Briggs Vanguard 23hp Leaking Oil through Breather Tube

[SnapperOwner]

Just took photos of the breather assembly opened up. Doesn't look like the parts diagram. There's only the one piece (with the two screws) that's slightly bent up, but the parts diagram shows a solid piece under that one. The diagram sometimes has errors, but I can't find anywhere online that shows you the parts to this. Also, what is that black plastic circular piece that you can see through the hole?

Sorry for the stupid questions. I've been told by two people that Vanguards rarely blow their head gaskets (as opposed to Inteks), so I should go back to looking at that breather assembly again.

Everything look all right here to those of you familiar with Vanguards?

 

[SnapperOwner]

Just took photos of the breather assembly opened up. Doesn't look like the parts diagram. There's only the one piece (with the two screws) that's slightly bent up, but the parts diagram shows a solid piece under that one. The diagram sometimes has errors, but I can't find anywhere online that shows you the parts to this. Also, what is that black plastic circular piece that you can see through the hole?

Sorry for the stupid questions. I've been told by two people that Vanguards rarely blow their head gaskets (as opposed to Inteks), so I should go back to looking at that breather assembly again.

Everything look all right here to those of you familiar with Vanguards?

View attachment 58635 View attachment 58636 View attachment 58637 View attachment 58638

Disassembled the breather assembly that's part of the #2 Rocker Cover. Oil looks fresh

I see now what the "black piece" was. It was the second piece that I saw on the parts diagram. On top you see the bent piece (has to be factory bent) with the hole in it. The black thing you see through that is a solid second piece (see photos) of very thin sheet metal (?) that was "glued" down in a thick layer of oil. Not really glued, but the oil was definitely not allowing that puppy to open or close.

Do I need to wash all these pieces to completely de-oil them, or is wiping them down thoroughly enough?

So, if the breather assembly looks fine to you, we're back to figuring out why the oil's getting in there, right? This will be my fifth air filter + prefilter in two months ($27/each), so I'm pretty motivated to get this figured out.

 

[Rivets]

Dont see anything wrong with that breather, back to what I said earlier, blown head gasket. You can purchase the gasket individually, no need to purchase a kit.

 

[SnapperOwner]

If I opt to replace the head gasket, what other gaskets/seals could cause air to come in that would directly affect the breather assembly and cause a lot of oil to be drawn into the air filter cover and carb? If it were just the head gasket, wouldn't you expect to see more smoke all the time? Not trying to second-guess anyone here. Just wish the symptoms were a little more screaming for one thing or another. I'm turning into a parts-replacer instead of a troubleshooter, so I'm trying to regroup here.

Please take a minute to read through my other posts in this thread and offer suggestions. And -- thanks -- in advance.

 

[bertsmobile1]

Head gaskets are around $ 10 a piece .
A leaking gasket over pressurizes the crankcase which overwhelms the breathers ability to allow the oil in the crankcase fume to drain back into the engine so it blows into the carburettor.
The cheap & nasty check is to run the engine for a couple of minutes then turn it off and pull the dipstick out .
If you see little whisps of whiteish smoke that is a symptom of a leaking head gasket .
The proper test is to do a leakdown
It is not a difficult repair on a tractor style mower where you have good access to the engine .
I regularly do them on site on the customers lawn ( leaks a bit of oil & degreaser spill )
Takes about 2 hours on a twin if none of the fasteners are rusted on solid.
So for a newbie should be a 1/2 day job if you want to slip in a round of golf or a weekend job if you are trying to avoid a trip to the mother in law

 

[bertsmobile1]

If I opt to replace the head gasket, what other gaskets/seals could cause air to come in that would directly affect the breather assembly and cause a lot of oil to be drawn into the air filter cover and carb? If it were just the head gasket, wouldn't you expect to see more smoke all the time? Not trying to second-guess anyone here. Just wish the symptoms were a little more screaming for one thing or another. I'm turning into a parts-replacer instead of a troubleshooter, so I'm trying to regroup here.

Please take a minute to read through my other posts in this thread and offer suggestions. And -- thanks -- in advance.

A cracked head or a holed piston
Occasionally a moved valve guide or broken inlet valve seal
Stop faffing around and pull the heads
Guide problems will become obvious when you remove the rocker covers.

Stop over thinking
These are the most simple engines it is possible to make not F1 race engine

 

[Rivets]

I’ve read through the posts and like Bert said, stop over thinking the problem. You’ve been watching to many different videos and from my experience most aren’t worth the time it took to make them. Starting with a blown head gasket would have been the first and cheapest place to start with the problem you describe.

 

[SnapperOwner]

Thanks, guys, for taking the time to respond. Wish it were that cheap (smile). "Times they are a'changin!" At $25/each for the head gaskets (842622), I'm going to go with the Valve Gasket Kit (842662) for $70. That way I might have the other parts I'll probably need and won't have to wait another week or so for the next round to arrive. Hopefully, I can find someone who can get the Kit in before the cold weather sets in.

No offense meant, but if it weren't for those videos and blog entries, I wouldn't know how to do ANY of this stuff. People on forums sure don'tsit and explain each step of a fix for you. They just say things like "blown head gasket" or "you got carb issues". I have no choice but to take that advice and go find someone in a blog or video who will show me how to do that. It's nice to have help from both sides, and I'm grateful for everyone's time -- forum and video alike.

Thanks, and I'll be back to let you know how it works out. After I find the parts (smile), of course . . . And thanks, bertsmobile1, for the humorous "half-day job". Still making us smile. Takes me 1/2 an hour to remove the Vanguard blower housing (smile). Done it so many times now, maybe I can shave a couple of minutes off this time. I'll have to time it . . .

Hope y'all get in a good afternoon of golf before too long!

 

[Rivets]

You asked for help, now you criticize short answers??? You’ve had 3 very experienced service technicians give you answers as to where to look, but have not listened to them, because they don’t explain in depth how to do what you want. You just think that someone who’s trying to make money off their video are more knowledgeable than the service techs on this site. As a retired teacher I’ve seen this multiple times, students who want to put in the least effort possible. The techs aren’t going to put that much effort to take your hand and step by step walk you through the solution. That being said, hope you find that the head gasket is not the problem, so you can sit back and laugh at me. I’ll stop posting now, but will watch for the outcome.

 

[pwardxe126]

To check to see if your crank case is being over pressured by a blown head gasket. Find the small hose that goes from the breather to the crankcase. Remove the end of the hose that fits in the breather. Start the engine and see if its blowing a lot of air out of it. If it does, blown head gasket. Good luck!