Briggs 16 hp. Is it worth salvaging?

[Berniebac]

Mullins and Reynoldston, thanks for the replies. The crank is definitely scored and I would guess a replacement, either new or used would be appropriate. Will wait to see if there are any other opinions offered.

To me the piston looks good other than being burnt black on the top end. I cannot find a mark on the cylinder wall at all and certainly nothing that I could hook a fingernail on.

I am only guessing here, but a new crank, connecting rod, rings, head gasket and what ever other incidentals may be needed are going to put this rebuild into the $300 range for my local pricing. If it goes that high I might be afraid to take it on with my limited experience. That, and I still have to tear down the rest of the motor to clean out all the metals pieces from the rod, make it a bit frightening.

But I am not giving up yet.

 

[scott47429]

it looks like the crank will need to be replaced for sure but the cylinder looks good and the piston looks good i would check around and see if you can find a used crank get a new rod and some rings and put it back together you will be surprised its not all that hard a job that engine looks good compared to what i used to do to my 5 horse methanol buying go kart engines when they would let go there wasn't much left just read the manual take your time ask questions and you can do it remember the only dumb question is the one that you didn't ask

 

[Berniebac]

Thanks Scott, that is a confidence booster for sure. I won't know till I get the manual, but I am guessing that all the metal pieces from the rod have got to be cleaned out of the engine, so I hAve to separate the two halves of the engine get all the old oil out and all the shrapnel. Would it be best to have the manual to continue to strip the engine further?

 

[scott47429]

yes you will need to split the engine to clean it out and you will have to do that to replace the crank shaft anyway get all the parts out that you can and just clean it with some parts cleaner or gas and a brush (outside of course ) or if you have a machine shop close by have them run the parts through there parts washer you don't have to have the manual to take it apart but it will be handy putting it back together like i said just take your time and read and ask questions you will be fine

 

[Berniebac]

Thanks scott. I will investigate the parts before moving on. I think I found the parts list for the motor on the Briggs site after Rivets told me about the manual.

 

[PJ]

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.

Hi
You could be luky. I dont hear you say big hole on side of engine what ever! your next step would be to remove and do a complete strip down. This would enable you to do a full inspection. Your biggest chalange would be to obtain the correct spares per part number. If the sleeve are not damaged you could repair fairly cheap

Good luck

PJ

 

[Berniebac]

I was just going thru the parts diagram trying to figure out what I might need and I noticed they do make a connecting rod that is .02 undersized. I guess that means you could take that much off of the crankshaft and use the undersized rod. Is that a correct assumption? 0.02 is not much to take off. Wonder if it is scored beyond that.

Any suggestions?

 

[scott47429]

take the crank to a machine shop and have them look it over and take some measurement and see if it can be saved with a over size rod but i would say find another crank

 

[Rivets]

Don't want to throw a wet blanket on this party but, The only real way to check the crankshaft and cylinder is by taking a lot of measurements. You will have to use micrometers and verniers to do this right. Unless you take measurements and compare to specs. you may be throwing a lot of money away. I would also suggest that if you decide to rebuild, you have the valves done also. Before you start ordering any parts, figure exactly what parts you think you need and then look up the prices on the Internet. Briggs, Jack small engine, Parts tree etc. Don't forget a full gasket set and seals. When you get that info post back. It may be cheaper and easier to purchase a short block, which would mean the only machining that will need to be done is the valves. Just did one like this in March, 20hp, and the customer went piece meal, no short block, bill was around $850. That included my labor 7 hrs at $60/hr.

 

[scott47429]

its always good to hear what you have to say Rivets i don't know about the other guys on here but i do know i value your opinion very much and no its not going to be cheap and he needs to take his time figure out what needs to be done and what parts he will need thats why i said take the crank to a machine shop