Chapter 6 Governor Systems

A governor system maintains a desired speed regardless of the load applied to the engine. Operates like a cruise control on a car. Top no-load speed – Top engine speed without any load.

Parasitic load – any load applied to the engine above the friction load of an engine, such as a lawn mower blade. Speed sensing device – senses the speed of the engine and is connected to the throttle. Governor spring – pulls the throttle toward WOT.

Governed Speed – the balance point between the forces of the speed sensing device and the governor spring. Pneumatic governor system – uses air from the rotating flywheel to sense engine speed.

Mechanical governor system – uses a gear assembly that runs off the camshaft to maintain engine speed. Uses flyweights and centrifugal force to open and close the throttle plate.