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I got a free lawn tractor, Husqvarna YTH2042, that I am trying to get running. 450 hrs on the engine.

From what I can tell the engine had a head gasket failure, it burned all of the oil out and then broke the connecting rod.

I took the head off and can confirm the gasket issue and broken rod. the cylinder walls look ok.

I don't know how much damage the broken rod caused, but how likely will it be that I just have to replace the rod?

If I replace the engine will any 20HP vertical shaft engine work? is there a compatible engine list?

Do people sell used engines? I cant find any?

I'm pretty handy, and an engine switch should be doable for me, even a rebuild if that is cost effective.

If the rod is busted then the crank would be suspect.
But you will not know till you strip it down
So start tallying the potential cost
crankshaft ?
con rod
Rings
Gasket set
pushrods
Then look at the cost of a replacement.
In the 20Hp range you are at the lower limit of commercial machines so some may have a 1.125" dia PTO shaft thus you need to take care .
Any Briggs engine with the same PTO shaft should drop strait in and hook right up.
If not things like alternators will swap strait over.
Small Engine Warehouse
Small engine suppliers
Surplus center all have heavily discounted engines.

And following the Ch 11 proceedings with Briggs I would expect to see a lot of very cheap B & S engines hitting the market reasonably soon .
It woud be nice if they got offered to the long suffering dealers first but liquidators like to do big single sales even if it yields a lot less money for creditors .

thanks, Hopefully I can get it apart this week.
so right now it looks like a similar new engine is running in the 5 to 6 hundred dollar range.

looks like used ebay crankshaft, new conrod and gaskets will run about $150.

I also broke off a bolt with a torque wrench putting the head back on. Hopefully that comes out easy if I just try to rebuild it.

I'm having trouble getting the main drive pulley off.

I got the bolt out, but the pulley is stuck on the shaft.

I got some lubricating oil on it. Its at a bad angle to hut it with a hammer.

Anyone got any tips to get this off?

Put the crank bolt back in with no washer on it. Use a air hammer on the bolt. Usually comes right off.

What Hammer forgoy was put a pry bar behind the pulley apply force to lever the pulley off then use the air hammer

couldn't get it off first try. I got it soaking interpenetrating oil now.

I'm confused on how the bolt would help. If the pulley does not have threads it wont act like a bearing puller/crank puller.

what does putting the bolt back in help?

You are hitting the bolt, thus the crankshaft. The bolt threaded most of the way in protects the crank when striking.

This thing is a bear.

Lets take a step back. I just want to make sure we are talking about the same thing.

I have a Milwaukee electric impact driver. The mid level one.

I'm supposed to put the bolt, with out the lock washer, back in the driveshaft (the bolt holds on the drive pulley).

I'm going to impact that tight while prying down on the pulley with a pry bar?

Does that sound right?

Is it the hammering of the impact and the prying that gets it loose?

No, using an impact brings a tight nut/bolt loose, but the stuck flywheel or pulley need a force that pushes or drives the crankshaft off. Once the pulley starts moving, then you unthread the bolt and take the pulley on off the shaft.
Here is an instructional video I made to help folks. It is a clutch and flywheel on a string trimmer, but it is the same technique. The hammer tapping the clutch loose, would be the same action that an impact wrench would have, but in this case the clutch itself also doubles as the fastener bolt/nut. I use the clutch here as you would the bolt, and drive that downward and off of the shaft.

Thread the bolt in a ways, but not to snug the pulley back to the shaft. Your goal is just to get it to start moving.
Once you get it moving, unthread the bolt. You must thread it in a fair bit, otherwise you will booger up your threads.

2ball said:

This thing is a bear.

Lets take a step back. I just want to make sure we are talking about the same thing.

I have a Milwaukee electric impact driver. The mid level one.

I'm supposed to put the bolt, with out the lock washer, back in the driveshaft (the bolt holds on the drive pulley).

I'm going to impact that tight while prying down on the pulley with a pry bar?

Does that sound right?

Is it the hammering of the impact and the prying that gets it loose?

Click to expand...

No i am not talking about an impact wrench. I am talking about an air hammer also called an air chisel. Usually there is a washer on the bolt that holds the pulley on and if you leave it off the pulley will come off over the bolt head. The air hammer is applied to the head of the bolt.

