@@jcondon1 ... Clearly, you are intelligent enough to diagnose and repair an internal timing jump due to camshaft failure. So why not go ahead and use "than"?
Had to watch this one, really takes me back to the late 70's. My Dad brought home from the dump a lawn mower that was not working. In short order he had it running, he went on to salvaging mowers from the trash heap, fixing them and selling them. Rarely bought new parts salvage one to make another run. This made for a lucrative way to make a bit of extra cash. Eventually he began repairing other folks mowers all out of the shop behind our house. Eventually he rented a store front , then secured franchises to sell new equipment, and do warranty work. Branching off to chain saws, and other small engines. Moved on to buying some commercial property and building a larger shop, which expanded 3 times. When he retired in 1992 he sold the shop and land for a significant amount of money. Not bad for a guy with a grade 8 education that never made it past corporal in the forces after 25 years service.
This is, and used to be, the wonderful American story. Men who were willing to work hard and had an idea that benefited both themselves and others. Then the two pincers started squeezing the life and ingenuity out of entrepreneurs: government throwing down countless obstacles plus their grasping tentacles coupled with the other pincer: out-of-control litigation.redistributing wealth from the Makers to the Takers.
James I am 75 now and back in 64/65 I was the one lung king of the neighbor hood , so I thought. I did manage to fix all the mowers I collected on the side of the road. I had a claw hammer, 9/16 and 7/16 socket crescent wrench and a pair of pliers, no ratchet. Hours of fun taking them apart cleaning them put back together and when they started it felt great. Thank you for sharing, would have never guessed that was issue. Back then it was one cast piece.
I did something similar exact same time frame but I attached one motor to my sister’s old bike, a blue and white Monkey Wards step through. It was a rear engine drive like exotic Italian sports cars. The frame was a for sale sign donated (unknowingly) in the mid night procurement services. Drive was a long drawn out process. It ended up a Jack shaft, 1/2” V belt, with a 12” pulley on the rear wheel, the Jack shaft was a 3” welded to a 2” and the engine had a 1 1/2”. Went through about 50 V belts by the time I got it going. Top speed was about 26mph with my custom exhaust, 3 piece 1/2” galvanized pipe. That project pretty much solidified my career decision to become a mechanical engineer, now I are one (old joke).
You'd be proud of me. I fixed the neighbor's garage sale purchase mower with a Honda GCV160 motor. It was surging when warm. I immediately suspected a lean condition. Found fine dirt in the tank. Cleaned it out. Took the carb apart, cleaned it, and found the emulsion tube above the main jet had its little holes clogged with the fine dirt. Used a wire from a wire brush and cleaned them out. Mower runs perfect now.
most issuers these days, is the ethanol gas, sits for a bit wont start, ends up water settles in the gas to the carb bowl, drain carb, tank, new gas usually fixes. if spark and starts with ether, then that is what I try first.
Similar: I was given a Husqvarna with a GCV160. It would run for only one or two seconds each time I tried to start it. Fixed that by cleaning the main jet using a twist-tie wire, but then the governor was making it surge (aka 'hunt'). Fixed that by cleaning the pilot (idle) jet using a strand of fine copper wire from a lamp cord. The twist-tie wire wouldn't fit through the pilot jet.
My grandmother always said; "you learn something new every day. When you quit learning, you're probably dead!" I'm 67, I'm not dead yet and I'm still learning!
I'm 60 and junk part's in mowers are one thing , but off subject , I've always driven older car's and recently got a car given to me that needed attention , thought I was getting something great for a change , till i discovered that 90 percent of the car was plastic and everything is falling apart , Life is Good as always but still learning !!!
@@johnbassett3188 Yep! Most of the cars I've had and worked on myself were 60s and 70s models. My parents were married in 45 and after Dad got out of the service in 48 they had mostly used 30s and 40s cars, then new 50s models. So, I cut my teeth learning about old models. The same with small engines; B&S, Tecumseh, Clinton, etc... Most of the cars were made of real steel, cast iron engines and copper wiring. The small engines on tillers, mowers, etc were steel w/cast iron sleeves or cast iron blocks and steel parts like cars and trucks. Maybe I'm just a silly old man, but quality is worth more to me then disposability. The land fills are full, the recyclers run night and day. How about we build stuff so it lasts like my grandpa said: "it ought to last a 100 years, then turn into something good to eat!"
Wow after buying 2 new carbs thinking the first was a bad one, i now realize i could have a broke key or timing is off. Both new carbs would run bout 30 seconds and then shut off. You made a Great Video and showed step by step to help us understand the possibility's we might had over looked. You are my hero of the Day. Thanks....
This is starting to become one of my favorite channels on RUclips. Your videos at first start off as a unknown mystery, sometimes with twists and turns and often a happy ending. The well placed shots, clear and concise explanations of how these things work make this a quality channel. Thank you for taking the time to share your talent with the rest of us in a way that is easy to follow and digest.
A few years ago I put my old briggs and stratton mower on the curb because I couldn’t get it started. That very evening I saw my neighbor across the street mowing his lawn with it. Hahaha! Now I am trying to fix a generator.
Ugh, I hate how cheezy these engines have become nowadays. This is why I try to save the old stuff. So much better quality! I'm glad you posted this vid. It's good to know what's lurking inside these engines.
