prd, I am always nervous when I see a project like this in a million bits and then you look at the motor and that has also been apart.Why? what then makes me nervous is the fact you have no idea as to the skill level of who had it apart. I would bench run it before going to the trouble of fitting it back into the mower
Not overly sure of the history. I know the original owner had it running perfectly and used to mow his lawn constantly with it. One day he had come home and another guy that was living with him had it pulled to pieces. He wasn�t impressed. After that he was going to dump it cos it had been sitting there for so long in pieces and the guy who pulled it apart took of with a lot of it and he never saw him again. Poor guy wasn�t happy. Unfortunately that�s the only history I know of it.
I have had the end cover off the engine to have a look at the pistons and it still looks brand new like it has never ran a day in its life just sitting in the weather.
The pictures below are of the ignition I assume and there is no key for it either which might pose a little problem especially trying to keep it genuine.
With regards to your other questions. I have a feeling this might be a slow haul. I only have a few of the bolts. The springs are the only ones in the pictures above. I have checked the starter motor by dead shorting it and it kicked straight away. So I know that will start. Just not to sure what parts are still missing. Sorry a bit of a tough one with an engine
The bloke who pulled it apart broke the cardinal rule! If it ain't broke, don't fix it!
Norm is right, it's a bit disconcerting when part of a restoration or rebuild is partly finished by persons unknown and that's why I was asking about the history. But it's what we have to work with and for a few dollars to sort out the missing bits it's well worth the effort to give this a shot. The only other option is to tear the bottom end down again! Not really an option.
You're right, this could be a bit of a long haul but I'm well up for it!
I think we take this in stages:
First let's get the pull start and cowl mounted and confirm it turns over freely and shows signs of compression. Also, we'll confirm it is giving spark. Then we move onto the carb and other stuff.
Wadda reckon
I'll post more before the weekend.
Cheers,
P.S. If AVB and other folks with good Briggs knowledge would like to help here, please do.
P.P.S Norm, the engine is already on the ship. That horse is gone!
I�m in agreeable with you both. I don�t see why he pulled it apart in the first place. I do believe the motor is in good enough condition to get going again. When I checked the inside of the engine when I first received it I also checked the pistons and bore. They are all in good condition. I�m keen to give it a go maybe one step at a time. When I get the chance I�ll put the pull start on and check the spark plug. And we can go from there if all good. I will let you know when I have had the chance to do this and see where we go from there.
Fingers crossed 🤞 it won�t be to much trouble
So at a glance, it looks like the sump and head have been off judging by the red gasket goo, that is fine on the sump/crankcase cover but I hate seeing it on a head gasket. If it was mine i would see if it has compression, if it is good i would be pulling it off and cleaning it up with a new gasket. they are easy and cheap from you're nearest mower store.
I would also just check the Cam timing, just to be sure, otherwise these engines are very simple. i would recommend a new gasket between carburettor &block. It appears you have the governor spring (very important), and before you try and start it make sure to adjust the governor. I cant see the throttle & choke linkages. if you dont have them you should be able to find them at you're local briggs dealer 2nd hand.
otherwise it has electronic ignition, just make sure you have the kill wire on it
Cheers nath!, we might need your help as we go along here. Stick around .
Jared, because we're doing this via remote control we'll start out slow and ramp up as we both find our feet here. Please forgive me if I'm going too slow.
Firstly, when trying to buy bits always take the Model,type,code number with you. The Briggs computerised parts system is entirely based on it.
If you're going to replace the head gasket, now is the time to do it. Clean off all old gasket material first. I'm keen on the idea of torquing down the head if you have an INCH- pound torque wrench (NOT foot-pounds). That is, of course unless you have a 'calibrated' elbow
I'll look up the torque figure for you.
Something else I'd also do at this time is try and work a little engine oil (just a few drop into the 'square' shaft on the top the flywheel. There is a tiny hole in the top of it. The oil is needed in there. A syringe with a needle is ideal if you have one. They can be obtained from animal feed and produce outlets. If you don't have one, just work a few drops in as best you can. The back story is there is a bush in there and an oiler felt. If this dries out the engine squeals like a kid that's dropped its ice block.
From there the gauze goes on the top of the flywheel. It's secured to the free-wheel device by 4 screws/bolts. If you can get these new when you get the head gasket, all the better. If not I'll get back to you with details on what you need. Something tells me they are a pk style screw but something else tells me it's an 8/32 screw or the like. I can remember! Long time, no Briggs
From there pop the cowl on. We'll assume the pull start is assembled and working unless you want to flip it over and photograph the underneath. It's secured with little 1/4 or 3/16 unc bolts. Again, buy new if you can otherwise I can confirm it for you.
Make sure the HT lead I'd positioned correctly and also the cut-off wire ('p' lead). Ensure the 'p' lead can't chaffe or foul.
From here we can check for spark and compression.
Please let me know if we need to speed this up. Also, the way we are doing this step by step there is going to be several trips to the shop to get bits. I still,think it's the best way.
Having said that you can get a carb gasket and the attach bolts now so you have them ready..
