Briggs 16 hp. Is it worth salvaging?

[Berniebac]

I bought a tractor last week for $50. I really just wanted the mower deck and the owner said it "threw the piston and broke the connecting rod.". That's all he said. So I get it home and the tractor is in really good shape and I thought why not investigate this engine to see if it could be made to run.

I took the hood and front grill off to get a better look at the motor. I also pulled the shroud. There is a lot of old oil on the front frame of the tractor, under the motor and just above the muffler housing. I wonder if the head gasket has been leaking for some time.

I looked the engine all over, still in the tractor, and could not find a crack or hole in the engine where the rod came through. I pulled the plug, shone a flashlight in the plug hole and could see the top of the piston. Spun the engine by hand and the piston did not move. I took a piece of dowel and pushed it in the plug hole and I could move the piston back with little effort.

There does seem to be a lot of fresh oil near the bottom of the engine, but the motor is full of oil. I suspect he filled it after it quit.

Briggs 16 hp, mod. 311777, type0209-E1, Code 011211ZD

My questions:
1) can the connecting rod break and not damage the engine I.e. not come through the side of the engine?

2) do you think it is worth trying to salvage the engine?

3) what should I do next?

Sorry, no pics, my computer is broke and I am on the iPad and don't know how to load a pic.

 

[scott47429]

take the engine off and take it apart look it over real well make sure nothing else id damaged if not the order a rod and see what happens i saved a snapper RER that blew a rod and bent the intake valve put in a new rod and valve and my brother is still mowing with it 3 years later so yes it is possible and if you have the time and nothing else is hurt it would be worth it

 

[Berniebac]

Thanks Scott for the reply, I might as well remove it cause it wont do much good in the tractor as is. And, I might learn a lot by tearing it down.

Just worried about compression where I could push the piston back with such little effort, I wonder if the cylinder is beyond repair?

Any other thoughts out there?

 

[scott47429]

well unless the piston is broke or has a hole in to or the cylinder is scared up you won't have compression problems the reason you could push the piston back easy is because nothing is connected to it and the compression stroke is one of the up stokes not the down plus you had no plug it it so its worth taking apart and seeing whats going on once you get it apart just look it over good and check the cylinder i thing it will be fine i reused the old piston with new rings and was fine

 

[Berniebac]

Thanks again. I pulled it out of the tractor this afternoon and got a few things off it like the shroud, starter cover, oil filler tube, heat shield and the carb. I haven't spotted any cracks or holes yet. I will keep tearing it down to see what I find. Maybe it will work. Wish I knew what really happened to it.

 

[Rivets]

If you are interested Briggs sells a Vanguard V-Twin OHV repair manual for about $22.00. Might be of help. I refer to it all the time.

 

[Berniebac]

Rivets, I am not sure this would help. I don't think it is a v-twin. I think it is a single cylinder. Would the manual cover this as well? Or am I missing something. Regardless, as in the past, I appreciate your help.

 

[Rivets]

Sorry, you know what you get when you assume. Single cylinder manual part number #276781. About the same price

 

[Berniebac]

Well that is great info and I just might make the investment. It can't hurt to have something to guide you thru the process of rebuilding.

 

[Berniebac]

I pulled the engine from the tractor, stripped off the carb, starter, throttle, etc and cleaned it all off. I cannot find a crack or hole where the connecting rod came through.

As my next step in the investigation I would like to see if there is a hole in the piston, or if the cylinder is scored.

Can I just go ahead and take the head off, or do I have to disassemble the cam portion of the engine before pulling the head off?

Pics of what I have seen so far. Cleanest this engine has been in a long time.