Snowblower engine troubles

[245dlc]

Recently I purchased a used Craftsman (Sears brand made by MTD) on rubber tracks to help with my little snow removal business. We're having what I call a 'normal' winter with a fair bit of snow and cold temperatures. This part of Canada I live in is known for it's heavy prairie winds and because of the very flat terrain here we get a lot of drifting, the one customer I work for has a house that faces north and despite having a neighbour across the street she gets lots of problems with drifting and last year I could cope without much problem and was able to bulldoze the snow drift with the snow plow on my quad. This year however the snowdrift nearly four feet deep and my quad can't handle it I'll just spin or get stuck, well I used this snowblower twice and it worked fairly well except I lost power to one track (probably a shear bolt my friend tells me) but with ten horsepower it had no problem chewing into the troublesome drift I had just had to help it out by pushing it which was tiresome. Then after using it a bit at home I noticed that the Tecumseh motor on it had an oil leak coming from near the carburetor, so today I put the heater on in the frigid garage and started surgery on it. First I split the chassis to get the drive belts off the engine pulley and then removed the engine from the chassis and noticed how much oil had dripped into the bottom of the chassis so hoping that it didn't run out of oil I drained the crank case and it still had lots of oil though it was quite black almost like a diesel. There was a lot of oil in the air breather so I figured it might have been bypassing the piston rings as it had done on my dad's old rototiller so I removed the head only to find the cylinder walls were in good shape. So after I get some more propane for my garage heater I'll take a look at the crank case and maybe even borrow a valve spring compressor and see if I can find a cause for all this oil in the breather.

[245dlc]

Something I had conversed with Bruce over Facebook is repowering this thing? These Tecumseh engines are 'throwaway' motors I'm thinking about putting a new engine of a different make on it. I, like everybody these days love Honda small engines (and big ones too) but from what I see on Honda's website they don't go by Horsepower anymore which frustrates me as that's the power rating I'm more comfortable with for small engines. This Tecumseh that I'm having fun dismantling is a 10hp engine what's that in cubic centimetres or cc's? Also would I be able to go up to a 12 horsepower engine without modification? More power isn't necessarily a bad thing with these machines. lol

Oh I spoke to soon the do list the horsepower in the specs I guess this would be the size I'd be looking at.

http://engines.honda.com/models/model-detail/gx340

[jackpreacher]

It can't be fun trying to work in a cold, cold garage......brrrrrrrrr.

Are there valve stem seals that you can inspect easily? Possibility of oil seepage through them.
Was the motor running ok before you dismantled it? Any idea how old it is?
It'd be good if you could fix it and have it as a spare even if you do swap in a Honda motor........

[245dlc]

I think it has valve guides, but as I don't have a spring compressor I'm not sure what it has if anything to seal the valve stem's. I should of done a compression test but forgot that step before I took the head off. As I was taking things apart yesterday I was texting my friend who's more experienced with engines and he figures that the piston rings might be worn out and maybe that's why I was getting oil in the breather. As Bruce can tell you these are poor quality motors might as well be Chinese even when they are running good they still cough and sputter. I'll probably talk to my neighbour and see if he has a valve spring compressor and I'll take them out and see what kind of shape they are in, I also have to take the crank case cover off and see how the crankshaft and connecting rod are looking.

[B4D2USA]

Bert, The Tecumseh motors I had on the 2 I just got rid of were 3HP and 5HP, so a different motor than what you have, although I am sure they share the same "weaknesses" inherent to the brand. If you are looking for a Honda replacement motor, you could try Northern Tool, but they can be costly, especially in the HP range you are looking at. The Honda mech I bought my 2nd hand 621 from claimed the newer Honda motors aren't a solid as the older ones. Maybe he was just trying to be a salesman to get me to buy (I already had decided I was going to anyways). Regardless, I still have much more faith in Honda motors over a Tecumseh any day. Briggs & Stratton make a good motor as well. I recall trying to get a carb for the smaller (3HP) Tecumseh a few years ago and the shop telling me that they no longer build the motors. Apparently Tecumseh went out of business (Small wonder). I also found a few YouTube videos a few years ago showing some folks who re-powered their machines with those blue Honda-lookalike Chinese motors.

I don't know, but I'd almost think that if you wait another few weeks, the snow will be over and you may be able to buy a brand new snow blower at closeout. You KNOW you will need it next year being in the snow belt as you are.

[B4D2USA]

Maybe this will help you out? http://chicago.craigslist.org/nwc/pts/3637046668.html

[245dlc]

Well if I can get parts for this motor I'll put it back together and get it running again and maybe sell it online on a site similar to Craigslist and I think I'm going to repower it with a B&S engine as they make motors with the special shroud with the shroud over the carburetor and the exhaust. A local chain here was selling some engines in the power range I'm looking for in the $300-$400 price range. A brand new tracked snowblower is pretty pricey and I think the rest of this thing is in pretty good shape so I might as well keep it going and repower it with a better motor. I'm not so keen on the Chinese engines in case I can't get parts for them.
The one I have Bruce is rated at ten ponies so maybe I could always do a Tim Allen job and give it 'more power'! lol

http://www.princessauto.com/pal/prod...ter-Gas-Engine

[245dlc]

Some good news my neighbour is a retired ag mechanic I told him about my snowblower and he was quite eager to see it, he looked at it and asked about how much oil was coming out, he looked at the bits and pieces for the breather and looked at the engine itself and said that somebody probably installed the breather backa$$wards as the breather cover assembly has a little drain hole in it so that oil can drain back into the crankcase. So what was likely happening was that the oil had nowhere else to go and was forced to blow out the breather hose. He said another cause for this can also be that the engine sucked in to much snow as these snowblower engines don't have a regular air filter like lawnmowers. He said it's always best to let the engine idle for a little while after snowblowing to help any moisture evaporate out of the crankcase and so the breather can't freeze up, he also showed me how to free up the electric starter as it wasn't working properly. So all I've got to do now is get some new gaskets, clean up the breather and blow it out with my compressor, and put it all back together and he said he'll help with that if I have any trouble.

[B4D2USA]

I still think you should re-power it with the Honda V-6 I linked for you above

[ianoz]

I still think you should re-power it with the Honda V-6 I linked for you above

What do yo reckon Bert ,A bloody typical yank Just add more power .

[245dlc]

What do yo reckon Bert ,A bloody typical yank Just add more power .

Hey who am I to disagree we should give it a tool time salute eh Bruce?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUtxOpASRzQ

And if you like that you'll like this little beauty......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81y9XSQ9Ru0

[B4D2USA]

I LIKE it a lot. I think if you'd like to stay warm and dry however, then this is the ticket. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGxg_iXdd6E

[245dlc]

Geez now that's some heavy duty power Bruce, and that snow is wet and heavy too. I believe that's the same Cat engine that was also in the Cat D8K. Here's a rail mounted one from your side of the border I'd love to see one in action.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItdRfvYHPAY

[Muz]

kinda reminds me of a little Briggs & Stratton engine we used to have on a garden power tiller, that was always needing more power .. my dad used to be an aneasthetist so we always had plenty of Nitrous oxide about the place .. damn I never managed to do it .. but the idea was there

[jackpreacher]

Can you fix the track drive Bert? .......you mentioned a shear bolt had broken - was that anything to do with engine torque or is it just a failed part? ........just thinking if you put more juice into it then that may fail again.....but I have to admit to not having a clue how the tracks get their drive.....so am probably talking drivel.....(wouldn't be the first time....)