OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Repairs and Maintenance Questions on Engines Questions On Briggs & Stratton Engines B&S 60102 wont start

so now my bloody engine wont start, fuel is pumping fine and theres pleny of spark, even if i pour some fuel directly downt he spark plug hole it wont go.

It did start and run for a bit about 3 minutes then it stoped, it may be that its just bloody to cold to start the engine.

Anyway im on the lookout for a new engine to fit my scotty, since this one is giving me the shits, so if any one knows wher i can source a new engine with the correct specs that would be creat

If it actually has strong blue spark, and fuel in the cylinder, the remaining things that could prevent it from starting are wrong ignition timing (sheared flywheel key) or lack of compression (valve operation or sealing, or worn or stuck piston rings). If you do the B&S fling-it-backwards-against-compression trick you can see whether the compression is sufficient.

Too cold to start a spark ignition piston engine that is getting fuel, is pretty cold. I recall that my old 327 Camaro had problems in the Michigan winter (at minus 20 Celsius) because the fuel would not vaporise in the carburetor venturi, so it wet the spark plugs and shorted them out, but that isn't going to happen anywhere in Australia. What might be part of the problem is if you are using an old can of fuel from summer. Summer fuel has low Reid Vapour Pressure - maybe 7 p.s.i. - where in mid-winter it will probably be 14 p.s.i., and that does make a difference when cold-starting the engine. Try some current petrol - it should be at intermediate RVP by now.

an update on my engine

i did get it to start, there was a fuel blockage in the actual fuel line leading into the tank, so i had to remove the fuel line and clear the gunk then re attach it with some quick steel.

it started first pull.

If it wouldn't start with fuel down the plug hole, and fuel was pumping as well, it sounds like you had more than one problem - so there may be more tests you'll need to make. It is usual for a 60102 to start easily - after a month or two in the shed mine normally takes one pull with the choke closed, then one with it open. At that point it won't miss a beat until it runs out of fuel.

I'm not clear on why you'd ditch a 60102 that works. It's a pretty decent 2 hp engine, and from what you say it sounds as if it is the original engine for your Scotty as well.

i agree with grumpy totally!
the old Briggs engines have total potential to start and run just as good as a new Honda. with a bit of TLC you will get it running sweet. what exactly is pissing you off about the engine?
regards jay

well its going now so im a happy camper, but not figuring out why it wouldnt start was really pissing me off.

well the damn things had it now. noticed some brown oily residue leaking from the side of the head, the bloody head gasket has decided to give it in, its cracked and peeling in one corner - and to top it off 3 of the damn head bolts are stripped - all on the same side gah!

Im juggling up whether its worth installing some time-sert thread inserts into the head - which make the thread twice as strong as the normal thread - for about $100 or just bloody getting a new engine for about $350.

Anyone here own a timesert kit that i could borrow/rent to re tap my engine?

you can always re tap it bigger and get the bolts to fit. a tap and 3 bolts will cost $10 and then a gasket will be about $7. you would need to drill out the head and maybe the gasket but if you are carefully its very much achievable. ive done it a few times with the bits and pieces sitting around and it works as good as the heli-coils or similar. i would recommend going a courser thread metric tho because it only aluminium and a fine thread would be harder to tap and probably end up less durable because its easier to cross thread a mild steel bolt in a fine thread aluminium then a course thread.
regards jay

It is usual to use coarse threads in cast metals, mainly because they tend to have a coarse grain structure. I agree with mowernut that you should use a coarse thread, but I would make it a UNC thread so the whole engine will continue to require A/F spanners. Be very careful enlarging the holes in the new head gasket: those things fall apart very easily. Don't try to just stick it under a drill press and drill it under power. I'd be inclined to clamp it between a couple of pieces of metal or wood with the right size holes already in them, and use a file (gently) to enlarge the gasket holes to match the clamping pieces. Do a final trim with a hand-held countersink bit.

i could tapp it and use larger bolts, but then id need larger bolts, and would also have to make the head holes bigger, and theres no guarantee that the threads wont strip again,

i think ill see if any of the local auto shops would be able to put a timesert or helicoil in, otherwise im gonna have to fork out a bit of cash for a repair or new engine

if you are prepared to fork out allot of money for a new engine than there is no doubt you will get a better result at the end of the day. personally ill try to repair everything just fot the hell of it, and if i dont succeed then its not a problem because at least i tried and most of the time only spent a few $$ at that.
what type of engine were you planning of replacing it with. it would probably be a fair ide to put a 3.5hp or something on there because the new briggs engines are nothing of what they use to be. its much the same story with the cheaper honda's because there quality has dropped due to the competition with Chinese copies. in my opinion the lower end Hondas are no better than the Chinese versions because every single part is interchangeable and probably just the same without the Honda stamp.
regards jay

looking at a B&S 3.5 HP motor for $350 but thats twice the price i paid for the lawnmower

if your not to sure about doint the work yourself a workshop will charge about $50 to do it. i am a bit Conservative and dont spend money on anything accept my Mitsubishi magna because if you dont spend money on it then you will get to the milk bar and breakdown hopelessly. i actually did the same thing on the head in the magna with the cam shaft bearing bolt and its been good for over a year(its an aluminium head too).
regards jay