carb, checked valve clearance (good), good spark (replaced plug just to be safe), replaced oil. Not flooded. Will double check but I don’t think it’s the belt. That all said I don’t have any attachments. Will it start without an attachment. If the answer is no, I hate myself, didn’t consider it until I watched a bunch of utube videos watching them start but always with attachment
The lack of an attachment will not keep it from starting. The timing belt can look perfectly fine, but have jumped timing due to a shock load having occurred while in use. For example revving very high and being suddenly stopped by a trimmer head being tangles by a rope. The valve train and carries enough inertia to force the belt to jump a tooth or two. If this is the case you should be able to finagle it back into time with just the plastics off.
Murphy's Law Garage thank you! How will I know if the timing is right?
There is a dot on the cam gear and a dot on the crank gear and they must point directly at each other when the motor is at top dead center.
Btw there’s another video about play in that bushing, apparently they are prone to fail (plastic wears out) and leads to timing issues
Just watched the end of your video. Sorry! I do want to ensure I know I have the timing right, not sure I’ve done that correctly
I’d like that for parts
Been in the dump for a long time now.
Mine is barely a month old and it's already turning off on me. What could it be? The spark plug?
Sparkplugs very rarely go bad. Most likely bad/dirty fuel.
@@MurphysLawGarage Thanks. I just saw this other guy replace the bulb and the gas lines. It looked fairly easy but seeing your video gave me ominous premonitions that I may just return it before the inside warps on me too. I saw another guy notice the exact same loose wheel and realized she was a goner. Might have to go electric. Thanks for everything.
No problem, definitely return it if you can.
Was considering buying a Ryobi 4 cycle trimmer….. but after seeing this video I am 100% not buying one.
Idk if they’ve since corrected this, but its not a good omen for sure. To be clear, I use their battery powered power tools and have rarely had an issue.
W220 s430 engines are driven by a timing belt?
They have a timing belt, yes.
Mine is about 2 years old and has run like a champ until now. The belt broke just like everybody else's. I think the design is a little flawed. Maybe they need to update the quality of the belt. It should last at least 5 years before needing any type of repairs. At any case, I took mine apart and checked the timing sprocket for any wabbling. It's tight. No degree of movement can be detected. Just thought I would share that with anyone that may question if there should be any movement or not.
No movement
This motor has a flaw that the cam has wear to it ,it plays and that's where the belt skips. There is a way to fix you need to heat up the cams inside the head just a little and then hit the camshaft with a hammer then with a rod until the shaft pops out of the head. Then you pull out the oil seal and instead put a 8x16x5 sealed bearing in the seals place. then just hit the shaft back in very lightly not damaging the plastic timing belt cam on the shaft . That will fix the timing belt from losing position , just need a bearing in place of seal. That's the fix I did to my free ryobi I picked up.
This motor did not have an oil seal where the cam entered the head, it was steel camshaft through milled aluminum. Nothing else.
@@MurphysLawGarageInteresting must be a different variant .
Sounds like barking squirrels when you are taking the oil pan off..🤣🤣
😂
Yeah, I'm going to use a product called Alumaweld rods. Check it out, it's pretty cool..
Shoot a video and upload it or tag us in pictures on Facebook/instagram. I’d love to see someone engineer the mistakes out of this powerhead.
I can’t believe you’re actually working on a Honda engine! 😜
Mmmmm, Ryobi engine?
,2079r ryobbi 2 cycle gas trimmer coil
I was searching for a X430 manual and it said Homelite?
What's really going on?!
All the same China special motor.
A timing belt on an engine that small with no cover to protect it, with no tensioner, what could possibly go wrong?
Everything
My s430 won’t start- the timing belt just comes off when I pull start.
I replaced the belt but it still comes off. It seems like the sprocket that the belt attaches to needs to be replaced. Has that happened to anyone?
Does the sprocket wiggle around when you take the belt off?