It's not just the small engines. WAAAY back in the late '70s, I heard that GM was using plastic parts in their auto transmissions, and these transmissions were failing because the parts were breaking. I was skeptical until, by coincidence, "60 minutes" did a segment about this very issue at the time, and when I found that my Monte Carlo had one of these transmission (TH-200), I dumped that suck within the year. It was a POS anyway, bad transmission or not.
@@eskieman3948 For sure! Kawasaki got bit hard because they decided a plastic oil pump drive gear would somehow be a good idea in the Vulcan 1500. Well surprise, surprise they had a major recall due to failed gears! Plastic has no business inside an engine save for a few select items such as chain guides, and even then they don't always get it right.
@@ctg6734 most newer engines have plastic camshafts I don't know about all of them but I had a Briggs & Stratton that I took apart and it had a plastic camshaft
@@ronalddaub7965 Yeah, I have two of these engines on mowers currently. Sad thing is they'd probably be fine if they molded the gear and lobes as one part instead of two separate pieces. But yeah, it's because of stuff like this that I hold on to my older equipment.
nice! I got a Craftsman 20" like new from the local thrift shop for FREE. The deck and blade barely had any signs of use at all. They said the engine was seized. I pulled it through at the store, it was very hard to pull, but it wasn't seized. Took it home and saw that the 'safety blade stop' cable had broke down at the lever on the engine. Re-attached it and the mower is running fine! FREE! YAY!
"Yes! Plastic cam shafts. You don't want them to last forever do you, Mr./Ms. retailer?" It's not a defect it's a feature! I admire how you were able to zero in on the problem, explaining your reasoning and methodology. I grew up on all metal lawn and garden engines (yes, they are very nutritious with whole milk!) If something was out of time, it was game over. I didn't know until now about the plastic cam so if I had run across the problem from the outside of the engine, that engine would go into the metal recycling pile. Thank you for pointing it out! A repair like this, done by the typical small engine repair shop would have been too expensive to consider for most home owners. And that, sadly, is the plan.
Wouldn't have cost much for Craftsman (or whoever made that part) to fit that timing gear with a pin or even a key. But, as you said, the engine will last too long. Bad for Craftsman. What a scam, especially in a lawnmower (where the blade is liable to hit against some obstruction and quickly mis-align that timing gear). Or maybe they thought it was a safety mechanism (like shear pins in/on some old time outboard propeller shafts)?
@@ArroEL922 I don't doubt that is part of the plan. I've only owned 3 mowers in about 40 years and in each case the deck rusted out but the engine was still fine.
Oh about 15years all engine blands got sued mis different horsepower than they what the manufacturers was were so went cubics or CCs the manufacturers so they lost alot of profits so decided to make throw away engines at our expense . I try stay away from them but was all of the united states .
@@stephenbartram7377 Yep. That's a setup for a fail, plastic on metal. I see it in my work too and all manner of equipment. I miss the days when you could buy equipment (anything, ftm) built/made to last.
I have a neighbor that bought 2 of these mowers. Both have a failed to start problem. I suspected a broken cam problem. You have shown how simple it is to repair. Great video. Thank you for posting.
A pressed on plastic cam shaft I'm surprised it doesn't have a compressed cardboard deck and bamboo cutter blades , good video and great job getting this thing going
I'm an expert with small engines usually I can tell exactly what's wrong from what the person says if u hit a stump lawnmower dies won't start timing key is the problem or bent crank witch can be straight ened without taking anything apart
Another case of the purchasing department under the gun to reduce costs, and deciding to use an inferior part design - And as is most likely usual, the engineering department had no say in the part replacement.
Metal gear could have blown up all running parts in the crank case, metal cams wear down too esp if not oiled, which would be cheaper to replace a plastic cam or all internals? They should put a plastic or brass key on the fly wheel too. Its like a circuit breaker for your house, would you want a 200 amp breaker on a 20 amp line? What could go wrong? Farming equipment has shear pins on everything too if you put a shear pin in with too hard metal the rest of the machine blows up if something gets stuck.
@@Seriouslydave in reality though mowers in this price range with internal engine issues are 90% of the time just put out for trash, not taken apart and fixed, it's a friggin shame too.
I was hesitant to watch this when I saw it was 26 minutes long. Most videos that long tend to have lots of babbling with little real diagnosis and repair steps. This video was properly detailed. I learned a lot. Thank you.
Because of watching your videos over the last 6 months i was able to fix my first 2 generators could not have done it with out your videos thabk you so much for all you do
perfect instructions on resetting timing..I recently ran over a rock that knocked the timing off and caused this problem..it started once and belched smoke like a champ.. i shut down immediately and it wouldnt start again so i tore it apart to see what was happening but had no idea what to look for till i got this vid. and it worked perfect... thanks amigo.. good job.