Use Liquid Wrench penetrating oil, etc. & let soak 10 minutes on rusty bolts etc.

$598.05 plus $7.95 shipping & handling

I use an air hammer or chisel if you like
An Allan headed cap bolt goes into the end of the crank to protect the crank
Then some leverage is applied to the crankshaft.
If the engine is out then the engine gets turned upside down and supported by the pulley while I hammer on the end of the crank
If the engine is in the frame then the pulley is wedged to put a pulling load on it and again I lay into it with the air hammer.
The wedging can be tyre irons, machine jacks wrecking bars or tree felling wedges .
When using the air hammer you press as hard as you can on the hammer then hit the trigger.
The 20,000 + tiny whacks from the pistons jerk the pulley off by pushing the crank back.
Now the crank only has about .030" end float which is why you use the wedges and as the pulley moves you continually put more weight on the pulley .
In the early days stack pulleys were cast iron so you could pull on them quite hard.
Now days they are thin steel so if you put any force on the pulley wheels you will bend them beyond use .
Thus you have to use some thing that bears against the pulley shaft which is why I first suggested using a wrecking bar.
Ball joint splitters will also work, but their angle is a bit on the steep side unless you bu a really good ( expensive ) one.
And take heed of your agony right now so when replacing the pulley polish the crankshaft then apply liberal amounts of anti sieze ( not grease )

Thanks for the tips so far.

This thing may beat me! I still cant get it off.
I do not have an air hammer. I'm trying to stir one up.
If I was positive I would be replacing the engine, I would just cut the crank shaft off.

I cant remove the engine without removing the drive pulley. I can't get good leverage where its at now.

I'm taking a break, drinking a beer and will look at it tomorrow.

Do you have an acetylene torch?

no torch.
no way a heat gun gets hot enough right?

Nope...
The method i use to remove rusted pulleys/parts is to heat them up cherry red, then quinch it with cold water...

Air hammer would definently do the trick.

Ok, so I found a buddy who has air tools I'm going to just swing it over there and take the stuck drive pulley off.
When I am loading it up, I see a hole in the side of the engine.

So that engine is beyond repair.

My choices are new engine $600
or
I found a used engine for $250

What are everyone's thoughts on used engines?

still cant decide.

$250 for a used engine
$600 for a new engine
$500 for a used lawn tractor that is comparable to the one I have.

the one I have has 450 hours on it, stored inside, before it went down it got new belts and blades sharpened.

2ball said:

still cant decide.

$250 for a used engine
$600 for a new engine
$500 for a used lawn tractor that is comparable to the one I have.

the one I have has 450 hours on it, stored inside, before it went down it got new belts and blades sharpened.

Click to expand...

It will depend on your personal preference, how much $$$ you have, how much you like the mower you have and if you want another mower sitting around for parts or......in the way! You are you, we are not.....you have to decide!

What kind of beer??

alright I took another shot at the drive pulley and got it off with a 5 foot pry bar. I got the engine off and I found a $150 used engine.

The used engine is a 17.5 HP intek, and the old engine is a 20 HP intek.

Will those lost 3.5 HP make a difference?

Most likely not, unless you're mowing the Amazon jungle.

alright, so I got the engine in and it starts and runs.

1. I want to put a fuel cut off on the fuel line (gravity fed). Does the cut off go before the fuel filter or after the fuel filter?
2. there are some ethanol free gas place close to me. Is ethanol free gas worth the $1 more a gallon?
3. Will it eliminate gummed up carb problems?
4. does octane matter?

2ball said:

alright, so I got the engine in and it starts and runs.

1. I want to put a fuel cut off on the fuel line (gravity fed). Does the cut off go before the fuel filter or after the fuel filter?
2. there are some ethanol free gas place close to me. Is ethanol free gas worth the $1 more a gallon?
3. Will it eliminate gummed up carb problems?
4. does octane matter?

Click to expand...

