My Grandparents new lawnmower refused to start, it would crank part way over and the compression stroke would stop it. It was under warranty, so Sears sent a guy out, it wasn't the valve adjustment, starter, or anything simple, so he came back and put a new engine on it. We've got a broken cub cadet, also my grandparents, that had a Kohler Courage which cracked the engine case after 2-3 years! I told them not to buy another one of those! But the Briggs didn't survive 6 months! The repairman didn't need the old engine, so he didn't mind leaving it for me to try to fix.
Specs
- 21HP Briggs and Stratton
- MFG in 2012
- 331877 - 2371 - G5
Pictures!
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| Top |
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| Insides |
Here's the problem, the compression release weight has failed.
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| Camshaft and compression release weight |
It's made of some sort of cast metal! The hole for the shaft is 1/2 the thickness of the actual weight! What are you thinking Briggs? At least machine it from mild steel, then it wouldn't snap!
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| Broken compression release weight |
Well that's the problem, a new camshaft will cost ~$80, but if it has the same cast weight on it I don't know that I want it! I'm not sure how to proceed at this point. I could try grinding one out of steel, but that's going to be a job.
UPDATE: We decided to go ahead with the new camshaft. It's installed on the Cub Cadet and still working as of April 2015.