A helpful tip: The gas tank fill cap on this and similar mowers was very poorly designed! Grass and other debris collects on the underside of the cap flange and when you remove the cap the debris falls into the gas tank. As an ex lawnmower mechanic I am very meticulous when it comes to using clean gas so when the carb jet on my Toro kept getting clogged I knew something was up. After discovering the source of the problem I did two things. First I installed an inline fuel filter in the short rubber gas line running from the tank to the carb. Do NOT use the little red plastic style filters sold online as they will not filter out smaller particles. Rather use the round clear plastic filters that contain fiber filters. Due to the short distance between the tank and the carb and the overall length of the filter this requires some manipulating but it can be done. Second, and this is very important, before removing the gas cap run a rag around the bottom surface of the cap flange to remove debris. I haven't had a single clogged carb jet in the two years since I diagnosed this problem.
I totally agree with you everything is so poorly made the fail in this country so you consume more and more product I have a lawn mower engine roughly the same model in style but it's from 1990 everything is internally cast or aluminum I've even gone as far as polishing it and porting the engine it's 190 cc's from factory it's probably 200 cc since I've done everything to it This country's despicable when it comes to waste. I've also stated that these engine brake switches are horrible for the magneto and flywheel so my recommend recommendation is to take a double strand piece of wire wire to your magneto and wire it to the block of the engine run the wire up your handlebar to an off and on switch. Patent pending.
Thanks so much for that tip. I already knew about installing a primary filter after the tank but never heard about the gas cap debris issue before. Now I’ll be on the lookout for that with every mower I work on. 👍🔧🧰
For this exact reason, for about the last ten years, I keep a 2" paint brush on the wall where I fuel my equipment. I use the brush to whisk away all the debris from the base of the cap and the surrounding area before removing the cap. Only takes about five seconds.
There is nothing more satifying than to take something that has no percieved value to an average person, and make it like new for a few bucks. Good going! That's probably a $300.00 mower!
If you did this yourself you would have to go buy the tools to do this kind of work, which would probably cost the same as a replacement mower, hence why people throw them out...
It’s great but what if it doesn’t work. You have to back and troubleshoot it all over again. By the time you figured it out you already spent $300-$400 of time and labor.
My first guess was the aluminum key, but I didn't realize it had tinkertoy parts inside. That was a fun video. I mostly work on older stuff, but I enjoyed watching your careful approach, and I learned a few things!
My father started his career as a machinist in the navy. He taught me how to repair all sorts of small engines and even some car and outboard engines. It is a very useful skill that I have never needed even once as an adult. But I'm glad I learned.
Uncle had a BMW with a bad gearbox indicator. Gearbox was fine, sensor was broken and changing it was nearly 2000€ because you had to gut the gearbox...
@@donn1387 If you can repair small and big engines, you can repair a lot of other things, understand a lot of things and have fiddly fingers. All types of usefullness here. ;)
Great job! I wish l had a son like you. You seem to be a very good young man. You cut the grass and clean up after you. Most of todays youth wont cut grass for their parents. God bless you.
It's intentional to make more money. That and he majority of American consumers will always shop with their wallet and buy the cheaper mower. You get what you pay for . Cheaper mower, plastic parts. Your blaming the manufacturer? It's not the manufacturer call it's the consumer. You build a better one then you can't complain.
James Kenta. You sound like somebody thats 25 years old . I became of age in the 1970s and my experience with small engines and consumer grade tools were they didn't compare favorable with foreign manufacturers engines and handtool . Particular red Chinese hand tools. Other counties electronic devices like camera , chisels. tape recorders television load binders far exceeded the quality of American manufacturing . Taiwan hand tools were very low grade compared to zred Chinese tool . 40 years later Harbor Freight cheap Chinese hand tools and and power equipment are depended on by professionals and hobbyist
I always learn something watching your videos. There’s something to be said about the way you go about things! Your easy to follow and you don’t rush through anything! So many you tubers rush through there video’s with very little information or show the steps needed to do the job leaving you feeling like their main interest is getting subscribers instead of actually putting out helpful information. Guys…You gotta put in the effort and be more focused on the video and not how many likes you get!
Just here to say thanks from the UK. After watching your video a few times and having a Toro 675 GTS failing to start with similar issues I decided to take apart my first ever engine. Same fault as this one with the camshaft sprocket timing out after shifting on the shaft. Followed your video, replaced the camshaft and fired up on the second pull. Many thanks a mower saved from the clutches of scrap.
I have a small engines certificate from my local community college and I must say, I still have plenty to learn. Subscribed to your channel today and hope to get some repair knowledge from a front line mechanic. Thank you for sharing this. I did replace the crankshaft on one machine and it worked fine for a long time after.
I was in the industry for thirty years. The way things are trending, small i.c.e. are going to be extinct in a few short years, replaced with battery electrics.
Impressed! Very good job. As a fellow Small Engine Repair guy who watches these videos all the time, you are by far a very thorough tech. Kudos to you. Very good job and it started on the second pull. Enjoy the new mower.
When turned upside down, those engines will typically sit perfectly in the top of a standard 5 gallon bucket. It raises it up off the ground so you can work on it a bit easier and keeps everything level.
@@heydannypark Agree with that... ...And I can appreciate it too. Even after having two total knee replacement surgeries. ✌️😁👌 Once you realize how important it is to save them as long as possible, you don't ever forget. I see new ways everyday to make my steps more efficient.
I just put it on pool deck! Perfect, set on my bar stool go to work! Then blame the kids for not cleaning their feet before jumping in! Then ok guys, punishment! Go cut the grass!
