I’m pretty sure a valve job will fix this issue, when you lap the valves and grind material off their faces, they will sit farther down in the valve seats and as a result they will reduce the clearance between the lifter. Also the exact clearance specification on these Tecumsehs are 10 on the intake and 10 on the exhaust.
Man, a lot of you must have more time, money and patience than I do! The deck has been patched, the wheels are worn, the valves are toast, the cam lobes may be rounded, and I’m sure there’s more. This old girl is ready for the parts bin. Run it till it dies and say good night. Another excellent video. Cheers
Reseating the valves until the clearance is in spec would work. I used to race karts with Briggs flathead engines, and I would do this after every race. But I was a teenager, had plenty of time, and this kept me out of trouble. The slight improvement in power was worth the investment in time for racing. Personally, I'd adjust the lash as described above, but I have the tools to do it. If I didn't have the tools, given that it's a mower engine, I'd leave it as is.
it’d be great to save this engine and the mower. I don’t have any experience working on Tecumseh engine. Getting a used Honda GCV online can be done for about $50 and is the easiest way to get this mower working again for years to come. On the other hand you can get another used mower needing carburetor work for the same money and use the old one for parts. It’s a tuff one! As to saving money my advice is to make a deposit in a bank.
Keep using it. It will likely give many more productive seasons of use, I would like to have seen it perform in wet, clumpy grass for a better assessment.
I was thinking the same thing. Swap engine or nothing. The work involved for the engine work. Would be fine if it was yours, and you really like Lawnboy. You could always swap for a Honda engine. I personally hope to see that mower again.
Can and tappets. Probably worse on the tappets I'm used to seeing valves grow. Perhaps a lapping witn a feeler gauge might help bring those worn tolerances in closer. If you keep the engine, I'd have some fun with it.
If it was mine, I would attempt to fix it. This ol' Tecumseh lasted this long. They are very durable motors and if fixed will continue to keep on mowing.
It's frustrating when something is "half gone".... if the motor had a bent crankshaft or something, it's an easier call. The deck isn't exactly pristine either. I agree that it's a tough call.
I’d probably try lapping the hell out of the valves until they met the clearance specs. If you have access to a valve grinder that would be quicker but if you use lapping compound and a cordless drill I bet you could get it pretty close (close enough for the compression release to work anyway). Amazing that the handlebar release mechanism on that Insight mower hasn’t crapped out and fallen apart, those mowers and Toro Super Baggers were notorious for handle failures. I’ve fixed a bunch over the years, then when the parts became unavailable I rigged them for people lol!
I would just use it as is since it still runs fine. But years later if it broke down due to that issue, i would just find a replacement engine to install on (preferably another Tecumseh) My lawn boy mower that had that engine runaway issue when I first got it still runs perfectly fine albeit the transmisson still doesn't work. Lol. I have since installed a fuel shutoff valve on it to close and drain the gas out of the carb when it put it in storage for the winter. Especially cause I heard that carburators on those specific engines go bad fast if you leave old gas in there for too long.
It IS interesting when we get to thinking alike. When I saw the carb side I knew what the main problem was and at the last knew that we both had hit the same wavelength. I'd run it as long as it'd run, which would knowing how I felt about the engine maker would be years for pure spite and then swap it out for a flathead but the patch on the deck decrees that it'll be like our old 85 Craftsman rider and have more patches than deck. That's when I swapped the old fossil loader man at the crusher with a birthday card for his Sweetie for a good deck. And that old flathead still ran when it left here and I WAS sorry to see it go BUT it was time. Our Buick made it 26 years before it died and my 89 S-10 is still going but the rust is holding hands. So when it's time, it's time and with a motor that's lasted this long I'd rather just set the valves than try to make a silk purse out of a sows ear with a partially new silky sow as in cam and valves and no telling what else after you opened it up. Just ain't worth it to me. A flathead? Yes. Blessings to thee
I d take regular fiberglass insulation, the pink stuff and resin and make patches. All I was trying to do was stop up a hole. Almost had a fiberglass deck before it was over and done!@@HomeGaragechannel
If you do end up fixing it you may as well get the entire rebuild kit for it cause it was low on oil due to the flywheel side crank seal. Also a long video would be a nice change to watch on your channel.
@@HomeGaragechannel i watch 30 to 45 minute videos all the time on other channels of people rebuilding old small flathead engines all the time. I bet a few of your subscribers wouldn't mind watching a video thats a bit more than 11 minutes long. I know i would watch it.
I wish I could do that myself, however I really don't care for long format videos myself. 10 to 15 minutes is my attention span, and 10 to 15 minute videos take about 10 to 15 Hours to produce. So a 30 to 45 minute video would take me over 30 hours to make. With a full time job, that's simply too much time.
You would be lucky to find a Tecumseh engine with no nocking in it at all, those oil pans are usually very adequate and will last forever as long as there is oil
If what I am seeing on the deck is what I think I am seeing, I wouldn’t spend any more time or money on this mower and I would recommend to retire it immediately! Is that large black area on the deck a large fiberglass patch covering over a large rust hole? If so, I am calling that mower done and recommending that your coworker either purchase a new mower, have a look at your selection of used and repaired mowers, or purchase a newer but good condition used mower from someone they trust. Rusted through decks are a “point of no return” for me. I don’t feel that the risk to personal safety is worth continuing to use a mower with a severely compromised deck. Other’s may disagree and say it fine; which is true: everything is always fine until something happens to make thing not fine anymore! Sooner or later, as long as the engine is still running and the blade is still spinning, something is going to happen! When it does, I sincerely hope only this dying mower is the casualty. If it were my mower, I would pull and fix the engine in my spare time for fun, but that “holey” deck is going to “that big scrapyard over yonder”!
That's pretty bizarre. Those valves usually have no clearance and have to be ground not that way. I'd question if someone did a valve job and took off too much. However as it ran I would use it as is and not do anything.
you can buy valve stem shims in various sizes i would measure the distance you need to fill then order the sizes you need have done this a few times on quad bikes with good results
How married is this person to this particular mower? Unless it has sentimental value as "dad's hammer", tell them to just continue to use it as-is...while keeping an eye out for a newer--and *non-Tecumseh*--roadside giveaway (or cheap marketplace listing) to begin the next chapter...nothing lasts forever.
Can I ask what the cleaning solution is that you use I know that you put it on there before and told us but I have dementia and I'm sorry I just don't remember thank you
did you happen to check the engine compression? Also when installing a new carb on a not new engine, you might need to adjust the carb to get it to work.
