OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums General Discussion Forum Power Equipment...Mishaps and Funny Stuff Well.. found out what happened to the compression!

I owe a lot to the old Self Propelled 5hp Rover mower that I started my business with. She was a faithfull old gal right up until the end. I just didn't expect the end to be so dramatic! I was mowing away at one of my large commercial jobs and almost finished after a bloody long day, when POOF! She just ups and shats herself, lost all compression and sat there looking all depressed.

So I finished the job with the old 5hp MTD wardog I picked up from a road-side dump and got working again, and wonder what the hell I'm going to do with the rover. So over the weekend I drag the old girl up the garage to give her a good seeing too and low and behold... it wasn't the bloody rings causing the lack of compression!
[img]https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0Bz...amp;sort=name&layout=list&num=50[/img] The piston and rings looked great....

[img]https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0Bz...amp;sort=name&layout=list&num=50[/img] But the bloody con-rod didn't!!

Hi Dirty Berty, we have the same problem with the pics in this post. Please see my reply to your last post.
Looking forward to seeing the pics.

You need a google account to see them at the moment.

That seems to be the way a lot of the new briggs motors die, rarely seen in the older ones though!

Dirty Berty,

That usually happens when the oil is let get low. Anyway I would be checking the crankshaft because the conrod could have locked up and left some alloy on it. If not just buy a new conrod and get the old girl running again.

This post is the whole reason as to why I started coming to this forum, anywhere else would say "its stuffed buy a new one" but the attitude like this when I joined up kept me here

i totally agree with you joe. there isnt much that isnt repairable or at least useful to other causes. we are all inadvertently the greenest bunch on the web!
anyway if you like i can have a look and see if i have a suitable rod out there that you can have for a little more than postage to cover my costs. may need some engine numbers to work out weather its the right one though.
regards jay

Cheers for the offer and advice fellas. Unfortunately I think there's more bits and pieces sitting in the crate I cracked the block over than went back in. To be honest I don't know if it could be ressurected with all the little shagged out cogs and bits I think I saw glooping around in the bottom of the crate. I had to shear off a couple of the block bolts to split it two as well.

However the old dear is still doing service clocking up more milage than ever as a roof ornament ontop of the ute as advertising. It's hardly the original paintwork but I re-sprayed the base black and the engine chrome to stand out proud. Does well in getting attention and jobs though! I'll post a couple of pics when I remember to take them.

Hi Dirty Berty,
We would all love to see a pic of the ute, mate!

Whoops... I took the pics, just forgot to upload them!

Hey Dirty Berty, that's a ripper, mate, thanks for the pics!

feels good to give someone a grin!

I've had a number of lawnies at the dump telling me to take it down as the police would have a cow about it. So far I've had a number of police driving pass look at it, but no-ones pulled me up!

It's chained down, tied up and loaded with ex-trampoline springs so she isn't going anywhere without my knowing it that's for sure!

Yeah mate, it did give me a grin!
Mate, I'll bet the cops are smiling as you drive past!