In my younger days I did lawnmower repair. B&S was my favorite engine to work on. I know them inside out. I have small engine tools. I was going to say flywheel key. B&S use to use steel cams now going to plastic hitting a brick,root,pipe or anything in high grass in your lawn that stops the engine with force it will sheer the flywheel key or in these new engines strips the cam. If the timing marks on the cam & crank aren't aligned that mower won't start period. This goes for the flywheel key as well. Really enjoyed watching your video brings back memories of yesteryear.
For anyone wondering, don't get the plastic cam , this may have worked for James, but you're better off getting the all metal cam . Yes , it's interchangeable.
$25 mower. $10 used plastic cam was the better choice for this "push, not powered" mower. I'm guessing the best he'll get for it is $50? As it stands right now, he's going to maybe break even. Now, if you're going to keep the mower for yourself, maybe spend the extra bucks for better parts.
Right,..I kind of think it's cool that he has the skill to do and figure this stuff out but to me none of that was worth the time and then to put another plastic part into that motor..???...For me and it's just my opinion..It wouldn't be worth it..
Excellent video all the way around ! You did a fantastic job trouble shooting the problem, and explaining why the need to remove the motor. Your knowledge to small engines is wonderful. Thanks for sharing !
I bought a New mower Yesterday. My 14 year old Craftsman has been impeccible. It has started on the first stroke every year. Last year however i bought regular petrol and The gas wire broke. NO repairshop is open. It IMPOSSIBLE to get spare parts in Sweden. I cleaned The AIR filter and plug. Thanks for The video.
Makes sense that the gear broke loose, it has the least amount of surface area in contact with the metal shaft. Without splines, pinning or keyway that is where I'd suspect rotation to have occurred. Great video, thanks.
I get so jealous watching this video. I would give most anything to have the skills and knowledge to take something like that apart, analyze the trouble, repair it and put it back together. It just amazes me. Thanks James.
I have one in my shed my neighbor owns been trying to get it started he didn't give me good history on it changed all the broken cables and break did spark plug cleaned Carb, checked spark still no start I think I am here or got something with compression this video is amazing I got a lot out of it I only wish to get as good as you.
James, I’ve come across this as my sister hit a water shutoff valve in her lawn. I was able to straighten out the decompression valve and drilled a hole for a spring pin to locate & lock the plastic gear in proper timing. My sister has used it for a couple seasons now with no issues. The air trick is a great way to diagnose what's going on.
Thanks for that informative video. I have a 14 year old Toro with basically the same motor. It still runs and starts great. One thing that amazes me is that the oil never seems to get dirty. It always looks new on the dipstick. I have a very small bit of lawn. Only a 20 minute job and I only change the oil every 2-3 years with amsoil even though it still looks good.
Super helpful as I am replacing rings in a B&S engine. As soon as I opened the cover the cam and timing gear fell out. So glad you showed the timing marks! Thank you.
You're right, James, I would never have thought of the cam lobes moving. Just shows the 'designed obsolescence' in making a plastic camshaft. Ultimate stupidity in my opinion. But if the "design" is to last only as long as the warranty, brilliant idea. Thanks for sharing.
there is a pressure washer video , briggs 7.75 engine, very similar problem. I had a lawn mower, about 55 yrs ago, (no RUclips), similar problem, would not start. likely same problem. couldn't find any small engine brains to pick. My troy bilt pressure washer has had the carb problem almost every year. I like watching these small engine videos. Thanks for showing your problem solving skills. My lawn mower always started hard, 2 yr old, sold it for 50$, as all of a sudden wouldn't start, and now have lawn service, was given the mower free.
Ahhh, bring back the old briggs style...never an issue except for plug fouling from worn valve seats..hand lap reface, good aluminum carbs with brass seats and neoprene seals.. Had this type issue on a brand new 7250w generator..out of box..that was a teardown ! Three day fix, started up, plugged into home power, ran fifteen minutes and utility can back on .ha!
Hello James. This is my first time to see one of your videos and I have now subscribed to your channel. It is a pleasure watching someone work who methodically and properly diagnoses problems. It is impressive to see another person who cleans before disassembling, also. Great job on doing things RIGHT!
Nice to watch people fix small engines. Thanks. It would make sense the larger sprocket gear would break loose considering the torque to shaft size. I may need this video for my Sear's mower I had put aside a few years ago not understanding the insides so well. You took a lot of the apprehension out of what seemed an insurmountable job.
Had a problem once with a small motor that was very perplexing. would not start for anything. the problem was on the exhaust side the muffler was so full of gunk that air flow was impeded. took the muffler off and cleaned it out (could not believe all the junk that was in it). Started immediately. Wow this guy's a pro I never would have found this. He's obviously familiar with Briggs. Professional tools there as well right down to the gloves. Great video.
Brilliant thanks, I didn't know that plastic pressed into shafts was hidden in these engines. I think the sound it made like the chuff of a steam engine on starter fluid was an indication that valves were popping at the wrong time. Very helpful to us dabblers!
It's a pleasure watching such professionalism and expertise in action. I dount I'll be tearing into any small engine motors anytime soon but I enjoyed (and learned from) your video so much, I downloaded it just to watch again sometime. Well done and thank you for sharing your expertise.