Doesn't matter if the fuel shut-off is before or after the filter
I wouldn't pay $1 more a gallon during the mowing season, not a bad idea for setting through winter though
87-91 Octane for mowers

mower king said:

Doesn't matter if the fuel shut-off is before or after the filter
I wouldn't pay $1 more a gallon during the mowing season, not a bad idea for setting through winter though
87-91 Octane for mowers

Click to expand...

x2 on everything mowerking said.

I like to put the fuel tap as the first element in the fuel line
Thisis so I can turn it off to change the filter .

bertsmobile1 said:

I like to put the fuel tap as the first element in the fuel line
Thisis so I can turn it off to change the filter .

Click to expand...

Good Idea!

So my junkyard replacement engine starts, runs and cuts grass.

I did nothing to the engine but remove it from the old riding lawn mower and put it on mine and hooked it up. I did not clean the carb.

1. It smokes when I run it with the choke, but is calms down and runs great when I move the throttle off of choke.

2. it is dripping gas from somewhere near the carb. To me it seems like its dripping from the vacuum tube that comes from the carb.

Do both of these issues sound like a dirty/clogged carb/bad float issue?

if so, what is everybody's thought on the cheap Chinese carbs?

something like this?


I know I could just clean the original one, and I do have a spare off the old engine in case I break something.

or a Chinese rebuild kit

check the oil level in the motor. smell it for fuel on the dipstick.

I'm going to say yes the oil smells like gas. not overwhelmingly though.

be sure to drain it and refill it, with fresh oil.
may need to replace the needle and seat in carb. what's the engine model number?

Having trouble finding anything on the engine,
i did find

Family YBSXS.5012VP 274826
17.5 I/C

Usually the model numbers on I/C engines are on a metal tag riveted to the metal housing right on top.

Thanks for all of the help so far.

I just thought of something, the battery on my tractor is dead, I jump start it.
Could the carb leaking gas have something to do with the anti backfire valve on the bottom of the carb bowl?
it needs electricity to work, so when I turn my tractor off it does not work.

also I still need to check for the model number, Im not home to look yet.

I'm going to take a stab at this so someone else could correct me but I think the anti-after-fire solenoid just stuffs up the main jet when you turn the key off. It uses current to open, not close. A spring closes it in the absence of current. It only keeps fuel from being drawn up the main jet against the low pressure in the venturi created as air is sucked through. I believe there are other orifices, such as idle circuits and such, that fuel can still go through if the needle has not seated. The whole system is mounted below the gas tank. Also, I don't think the anti-after-fire solenoid's little rubber plunger under spring pressure is a match for the entire tank of fuel subject to gravity pushing on it. If I'm right, I'll be very excited as I'm not a pro.

Correct that solenoid won't keep the engine from flooding when the needle fails

so my vent tube was completely split in two and gas was leaking out of that. There was a piece of the vent tube stuck in the piece that was left on the carb so gas could not just flow out of it, there was just a little hole for the gas to come out of.

the fact that the engine was off and gas was dripping out of the carb vent tube, means something was not sealing in the carb, stopping the gas?

yes.
Time for a clean & replace the needle &/or seat

I cant figure out what engine I have. It is probably stamped on the valve cover, but it is rusted over and I cant read it.
Is this a Walbro? I see 4993, LMT and 75 stamped on it.
What needle and seat do I get?

If you have an overhead valve engine, which I think you do, the model type and code will be stamped on the top of the valve cover. It may resemble this....

Arrow shows the location.

its there on the valve cover, I just cant read it, because its rusted over.

2ball said:

its there on the valve cover, I just cant read it, because its rusted over.

Click to expand...

I've had luck with a rag soaked in a little gas. Give it a good rubbing. If it's rusty, some gentle pressure with an Emory cloth and gas will sometimes get the numbers to pop.

You have the model number in the thread title.........

Ooops my bad, already forgot you have a different engine now

this is what I am working with

Oh, that was one of Briggs "vintage" series engines , came straight from the factory with antique rust
Get some paint on preferably a rag, and wipe it across the rusted area , usually you can get the numbers to hop out at ya.

Since you have a walbro carb ( confirmed by the LMT stamped on it) watch the video I posted and you might can order a kit straight from Walbro

If you take some emory cloth and go over it, you should be able to clean it off to read the numbers.

