My Lawn Mower Repair Thread (56k warning)

[hanyoukimura]

So much rain lately. Got a lucky break this afternoon with clouds and even some sun before the rain set back in. Had to work double time. With that said, here's my fastest start to finish mower to date.

I sold the Cub Cadet and got a Murray in partial trade. Looks like some serious metal fatigue led to the front left wheel ripping out of the deck.

The up side is that everything else is fine, so while the deck is a loss, the engine is a runner so I was already ahead of the game for my starting point. First thing to do was remove the engine, and while it was off the deck I drained the oil and cleaned it off a bit.

Next was preparing the new deck, which is that Yard Man since it donated its engine to the Craftsman. A good scrubbing...

A quick going over with rubbing compound...

Not bad! Ready for its new heart. Installed the Briggs and used the new "wrong" cable I got for the for it while it had the Tecumseh engine on it. It was too short to for the Tecumseh engine but the perfect length for he Briggs. Refilled with fresh oil, new plug, and air filter. Fired right up! Just had to adjust the carburetor linkages to get it running at the proper speed.

All done! Took me about an hour and a half from start to finish. A new record!

Here we have the Craftsman with its motor transplant:

Put both of them through their paces mowing the foot high grass in the back yard. No problems, so they get a clean bill of health.

 

[hanyoukimura]

So how rare are 2-cycle Briggs engines? Today I went to a guy I know who has a few mowers out back he likes to ticker with. One of them is a Toro Recycler with a 2 -cycle Briggs and a mulch plug. I've been wanting to use my Suzuki 2-cycle Toro for a while now but I mulch not bag the grass, so its sat idle since I got it running last year (fired right up Sunday though).

I asked him if he would be interested in selling the plug, but as it turns out someone had broken the gas tank the engine let it fill up with water. He has no parts for it and was pretty pissed about the whole ordeal, so he told me I could have the plug and the mower. I brought the plug home today, I'll have to go back for the mower. I wonder if the engine is salvageable? I personally have never come across a 2-cycle Briggs from the 80's.

 

[jakewells]

very rare and parts are scarce. i know they are good runners and make good power.
engine look like this?

 

[hanyoukimura]

Yep! Not good that parts are scarce though...it'll need a gas tank and who knows what the carburetor looks like with all that water in the tank. I'm going to try and get it Friday.

 

[jakewells]

could try your local briggs dealer they might be able to source one for you.

 

[hanyoukimura]

Here it is! The deck is shot what with the big holes in it, but if I can get the engine going and a fuel tank for it I have plans for it...

 

[hanyoukimura]

Today was a mixed bag. On the one hand efforts to get my Toro ready to mow were met with obstacles, although it has been cleaning up nice:

After running into a dead end for the day with it, I decided to open Pandora's Box and see what the carburetor on the 2-stroke Briggs looked like. I was iffy on what to expect. The gas tank had been broken and filled with water with the fuel shutoff valve open. What greeted me was a foul smelling black sludge that oozed out of the bowl when I removed the nut. However, because the bowl was full of this old gas mix, water didn't get in from the tank and corrode the carburetor. To my surprise it was actually completely corrosion free, with only a bit of corrosion on the bowl.

An entire can of carb spray later and it looks nearly new!

Tomorrow I hope to put it back together and rig up a temporary tank so I can see if it starts.

 

[Vervepipes]

Great when stuff like that works out.

 

[hanyoukimura]

Well, while yesterday was filled with disappointment, today has turned out much better. Reassembled the carburetor on the Briggs, rigged up a temporary fuel tank and after a few pulls it coughed to life! In fact, after a few seconds the engine smoothed out and ran mint. I must say this is a very quiet and smooth engine. I think it might even be quieter than the Suzuki.

For anyone curious its model 096722-0045-01, and for anyone who wants to know what it sounds like I've got you covered!

So what the plan for this engine? Well, first and foremost it needs a new fuel tank...so if anyone comes across one please let me know.

Beyond that, the deck it's on is junk with several large holes in it. However I have something special in mind for. It's a Toro 20557 18" mower I got as a trade last year. It was missing a wheel (I finally threw one on it today) and the Tecumseh engine was full of water and missing a lot of parts, so I don't think its really salvageable. The mower has been sitting in the corner since I got it as I've had no real plans for it. Now that I have this rare Briggs, I'll have an engine to go with what I guess must be a rare deck (since I can't find any info online for it)

 

[hanyoukimura]

Despite my plans to use the Toro in tatters, I still needed to mow the yard today. I've been using the little Jacobson for the most part, but today I felt like something a little different. So from the far back of the garage I pulled out the Craftsman I've been holding onto. It hasn't been used at all since I got it running last year (or was it the year before?), so now was as good a time as any to take it for a spin. Started up and ran really well. Cut the thick grass in the front yard without issue.

It needs a head gasket I think because it has a very slow oil leak under the head, and a shroud/tank that go together correctly, but I'm quite fond of this machine. It's not made of fancy materials or powered by an exotic engine, but it is a solidly made machine that's held up remarkable well.

Gave it a quick was when I was finished.

I decided to replace the muffler with a newer style one. Those cylindrical ones aren't very quiet. Does make a difference.