Cheers,
P.S. Just to confirm, I could speak with some confidence when it came to building up the frame. Now that we are at the engine stage I'm working from more distant recollections and somewhat less experience though I've had a few part in my time. That said, if we take this one step at a time we'll get there . And if I stumble there are good folks out there who can help.
Ok all good. Slow steps are good. I managed to score the day of work today so was hoping I would do what I could today. Unfortunately I�m waiting for my pay to come in so I can go down to the Briggs distributor near home to get what I need. I have managed to sort out the head gasket and get the gauze in place. I have checked compression which is good and I have checked spark but have none. So I will get a spark plug on my travels when I get the carby gasket and such. Forgive my innocence or ignorance which ever you prefer 😁 the HT lead and p lead. Are these the ones your talking about that in the photo? The spark plug lead and the single wire that comes of the solenoid?
Also the solenoid I�ve shown in the picture doesn�t look to healthy. Is it ok or needs changing? Or is there a way of testing it?
Hi Jared, I think you are talking about the coil, the single wire is the kill switch wire. If you can spin the motor over while holding the plug steel section onto the motor and see if you get any spark. If not try a bit if rod inside the plug cap and repeat the spinning procedure and see if you get a spark jump onto the head, if no spark you then have to look at the coil. You will need to undo it and make sure the surfaces where it bolts on are clean, then reset the air gap on it with the flywheel turned around so that the magnets on the flywheel grab the legs on the coil, pull one leg away from the magnet and put a feeler gauge (stanley knife blade will be good enough for this test) then do the same with the other leg and then you can tighten the coil holding studs up. remove the feeler gauges and then you can repeat the earlier tests regarding the spinning the motor with a bit of rod sticking out of the plug cap. Make sure the kill switch wire is not touching the motor as this will kill the spark.After spinning it with the rod out of the plug cap and you have no sign of spark you will need to find another coil. You may find this was the reason this whole mower was pulled apart in the first place because it wouldn't run. People do strange things at times
The 'p' lead is the small kill wire. Its end needs to be well clear of the engine (ground) for testing and the insulation needs to be in good condition. This wire is grounded to 'kill' the engine.
A thin card (business card is another common suggestion for setting up the air gap between the coil frame and the flywheel magnet. Basically it needs to be as close as is sensibly possible to the flywheel without touching.
You're right, the coil doesn't look flash but that's not really an indicatior. It would definitely be worth making sure the earth of the coil to the engine and the wiring terminal under the bolt head is sound. A rub with sandpaper in the usual fashion
So I went down to the local Briggs distributer today to see if I can get a list of parts for the engine. He told me that due to the age of the engine there might be a good chance I can�t get the parts I�m chasing. Not sure if it�s true or he wasn�t willing to help in that department. However he did sell me this engine instead which I can either get going or Ye parts of it. My engine being 8hp this one is actually 12 hp but the carby and setup and very similar either way it should be a big help with regards to getting my mower back running again. He did say that it runs but sounds a bit clunky
Being only an 84 vintage, short of something serious like a block, everything you might need will be available. I have sourced new parts for 70's models recently through my local dealer. Here is a link to the parts manual, direct from briggs australia
If you dont have spark I would suspect coil, as it is not the original one anyway. Being 84 briggs were long finished with points, and you're coil is an old points coil with a briggs Magnetron kit retrofitted. The one on youre 12hp should bolt straight on.
Just be aware the 12 is more different to you're 8 that it would seem. They are physically bigger, the carb i'm pretty sure is a bit different too. So things like the air filter housing probably wont just bolt on, unfortunately.
If it sounds clunky it could just be rings, or it may be more serious like a big end or (typically due to a lack of service) play in the synchros, which make the engine a write off.
Ok thanks for the link and info. I�ll strip the red one down and see how it bolts together. If not I�ll see how the red one is mechanically and go from there. I�m hoping to keep the mower as original as possible however I know that the engine is not the original anyway but will see how it goes when I strip the parts of it
I can't say for absolute certain that that is not the original engine for that machine. It is of the correct vintage for your machine (I.e. Early to mid eighties). The point of confusion is that the frame appears to be a Tractor 8 frame. That said, the parts data I have (which is the same as that held by ODK) doesn't cover some of the mod status that is on your machine because your machine was produced after the catalogue I have was printed. A newer catalogue would be handy. Point is, Greenfield made changes all the time and I can't say for certain that this engine wasn't original on this machine....but if you asked me to bet a 50 dollar note on it I'd say it's not the original.
It's always difficult trying to figure out an approach when in a situation like this - two engines and both an unknown quantity. Perhaps a suggestion is to spend a few more hours working out if the black one might be a goer. If the coil is no good on the black one then check if the red one has spark. If it does, pop the coil from it into the black one and take it from there and build up the black one from the bits you have from it and the red one. What's the worst that can happen?
Whichever you decide to try to get going first, you need to have a plan and stick to it.
Ok thank you. I�ll take it all one step at a time. I don�t have spark at the moment and the spark plug looks pretty bad so I�ll get a new spark plug and the check the spark and coil and go from there. I will take photos with each step and try to replicate how the motor is put together by copying the red one. Thanks for the help
