Is my Honda GCV 170 (Model HRN216) motor fixable or toast?

[Pat the Rat]

My wife likes to cut that grass (ain't I lucky?), but the other day she was cutting and after about a half hour i think she stopped to dump some grass, but then she couldn't pull the handle to get it started again. I looked at it and the motor seemed to have seized up. Oil was gone, although i just topped it up about a week ago. Blade wouldn't turn at all. I put more oil in it, but it just flowed out the bottom. i got the motor freed up by removing the spark plug and letting some WD-40 soak in there for a couple hours. It now moves freely, but something is busted inside the engine i think. I can pull the handle and the blade turns if i pull it holding the blade engagement lever, but i get nothing but a ratcheting sound and it won't turn over. This mower is only 3 years old. Is it toast or can it be fixed for less than $250 (half the cost of a new one)? I know it's not worth starting if it can't hold oil, but i wanted to see if it was worth fixing. Looks like a big job no matter what.

 

[ILENGINE]

I would say since the oil was gone, and was seized up I would about gaurantee that the engine is toast.

 

[Tiger Small Engine]

Pull the spark plug and put a screw driver in the hole and pull recoil rope and see if piston is moving. That was an odd sound when you were pulling the recoil rope.