Great to see in this throw away society that you take the time to explore and restore. Of course, repairs like this would be outrageously expensive because it appears it’s all your labor with cheap parts.
Having the key on the crankshaft shear off is a very common problem with these mowers where the engine's crankshaft has the blade directly bolted to it. When the blade hits something "unmovable", such as a rock, the flywheel continues to turn, shearing off the key. The engine then won't start because the spark timing is extremely far off. While common with push mowers, I've even had it on a John Deere lawn tractor, whose engine crank isn't directly attached to the blades; apparently that problem was caused by a backfire or other issue, but exhibited the same no-start symptoms.
Its not always visible that theres a problem until the flywheel is removed and the key inspected , whats helped me is to inspect the blade and underside usually if its backfiring and the blades been damages you can bet the key is sheared and timing is off
I've always been a big Briggs & Stratton fan boy, and had no idea that they had sunk to that level of installing plastic cams. This really made me sad.
www.ereplacementparts.com/pulley-camshaft-p-554847.html?gclid=Cj0KCQjw5PGFBhC2ARIsAIFIMNdCCiANHXUKnKw2eE7pl26DL6a6jpiUTW9VcqGAVMwDjCkw0-214ywaAkzaEALw_wcB. Honda does it the same way.
Been a Honda fan for many power equipment lately not one of the Honda engines have for years has ever had a problem no matter how poor the maintenance has been.
Btw, the metal cam gears everyone loves so much will corrode and fuse to the gear on the shaft in a matter of months if they sit, especially once the oil goes bad.
Good information and takes me to the next step diagnosing my riding mower problem, which started with replacing with a new carb, rather than simply cleaning the old. Now it blows fuel back out of the carb, suggesting a valve problem. But I have readjusted them several times with no improvement, resulting in no compression. You now have a new subscriber.. thank you.
Where's your son? LOL, he should be mowing that yard. I remember him starting a generator for you once. As soon as it started he ran away! Has he stopped running or is he running like Forest Gump? Another great repair. I enjoy watching you methodically and calmly work on things. Slow and steady, no sledgehammers involved...
Another win. Interesting issue found. James, it’s time you treated yourself to a lift. Even a simple one would do. My knees hurt just watching you work on the floor.
I work on mine on my tailgate. Lol I have a bad back to begin with and troubleshooting a small engine always takes more time than I would like to spend bending over. The last mower I repaired was a husqvarna AWD motor and it is the heaviest mower I have ever seen. It's a beast. I had to have my wife help me lift it up there. 'Twas a 450 dollar mower brand new and I fixed it for 16 bucks. It's what I am using at home now.
Great Video . We learn something new every day and this is no exception. Real nice to see someone taking the time to teach others how to fix things especially the lawn mowers and yard equipment. I'm however surprised that a reputable engine builder would use such cheaply made parts in their products. Thank you for your for posting this video.
@@leroydavis3538 Only way to remain competitive is to use lower cost materials. Since we have become a throwaway society, most repair shops would probably not repair this mower. I basically gave some old lawn mowers to the dealer I bought my riding lawn mower from. He said they would just go into the junk pile. Neither of the old lawn mowers had that many hours on them. They just kept failing on the power drive system and after the 2nd time with less than 10 hours on it (a good seasons mowing for my yard and would not work the following spring) I decided it was not worth spending another $150 for the same repair. Lawn mower was from a very well known manufacturer in the Minnesota. Just a bad and unreliable design.
Briggs went bankrupt a couple of years ago,I think some of the last engines made were a lot worse than the one in the video. Some other company picked up the assets and trademarks. @@leecowell8165
Hello James, what a lot of people don't realize is when you tip a mower over on its side to make sure you tip it with the carburetor side up. it can cause problems tipping it carb down
I'm moving in next door to James so he can fix my lawn mowers dam things never start when I want them love watching James Australia your a champ good idea James hope you make heaps mate good way to pick up a cheap mower if your a neighbour thanks James
Great video. I have two Briggs horizontal engines in the shed, one 8HP , and one 11.5HP. Both built in the 1970's and both run like a top! It's truly a shame what management has done too this epic company! How they ruined a great small engine just for a meager profit margin more.
Most people kill their mowers with lack of maintenance in 2-4 years. Some leave them in the side yard year round. No point in making them for the long haul if the majority of owners fail the machine anyway.
Actually when the old B&S went bankrupt a couple of years ago the management gave themselves a big "retention bonus" just a day or few before filing for bankruptcy. Heads they win,tails I lose ($10,000. or so investment in Briggs stock) Needless to say,I don't think I will be buying much from the "new Briggs & Stratton"
I'm impressed with the p.s. segment, most of the people that fix this stuff have no idea or don't have the initiative to find out what or why of parts failures. Me being the cheap thrill seeker, I would have tried to drill through the drive sprocket and shaft and pin it. Maybe would have done so to the replacement part just to be sure that it would be the last time I had to go into it. I'm going to out on a limb here and just guessing but I bet it backfired about twice and that was it for the plastic to steel connection. Thank you for your help with the timing. process.
Thank You James A pleasure to watch a video taken by someone who knows what he is doing with a camera while giving clear and concise commentry of what he is doing. Take Notice all you muppets on You Tube that grab a cell phone in one hand and wobble it around in one hand while attemting to dismantle machines this is how it is done properly.