@@MurphysLawGarage yes , it wiggles a little bit , I also wondered if the sprocket teeth are worn.
I just finally finished your video , where you say if it wiggles it’s a goner. Well that’s a shame.
👍👍👍
Thanks
S430 Ryobi is junk.I bought one only lasted 1 yr with proper oil level.Thanks Murphy.
You’re welcome.
So....., why not just drill out the shaft guide and install a suitable bushing or better yet, a bearing? I admit for the average Joe that this is not an option but plenty mechs can do it. Although, it's probably best done by a machinist.
No one who values their time appropriately would waste it on this throw away machine.
That’s why I love my electric weed eater.
Get your fancy electronicals out of here 😂
I got rid of most of my Ryobi gas & battery units and went with the Ryobi 120v electric & a 100ft extension cord. I couldn't be happier. No more fuel issues. I will maybe buy an extra extension cord just in case. I currently have 4 Ryobi 120v power heads I got off a single auction on ebay. Next is the lawnmower. It has been very reliable. But once it dies, no more. Electric all the way. I run my Ryobi powerheads on a Honda EU2000 to keep my bill down and the extension no more than 100ft.
@Jack Myhre Been there. Burned plenty of plug ends in the past. Went with a 12 gauge I bought at Home Depot. There is a video that shows you how to convert a riding mower to electric. All I need is a push mower for my 1/4 acre lot.
@Jack Myhre You can try 120v motors on your zero turn, and a generator on board to run it. Why not. Cheaper than the battery units.
@Jack Myhre Pushmowers are pretty reasonable. You can get electric or a variety of DC units. The Ryobi zero turn is way too expensive.
Great explanation ......but forget that! Throw it in the garbage lol id switch brands and pbly a 2 cycle 🤷🏻♂️
Thanks, I personally have a Stihl FS80R
Made to be thrown away. Value engineering at it's worst.
Yep
Unfortunately it's basically a throw away design. It'd be nice to see society get away from this mentality.
It very much is and I agree.
I had a s430 was the biggest piece of junk I've ever paid money for. Never ran right always leaked oil top cover fell off while I was cutting and my forearm got deeply gashed by the timing belt. I gave it away and bought a husqvarna 324l
👍🏼
Makes me wonder why a 4 stroke Trimmer like that ryobi is 200$+ were as you can get other 4 stroke trimmers that have a better engine design that are not even 200$?
The one I have is a wild badger 31cc 4 stroke is it has almost everything you want from a 4 stroke.
Im a fan of 2 stroke reliability/simplicity
😊😊
🤗
It is a ryobi, they are very cheap, I have all eco equipment 7-8 years never a problem, other than replacing bottom sections that holds the string, chainsaw, blower, weed Wacker, no issues at alllll
Good
@Murphy's Law Garage I like your channel alot,
Thank you
@@MurphysLawGarage 👍
That trimmer is over 300 in Home Depot
Its junk
Glad I bought ECHO! Cost a little more, but 6 years old and runs like new! 🤑
Stihl here, 24yrs old still going strong
@@MurphysLawGarage Wow! Cool! Thanks for the vid though, by the way. It’s just amazing, and a shame, that a company would so deliberately make disposable small engine equipment!
You’re very welcome, and it certainly is a shame.
I prefer liquid weed eater myself
Lol, but it doesn’t look pretty.
Too me switching any of this small power equipment to 4 cycle from 2 cycle is just plain stupid. All this is is some diplomat hears the word smoke and 'Oh my God!, smoke!"
I agree
Hate the s430, had one, so many problems and points of failure and poorly engineered! Scavenged it’s parts and threw the engine assembly into the trash bin! Bad enough that there’s no tensioner but the belt wheel has only one flange so the belt just rides off, should’ve had a second flange to prevent this…
It might’ve worked without it had they actually used a bearing ti support the cam.
