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| Guys,
After a short 4 years, I may have to replace the Ebay Tecumseh OVRM105-120 motor that I bought. From day one this motor has been hard to start, uses and leaks oil, even with the same care that lead to my all aluminum Briggs lasting 17 years. With an iron cylinder, pressurized oiling and ohv, I expected great things. A cheap Briggs or Chinese clone would have been a better choice I think now. Today while cutting grass the motor stopped, it no longer has good compression. I tried adjusting the valves and also, a squirt of oil in the cylinder to determine where the pressure loss is occuring. I was not successful. I owe it to myself to remove the head I suppose, to see if the gasket blew or else the valves have a problem but I'm not optimistic. The valves do operate up and down okay so I have no clue at this juncture. I could buy a new Toro etc. but I'd like to keep my old Snapper BBC running if possible. I want a good motor and I also want it to not be "fixed" compliance type but have a throttle cable control. I need a 25mm shaft just to complicate my search. What would you guys do, junk it or keep the old boy running? I sort of am attached to the old Snapper, it cuts grass as good as any new one and is easy to get parts for except the blade brake clutch. QR |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by snuffyinatl se (My Page) on Sun, Aug 12, 12 at 8:48
| smallenginewarehouse dot com has always been good to me. I don't know why you're having trouble with that engine so soon, I can tell by looking at that mower you take care of it. |
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| Buying off ebay sometimes can be crap shoot. I see on reason to re-engine it. IF I like something I fix it requardless what it costs, which 9 times out of 10 cheaper than buying new.. That looks like very nice mower. |
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| Guys, I always change my oil when I am supposed to , do Stabil in the fuel, replace air filters and keep up with my stuff. It is why the cheapo aluminum Quantum Briggs motor lasted as long as it did. I sure don't mind putting forth the effort to rebuild stuff, but when I do, I expect it to last a long time, not 4 years. I took the head off today, and there was lots of carbon on the head and on the piston top. The head gasket looked great, so I cleaned up the surfaces and all around the valve seats with a brush plus spun the valves to make sure they seated. All together and it is the safe result, almost no compression. I took the motor off and did an inventory of stuff I need to replace such as a couple of belts and a few drive bearings. If I can get the parts I will probably rebuild the machine. Funny thing is, had the motor held up, the mower would have gone for 5 more years with only minor repairs. It is not a inexpensive Craftsman mower full of plastic parts. QR |
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| Ifn it were me, as long as you got it torn down this far, go ahead and drop the crankcase and take a peek at the piston. If there is no compression, and you say the valves are in good shape and there is no problem with the head gasket, then that's the only problem it can possibly be. Rings are cheap. GO FOR IT!!!! |
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- Posted by tooltime79 Midwest US (My Page) on Mon, Aug 20, 12 at 11:04
| That's a nice looking mower, I had one just like it except without the BBC. Why not try to find a used mower on craiglist or ebay and just rob the motor off it? Just throw a B&S Quantum 6hp on there and you'll have a trouble free motor for cheap. |
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| ToolTime, You are so right about the Quantum motor! I'm kicking myself now for selecting the Tecumseh when I knew how long lived a basic Briggs can be. It was based, however, on the really good service I'd gotten out of 3 other Tecumseh motors I'd had and now have. This one turned out to be a dud and so now it gets redone. I got a good deal on a Briggs series 850 OHV with iron liner.I will go ahead and do the belts and most bearings while I'm at it. Too bad I didn't pick that brand 4 years ago or I'd not be here discussing all this today. QR |
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- Posted by tooltime79 Midwest US (My Page) on Tue, Aug 21, 12 at 13:31
| I'm glad you are keeping the Snapper going! I have had a few mowers since that 1988 model Snapper but none have done the job of cutting or especially mulching that one did. The only drawback was the underpowered 3.5HP B&S engine it came with. My biggest mistake was giving it to a friend for $50 and he just trashed it. He had a tiny little yard so it should have lasted him forever but he ruined it in 2 years. |
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| Guys and Girls, So over the weekend I mounted the new motor that I bought for the Snapper. It is a Briggs OHV Professional 850. I like it because it is OHV and has an iron cylinder liner at a good price of one the the small engine suppliers we usually deal with. I had a few issues because the motor is a 25mm shaft, and it is scarcer than 7/8" versions. It is super quiet and requires no priming or choking as it is automatic. Pulls easily as well. So far, so good. QR |
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| Nice job! That engine should give you years of reliable service.....unlike the Tecumseh. |
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| Thanks Wade, Another scary aspect of having a blade clutch is the 2 7/8 inch shaft length. It is almost impossible to find so you have to make it fit if you can imagine. It all worked out according to plan plus it feels very powerful while testing it yesterday afternoon. QR |
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| Corrrection........the motor shaft length is 2 7/16". The bulk of the blade brake clutch is why it utilizes a short shaft. |
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- Posted by snuffyinatl se (My Page) on Sat, Sep 1, 12 at 10:59
| I have the 8.75 version of this engine on a Badboy mower...smoothest running walk-behind engine I have ever seen, and it is a BEAST! Does yours have an oil filter? |
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| Snuffy, No oil filter, but a 850 motor is different that a 875 because of the difference in cylinder liners. I ran this thing through the thickest Zosia grass today and it powered right through, so am pleased! QR |
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- Posted by snuffyinatl se (My Page) on Sun, Sep 2, 12 at 21:09
| They are definitely a strong engine..and surprisingly, use very little fuel! I have mine for around 2 years and it has been great! |
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| I wish that someone had a need for all of the good parts (or the whole Tecumseh motor) that I removed. If you are a Tecumseh fan, lots of stuff on it is salvageable. QR |
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- Posted by snuffyinatl se (My Page) on Sun, Sep 2, 12 at 21:44
| What would you take for the whole engine? |
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| Snuffy, I don't want anything for it, just freight. It has had the shaft cut to accomodate the blade clutch on my Snapper. Shaft dimensions are now 25mm x 2-7/16th inch. Let me know, QR |
Here is a link that might be useful: Tecumseh OVRM 105
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- Posted by snuffyinatl se (My Page) on Thu, Sep 6, 12 at 0:22
| I live in area code 30222...Greenville, Georgia....how much would shipping be to there? |
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