Take a couple of photos using a camers, not a phone.
Open the images in what ever photo manipulating programe you have on your computer
ON A COPY of the image play with contrast and generally you can get a number, or enough to work it out.
Don't know if Briggs dealers can work backwards from the serial number.
Some times on the tin covers the numbers make marks on the inside so you can read enough of them to get a model
Most likely a 31????

You could use penetrating oil like Blaster and a scotchbrite pad to remove the surface rust also.
Numbers are deeper in the metal so they'll show up.

2ball said:

Do people sell used engines? I cant find any?

I'm pretty handy, and an engine switch should be doable for me, even a rebuild if that is cost effective.

Click to expand...

check facebook marketplace and buy a used mower with a bad deck or bad tranny and good running engine you can see and hear run, then take the engine off of it. you can find quite a few of them for $100-$150 and they can often have extra spare parts you need like tires and seats

hardest part on engine swap is getting the crank pulley off, it needs an impact to remove it since it rotates and you cant hold it to unscrew it

as for fixing yours, its possible if nothing broke through the block but often when a rod breaks it beats the hell out of the crank journals so unless im bored and very curious if its the 1 in 10 that can be saved, i dont even waste my time opening them up when a rod has become disconnected, its cheaper to buy a parts mower and have a working engine for $100 average vs spending hundreds repairing a motor and maybe have it fail again

keakar said:

check facebook marketplace and buy a used mower with a bad deck or bad tranny and good running engine you can see and hear run, then take the engine off of it. you can find quite a few of them for $100-$150 and they can often have extra spare parts you need like tires and seats

hardest part on engine swap is getting the crank pulley off, it needs an impact to remove it since it rotates and you cant hold it to unscrew it

as for fixing yours, its possible if nothing broke through the block but often when a rod breaks it beats the hell out of the crank journals so unless im bored and very curious if its the 1 in 10 that can be saved, i dont even waste my time opening them up when a rod has become disconnected, its cheaper to buy a parts mower and have a working engine for $100 average vs spending hundreds repairing a motor and maybe have it fail again

Click to expand...

That is almost exactly what I did. But I bought a working engine from a mower with a trans issue. I got the engine and 2 wheels for $150.
now I have an engine that I can't tell the model of, because the valve cover is rusted and a Waldro carb that need some rehab. New needle and seat and new vent tube.
I did have the engine running and cut the grass twice.

I assume when I take the carb all the way off I will be able to find the exact model number of the carb to get a rebuild kit, or a new needle and seat.

what do people think about the cheap Chinese carbs? I see tons of good reviews

2ball said:

what do people think about the cheap Chinese carbs? I see tons of good reviews

Click to expand...

As long as there is free shipping and free returns try one if you like.
I've been lucky with them.

Richie F said:

As long as there is free shipping and free returns try one if you like.
I've been lucky with them.

Click to expand...

Ditto, I only buy the cheapo's if the owner wants to.

Because doing warranty repairs cost me money and and makes me look bad I never ever fit pot luck carbs from ebay or amazon.
I do get a few people coming in with unsolvable problems having replaced every item that bolts on to fin the "new" carb was a reject carb and the old carb was fixable with $ 5 worth of parts .

As for @ball, take the carb off
Go to a real mower repair shop and ask them for a rebuild kit for it.
Most will recognise it in a flash and there are not many rebuild kits and most of them do a dozen different size carbs.
This is why they charge more than the 12 year olds on evilpay who have no idea about what they are selling to you .
I think there are 2 kits for LM's ( big & small ) but I don't keep either as I buy the individual parts in bulk , no use filling my draws with plastic floats that almost never need replacing .

took the carb off, cleaned it up. The needle was completely dislodged from the seat. I put it back in the right place, put it all back together and it started and ran good.

The oil is very watery, I guess that is from the gas going into the oil.

Ill do an oil change and see how it does.

Yessir, get that oil drained out and filter changed.

Congratulations
Not quite sure what your description is but check that the carb is not still leaking
Because I am belts braces and rope man I like to fit a tap in the fuel line closest to the tank so I can shut off the fuel without having to pinch the fuel lines and of course you can turn the fuel off when not is use..

You really need to change the oil twice and change the filter ( if fitted ) on the second change.