Literally a disposable motor with it built this way
Yep
@@MurphysLawGarage I got mine for $40 with a bush trimmer attachment . Want it to be my primary but concerned about reliability. I have a 2 stroke one that runs fine too
I would have to be dirt floor poor or have nothing better to do to replace this rather than buy a new one. Especially this model. Look like my timing gear is bent or warped
Its not bent, the bushing in the head is worn out and allowing the gear to point down.
@@MurphysLawGarage was it an interference engine?
No, It spun freely with the valves down.
That thing was a piece of junk before it left the factory.
It sure was
No average Joe can do this job unless you have a little experience,and lots of common sense, 70 % of America has one or the other 🤣
Good thing I'm American.
It's not an interference engine so bad timing won't kill it, but still the way this engine is designed is so fucking stupid. That timing gear is actually made out of plastic and it's mounted to a steel shaft so sometimes the teeth on the steel shaft will eat the teeth on the inside of the timing gear and completely strip the gear smooth. I am actually a technician for home depot so I see a lot of these things come into my shop. The valve springs on this engine are also pretty tight from the factory so that plastic gear sees a pretty decent load trying to turn the camshaft. I don't see how these things can cost as much as they do, total garbage!
Echo or Stihl..
@@MurphysLawGarage 🔥🔥🔥🔥
"...I almost feel as if this is intentional" Ya don't say?
No engineer worth their snuff would’ve built the timing system that way.
All of that effort just to remove a simple wear part…ridiculously poor design choice! Was not intended to be maintained by the customer but taken to the shop! Ultimately it was designed to be replaced and it’s built to be disposable!
Correct
Wow you have to do all that shit to replace the belt ? Holy shit
Yes
The video needs to be redo to enhance the prrsentation.
Go for it
RYOBI ain't what it used to be...
Yep
Will you please get that dog some water
She pants like that when she’s happy\excited regardless of how much water she’s drank.
What a horrible design!
Right!?
Not so much a horrible design... horrible general maintenance! Low oil level, break-in shavings still in the old, dirty oil. I have the exact same trimmer, probably 6 years old or more. Still runs like it's new. I only use full synthetic oil as it breaks down less in hot, air cooled engines.
The owner definitely caused the wear in the head that killed this machine, but its inexcusable to have a relatively exposed rubber timing belt with no method of ensuring constant tension as the belt ages or to prevent it from jumping a tooth on a shock load while using attatchments.
@@MurphysLawGarage Great video by the way, and I agree with you 100% reguarding the tensioner. On a shock load/shock stop, would the clutch not soften the shock by slipping?
Your side by side comparison of the old and new belt shows virtually no stretch on a machine that was neglected, and probably ran hot for extended periods. The sudden inertia change of the pull start, spinning the cam from dead rest to a starting speed, if not done correctly, places huge stress on components. We've all seen people start engines by just yanking on the pull start without taking up the slack to gently engage the recoil fingers and slow down the initial shock.
Even with all the slop in the cam bushing, no teeth were skipped, and the rubber shavings were most likely caused by the mis-alignment on the cam shaft?
One improvement I would suggest to Ryobi, make the oil fill and level check more user friendly, or a low oil shut down like the Honda's have (idiot switch ;)
Cheers.
Clutches are amazingly resilient. If that powerhead was full tilt and you bound the attachment up the clutch would be have bitten hard enough to transfer a 1:1 shock load to the engine. Even if for a split second.
Though its hard to see on camera, especially through a wide angle lense, the belt had about 1/8” of stretch and about 1/16” of shaving from the misalignment. That small amount of stretch is about equal to the size of a tooth on the pulley. It was so stretched that I couldnt even temporarily put it back in timing. The belt would immediately climb over teeth. The new belt corrected this, but was too loose to stay on.
Ryobi could definitely have the Chinese manufacturer improve that power head. I forget now the name of the motor manufacturer stamped on the block, but when googled its basically a “world motor” thats used on many random brands over seas.
Thank you for hanging out with us!
Sexy hat!
You know it!
What a piece of junk I just threw that in the trash
I sure did