Wally: I appreciate your explanation of the 746 watts equalling 1 hp. I checked all 6 of my physics text books and found nothing addressing this. Only 550ft lbs/sec equaling 1 hp. Although I was well aware that 746 watts was considered 1 hp in generating. Now that I think about, I have seen some English of German engines expressed in KW output. I too am a EE, however, I had almost no education in power generating or distribution. My speciality and education was in micro electronics, thus I am quiet familiar with Ohm's Law. Now an interesting question: How did James Watts make his early steam engine run when he had almost no steam pressure at the time, too little to push the piston down. This was because he had no pressure vessel that would hold steam pressure of any appreciable magnitude. I ran across the answer to this in the Henry Ford museum.

Here is a little more information that might help clarify the purpose of the diode across the PTO coil (paraphrased from a Wikipedia article): The functional name given to the diode is a 'snubber'. Snubbers are frequently used in electrical systems with an inductive load (PTO coil) where the sudden interruption of current flow often leads to a sharp rise in voltage across the device creating the interruption (the PTO switch). This sharp rise in voltage is a transient and can damage and lead to failure of the controlling device (PTO switch). When the current flowing is DC, a simple rectifier diode is often employed as a snubber. The snubber diode is wired in parallel with an inductive load (such as the PTO coil). The diode is installed so that it does not conduct under normal conditions. When current to the inductive load (PTO coil) is rapidly interrupted (by the PTO switch), a large voltage spike would be produced in the reverse direction (as the inductor (PTO coil) attempts to keep current flowing in the circuit). This spike is known as an "inductive kick". Placing the snubber diode in inverse parallel with the inductive load (PTO coil) allows the current from the inductor to flow through the diode rather than through the switching element (PTO switch), dissipating the energy stored in the inductive load over the series resistance of the inductor (PTO coil) and the (usually much smaller) resistance of the diode. So, this inductive kick does not feed back into ground or into any other part of the engine such as the starter (as mownie correctly mentioned). The potentially damaging energy is dissipated in the series resistance of the diode and the PTO coil.

I have a 220 volt Miele 1926a washer which sounds similar to yours (no honeycomb drum, etc.) We've been using ours for many years with none of the issues you are reporting. We've washed literally tons of clothes in our Miele, and haven't had any of the fraying or holes that you write about. We've got kids shirts and pants that have been through 3 different kids now, so if our washer was destroying them, they wouldn't have lasted this long. Are there any strange noises coming from the machine? Have you felt the drum to see if there are any sharp or broken parts? We've noticed that our front loader seems to cause less wear on our clothing than our previous top-loading agitator model. Your experience is puzzling to say the least. For wrinkling, I've found that the amount of time spent in the dryer has more effect on wrinkles than anything the washer does. Try drying for a longer time on lower heat. For cleaning issues, try changing detergents. I don't have any experience with BioKleen, but have had good results with Persil, Sears HE powder, and Costco (Kirkland Signature) Environmentally Friendly liquid. As for the rust stain, could it be a plumbing issue? How old is your home?

Yes, it sparks every stroke. 3400 is too fast. Most people forget that the engine must be up to operating temperature to get a accurate reading. Also are you sure the choke is not partially on? The speed should be GCV190 max speed of 2950-3100 RPM. Is the air filter clean? And lastly was anything done on the engine?