Excellent video, enjoyed that very much! Plastic cams have been around for a very long time, they changed over from metal over 20 years ago. Even though failures are pretty rare I think it would’ve been nice if they had a splined shaft to press the plastic parts onto instead of a smooth surface, seems like asking for trouble by not locking such critical parts in place. I had a weird one last summer; had a Murray push mower with an OHV Briggs engine that ran just fine but it would practically break your hand pulling it over. I figured it was an easy fix, just a simple valve adjustment issue or loose rocker. Nope, turned out the little return spring on the compression release got hung up and wouldn’t let the finger drop back into place so no compression release. I tore the whole engine apart and gave the spring an extra wrap to increase the tension, it worked reliably after that (had it been a Quantum engine I would’ve just put another cam in it). Sometimes a bargain isn’t a bargain, but it’s fun to troubleshoot and fix them!
This one was more then I thought it would be. Have opened up a lot of generator engines recently. Was hoping for an easy fix. Spring time, mower wont start, good compression. How hard could it be?
@@jcondon1 Right, how hard could it be! After all it’s one of the simplest, most reliable time tested engines on the planet and it looks well cared for. Surprise!!
Interesting. I have abandoned a three-wheeled orange brushcutter AS Motor AS26 AH8 because it frightens me, having nearly ripped my shoulder out. Many people have been incapacitated for a year because of kickback when trying to pull-start a machine. I, too, thought it was a problem with the key, or valve timing. No. I walk past it with my head turned away in fear. Replaced it with a white Orec SH61H. Maybe following your lead, I will one day open up that thing ...one day. Maybe.
silly ol me.......when you said "cam".......I said to myself........"the hell you say!" I never heard of a small engine jumping time. I then expected you to find that black gear part to have a missing tooth or similar. Quite good video. In focus, no shaking, good audio. Over all.....excellent...you fixed it good and made money too.
Great video and I like how you showed the entire process with a clean machine, can't work on my projects if it's cruddy, I clean them up and makes less mess overall.
You are a great mechanic and I will check the timing after seeing your in-depth demonstration I feel like I can get into the guts of this old mower of my brother in law’s and with the knowledge you have freeing given. Thanks for filming this.
Another great video. Its disappointing to me that Briggs (and others I assume) would use plastic cams. Another step towards a throw away world. Thanks for making this video.
I've got one with a similar issue. Timing is definitely off but the key is intact. Was hoping not to dive into the engine but I guess that's the next step. Thanks for the vid!
Hey James good find. Found your channel in my recommendeds today. I’ve have a few videos of these cams taking a crap over the years. Neat little angle drill you have. I like the fact that it doesn’t spin 20k rpm.
A ranch I worked for had a lot of Briggs and Stratton motors on irrigation lines they were always failing with the same fault. Its pretty sad that a highly regarded manufacturer like Briggs uses plastic cams that can slip.
Agreed. Some places plastic is not welcome. Can you imagine how much research - development went into getting plastic to work for that purpose? Planned obsolescence or exacting lifespan?
I used to have a Murray push mower, had the big wheels in the back, and a Briggs Quantum on it. LOVED that mower and engine. What killed it was the stellite valve seat for the exhaust valve came loose from the block. I tried everything I knew, even tried peening the seat back secure in the block and re lapping the valve, but there was no saving it. That killed it dead. Loved that mower. It had a cast iron cam in it, it was a bit older than your mower here I'm sure.
Another outstanding video!! Thanks much. It seemed evident that it was the gear that slipped even without the bonus footage. The decompressor was now being interfered with by the gear. Since the decompressor is fixed to the shaft, but now binding with the gear, then it had to be the gear that moved.
These are made far better than what you can buy now. The shear pin is a common repair. There is one always in my toolbox. It does suck when it fires wrong and the pull cord rips out of your hand.
@@toadalgea " The shear pin is a common repair." Agreed, one need only break down as far as the flywheel; however you must have missed the part about the failed camshaft requiring the opening up of the engine - not an easy fix.
Your right everything now is made with a life span of 3 years then you have to fix it or buy a new one and in some cases the fix is more expensive then buying a new one..
IMPRESSIVE... Wow, you really know your stuff! This is way beyond my capabilities but was so interesting to see you work out the problem & sail through the deconstruction & reconstruction. Thanks for sharing your knowledge, for having such great visibility, detail, & explanations, & for NOT having any background music... you ROCK, James!!! God bless! [9.20.2022]
Years ago I had a brand new mower with a Briggs and Stratton engine. I was hard starting right from day one. I took it back and had the dealer look at it and they could not figure out the problem so I was essentially stuck with it. A couple of years later I had some free time away from my business so I decided to get it running as it should. The carb was alright and there was plenty of spark. I tore the flywheel off and everything appeared okay until I looked at the points. I measured the gap and it was about .0029" which struck me as being a little much. When I checked the factory spec it called for .0020" so I filed the points and re-gapped them to spec. After that it was a one pull machine and worked great for the next couple of years until my ex-wife ran it out of oil.......... The point is, never rely on the manufacturer. They make mistakes all the time and you get to own them.
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Nice Job James. I have not ever encountered that problem, it's good to be made aware of it. Thanks for the video.
