Tecumseh vertical engine

[Rivets]

These manuals might help you.

http://www.mymowerparts.com/pdf/Tec...-TROUBLESHOOTING-AND-IDENTIFICATION-GUIDE.pdf

http://www.mymowerparts.com/pdf/Tec...0-8HP-THRU-18HP-CAST-IRON-ENGINES-691462A.pdf

 

[cashman]

I started working on lawnmowers in 1966. Tecumseh always had a reputation. You loved them or hated them. I personally liked Tecumseh. My favorite was the VM80. I think they were maligned because a lot of mechanics didn't fully understand about replacing the points and condenser. If you didn't use the dial indicator tool to set the points break, you were lucky if they ran at all. As far as the carburetor issues, just about all the engine manufacturers went through the same problem about ethanol gas and emissions. Also if the throttle shaft was worn, they didn't run right at all. Sorry that they went out of business. I got to tour the Tecumseh plant in Grafton in the late 1970's.

 

[earthworm]

The correct replacement carb for the model number is Tecumseh part number 632991. Jacks Small Engine has them for just over $100.00

$100 ???
fora carburetor ?
I can buy the complete engine for $120.....and , IMO, a better engine..
What we need is a rebuild kit that is affordable ... with ONLY the necessary parts...we have far too much waste today...

 

[Rivets]

Earthworm, $100 is a little steep, but some of the larger small engine carbs can run over $200. Onan, Kohler, and Wisconsin to name a few. If you will read post#8 you will see a cheap repair kit and way to get Tecumseh carbs back into running order.

 

[Creekpaddler]

I bought a Sears Craftsman powered walk-behind mower with a 6-hp Tecumseh engine about 15 years ago. The engine was the main reason I bought that mower. During its second summer I was using it when the engine suddenly exploded out the right side - a metal-&-oil mess! Inspection showed that the Federal-Mogul piston rod broke. Needless to say, I was disappointed with Tecumseh. I took the mower back to Sears where they gave me pro-rated credit on a Poulan with a Honda engine. I've never bought anything with a Tecumseh engine since then.

 

[hcooper]

I have a Tecumseh vertical on a Craftsman mower I have had since the early 80's.

I had to replace the carb a few years ago, which has a primer bulb on it, so I bypassed the original bulb located on the upper sheetmetal engine shroud.

I've used 20-20W or 30 weight oil since new, and never have had a problem. Now, 33 years later, it does burn oil, so I;ll have to re-ring the engine. No big deal.

Enthanol gas doesn't seem to faze it, but I do mix about 8 oz. of MMO in five gallons of gas.

I'm still using the original spark plug, having regapped it many times.

I think longevity of this, and any engine depends on regular oil changes, not lugging the engine in tall grass, and a proper pickling of the engine in the off-season. Best thing I've found to do that is to run the engine until it's up to temp, then remove the air filter and choke the egnine down with a spray of WD-40. Just spray it in, and fog the neighborhood for a few minutes, then give it a good "goosh" of WD and choke it down. Dump out the gas, and it's good to store, and will start up on the second pull in the spring.

 

[hcooper]

The best engine, in my view, is the old Kohler K-series. The block and bore is cast iron, and there isn't anything on the engine that can't be fixed or rebuilt. I have a 49-year old K-241 in my '64 Cub Cadet 100, and in 1985 I honed the bore, installed a new piston with rings, replaced the exhaust valve for good measure, adjusted all valves to the low limit (closest allowable dimension), planed the head, installed new head bolts and safety wired them. With all the gaskets, this took me a day, and cost me about $100. Not bad. I haven't done anything but change oil with diesel 15-40 since (this has the necessary zinc to protect the flat tappets).

Don't use API Service SG or higher in these engines!

 

[bootface]

They deserved to go out of business. They were good engines up until about the early 90's then everything stagnated. I have always thought that they lied about horsepower. You can take two engines, one is a 3.5hp from an MTD mower, the other is a 5hp from a Craftsman, stand them side by side and they are identical. The carbs are the same and if you take off the heads, everything is the same underneath. How can they achieve a 40% increase in HP without changing the carb or the bore or the compression? Similarly, on some of the old Craftsmen (especially the Eager-1 models), Tecumseh advertised, "Oil Pressure Pump" on their decal. What rubbish. There is and never was a pressure pump on these small engines. I think they should have been fined for misleading advertising. We should all be grateful that they no longer produce this rubbish.

 

[hanyoukimura]

In my experience, their horizontal shaft engines for snow blowers are quite good. I have one and its been a great engine for the last 8 years we've owned it.

Now their vertical shaft engines for walk behind mowers on the other hand...

Going by experience, I find their carburetors to be extremely finicky and can easily go from running great to not running at all. They also have weird quirks that B&S Quantums don't have, like how the bowl must be in the correct position or how the float is adjustable. For what purpose does that serve? B&S float carburetors on Quantums are non adjustable in that respect and I've never wished they were...because they were always correct. I remember the first time I dealt with and the adjustable float. I didn't know it was adjustable, and the new one I got to replace the corroded one had just a little to much range of movement and would flood the carburetor, and leak onto the deck. It drove me mad trying to figure it out until I finally discovered the tab was used to adjust it.

Then there's the more serious issue of connecting rods. I don't know what it is about these engines, but I have 3 of them sitting in the garage with blown connecting rods, one with a hole punched through the block. A running one I have sounds like it has the beginning of a rod knock, and I can hear my neighbor's Craftsman knocking away when he uses it. Only a matter of time before I hear a loud bang while he's mowing! I have yet to run into a B&S engine with a connecting rod problem.

 

[Creekpaddler]

I have a Tecumseh vertical on a Craftsman mower I have had since the early 80's.

I had to replace the carb a few years ago, which has a primer bulb on it, so I bypassed the original bulb located on the upper sheetmetal engine shroud.

I've used 20-20W or 30 weight oil since new, and never have had a problem. Now, 33 years later, it does burn oil, so I;ll have to re-ring the engine. No big deal.

Enthanol gas doesn't seem to faze it, but I do mix about 8 oz. of MMO in five gallons of gas.

I'm still using the original spark plug, having regapped it many times.

I think longevity of this, and any engine depends on regular oil changes, not lugging the engine in tall grass, and a proper pickling of the engine in the off-season. Best thing I've found to do that is to run the engine until it's up to temp, then remove the air filter and choke the egnine down with a spray of WD-40. Just spray it in, and fog the neighborhood for a few minutes, then give it a good "goosh" of WD and choke it down. Dump out the gas, and it's good to store, and will start up on the second pull in the spring.

Thanks for the tip, hcooper!