Thanks! Judging by the comments, it might be a more common problem then it should be.
@@jcondon1 yessir. Very common issue here in hell. I mean ne Texas
@@jcondon1 ... Clearly, you are intelligent enough to diagnose and repair an internal timing jump due to camshaft failure. So why not go ahead and use "than"?
@@JW...-oj5iw Wow... grammar police here.
@@woolval52 ... The plaintive crying of the poor little offended girl. Shut your pie hole and make a sandwich.
Had to watch this one, really takes me back to the late 70's. My Dad brought home from the dump a lawn mower that was not working. In short order he had it running, he went on to salvaging mowers from the trash heap, fixing them and selling them. Rarely bought new parts salvage one to make another run. This made for a lucrative way to make a bit of extra cash. Eventually he began repairing other folks mowers all out of the shop behind our house. Eventually he rented a store front , then secured franchises to sell new equipment, and do warranty work. Branching off to chain saws, and other small engines. Moved on to buying some commercial property and building a larger shop, which expanded 3 times. When he retired in 1992 he sold the shop and land for a significant amount of money. Not bad for a guy with a grade 8 education that never made it past corporal in the forces after 25 years service.
Life is an endless education
This is, and used to be, the wonderful American story. Men who were willing to work hard and had an idea that benefited both themselves and others.
Then the two pincers started squeezing the life and ingenuity out of entrepreneurs: government throwing down countless obstacles plus their grasping tentacles coupled with the other pincer: out-of-control litigation.redistributing wealth from the Makers to the Takers.
smart DAD
Dad sounds awesome. That's the dream.
Nice
James I am 75 now and back in 64/65 I was the one lung king of the neighbor hood , so I thought. I did manage to fix all the mowers I collected on the side of the road. I had a claw hammer, 9/16 and 7/16 socket crescent wrench and a pair of pliers, no ratchet. Hours of fun taking them apart cleaning them put back together and when they started it felt great. Thank you for sharing, would have never guessed that was issue. Back then it was one cast piece.
I did something similar exact same time frame but I attached one motor to my sister’s old bike, a blue and white Monkey Wards step through. It was a rear engine drive like exotic Italian sports cars. The frame was a for sale sign donated (unknowingly) in the mid night procurement services. Drive was a long drawn out process. It ended up a Jack shaft, 1/2” V belt, with a 12” pulley on the rear wheel, the Jack shaft was a 3” welded to a 2” and the engine had a 1 1/2”. Went through about 50 V belts by the time I got it going. Top speed was about 26mph with my custom exhaust, 3 piece 1/2” galvanized pipe. That project pretty much solidified my career decision to become a mechanical engineer, now I are one (old joke).
I will say I appreciated the end b-roll of sweeping up & cleaning up after the mower great job diagnosing and fixing it!
You'd be proud of me. I fixed the neighbor's garage sale purchase mower with a Honda GCV160 motor. It was surging when warm. I immediately suspected a lean condition. Found fine dirt in the tank. Cleaned it out. Took the carb apart, cleaned it, and found the emulsion tube above the main jet had its little holes clogged with the fine dirt. Used a wire from a wire brush and cleaned them out. Mower runs perfect now.
most issuers these days, is the ethanol gas, sits for a bit wont start, ends up water settles in the gas to the carb bowl, drain carb, tank, new gas usually fixes. if spark and starts with ether, then that is what I try first.
Those are so much fun. Good Job!!
See my solution to dirt in the gas above.
Similar: I was given a Husqvarna with a GCV160. It would run for only one or two seconds each time I tried to start it. Fixed that by cleaning the main jet using a twist-tie wire, but then the governor was making it surge (aka 'hunt'). Fixed that by cleaning the pilot (idle) jet using a strand of fine copper wire from a lamp cord. The twist-tie wire wouldn't fit through the pilot jet.
@@wryanddry2266 It's something how a thing so small could create such problems.
My grandmother always said; "you learn something new every day. When you quit learning, you're probably dead!" I'm 67, I'm not dead yet and I'm still learning!
I'm 60 and junk part's in mowers are one thing , but off subject , I've always driven older car's and recently got a car given to me that needed attention , thought I was getting something great for a change , till i discovered that 90 percent of the car was plastic and everything is falling apart , Life is Good as always but still learning !!!
@@johnbassett3188 Yep! Most of the cars I've had and worked on myself were 60s and 70s models. My parents were married in 45 and after Dad got out of the service in 48 they had mostly used 30s and 40s cars, then new 50s models. So, I cut my teeth learning about old models. The same with small engines; B&S, Tecumseh, Clinton, etc... Most of the cars were made of real steel, cast iron engines and copper wiring. The small engines on tillers, mowers, etc were steel w/cast iron sleeves or cast iron blocks and steel parts like cars and trucks. Maybe I'm just a silly old man, but quality is worth more to me then disposability. The land fills are full, the recyclers run night and day. How about we build stuff so it lasts like my grandpa said: "it ought to last a 100 years, then turn into something good to eat!"
@@jamesdiehl8690 ... All that time and learning, yet you still used "then" instead of the correct "than".
@@JW...-oj5iw I still have trouble with dos, dem and dat too!
@@JW...-oj5iw If I did, you would still think that you can judge me for it! Go polish your halo!
Wow after buying 2 new carbs thinking the first was a bad one, i now realize i could have a broke key or timing is off. Both new carbs would run bout 30 seconds and then shut off. You made a Great Video and showed step by step to help us understand the possibility's we might had over looked. You are my hero of the Day. Thanks....
This is starting to become one of my favorite channels on RUclips. Your videos at first start off as a unknown mystery, sometimes with twists and turns and often a happy ending. The well placed shots, clear and concise explanations of how these things work make this a quality channel. Thank you for taking the time to share your talent with the rest of us in a way that is easy to follow and digest.
It’s interesting watching and learning how to repair things especially in our throw away society.
He's right! I never guessed why. This guys small engine skills are way above my paygrade. I'm jealous.
A few years ago I put my old briggs and stratton mower on the curb because I couldn’t get it started. That very evening I saw my neighbor across the street mowing his lawn with it. Hahaha! Now I am trying to fix a generator.
Ugh, I hate how cheezy these engines have become nowadays. This is why I try to save the old stuff. So much better quality!
I'm glad you posted this vid. It's good to know what's lurking inside these engines.
It's not just the small engines. WAAAY back in the late '70s, I heard that GM was using plastic parts in their auto transmissions, and these transmissions were failing because the parts were breaking. I was skeptical until, by coincidence, "60 minutes" did a segment about this very issue at the time, and when I found that my Monte Carlo had one of these transmission (TH-200), I dumped that suck within the year. It was a POS anyway, bad transmission or not.
@@eskieman3948 For sure! Kawasaki got bit hard because they decided a plastic oil pump drive gear would somehow be a good idea in the Vulcan 1500. Well surprise, surprise they had a major recall due to failed gears! Plastic has no business inside an engine save for a few select items such as chain guides, and even then they don't always get it right.
@@ctg6734 most newer engines have plastic camshafts I don't know about all of them but I had a Briggs & Stratton that I took apart and it had a plastic camshaft
@@ronalddaub7965 Yeah, I have two of these engines on mowers currently. Sad thing is they'd probably be fine if they molded the gear and lobes as one part instead of two separate pieces. But yeah, it's because of stuff like this that I hold on to my older equipment.
nice! I got a Craftsman 20" like new from the local thrift shop for FREE. The deck and blade barely had any signs of use at all. They said the engine was seized. I pulled it through at the store, it was very hard to pull, but it wasn't seized. Took it home and saw that the 'safety blade stop' cable had broke down at the lever on the engine. Re-attached it and the mower is running fine! FREE! YAY!
"Yes! Plastic cam shafts. You don't want them to last forever do you, Mr./Ms. retailer?" It's not a defect it's a feature! I admire how you were able to zero in on the problem, explaining your reasoning and methodology. I grew up on all metal lawn and garden engines (yes, they are very nutritious with whole milk!) If something was out of time, it was game over. I didn't know until now about the plastic cam so if I had run across the problem from the outside of the engine, that engine would go into the metal recycling pile. Thank you for pointing it out! A repair like this, done by the typical small engine repair shop would have been too expensive to consider for most home owners. And that, sadly, is the plan.
I’ve done 9 in less than 3 months so far
Wouldn't have cost much for Craftsman (or whoever made that part) to fit that timing gear with a pin or even a key. But, as you said, the engine will last too long. Bad for Craftsman. What a scam, especially in a lawnmower (where the blade is liable to hit against some obstruction and quickly mis-align that timing gear). Or maybe they thought it was a safety mechanism (like shear pins in/on some old time outboard propeller shafts)?
@@ArroEL922 I don't doubt that is part of the plan. I've only owned 3 mowers in about 40 years and in each case the deck rusted out but the engine was still fine.
Oh about 15years all engine blands got sued mis different horsepower than they what the manufacturers was were so went cubics or CCs the manufacturers so they lost alot of profits so decided to make throw away engines at our expense . I try stay away from them but was all of the united states .
In the world we now live in where everything is a "throw away" item it`s good to see someone taking time to rebuild. Thanks for sharing.
That's why this one failed
Plastic on metal engine part for a important function
@@stephenbartram7377 Yep... P-lastic! aaaaaargh!!!
surely metal can't be that more expensive...
I would have thrown it away for sure
@@stephenbartram7377 Yep. That's a setup for a fail, plastic on metal. I see it in my work too and all manner of equipment. I miss the days when you could buy equipment (anything, ftm) built/made to last.
Agree. I strive to fix anything myself.
I made thousands last summer flipping mowers with this engine. My favorite engine ever. Never ran into this before. Thanks for the knowledge!
I fix them for free for the neighborhood kids that get off their butts and cut lawns for money.
Where did you have the best luck selling them?
I have a neighbor that bought 2 of these mowers. Both have a failed to start problem. I suspected a broken cam problem. You have shown how simple it is to repair. Great video. Thank you for posting.
A pressed on plastic cam shaft I'm surprised it doesn't have a compressed cardboard deck and bamboo cutter blades , good video and great job getting this thing going
15 or 20 years ago,, that camshaft was one piece steel.
Should have a roll pin at least
I'm an expert with small engines usually I can tell exactly what's wrong from what the person says if u hit a stump lawnmower dies won't start timing key is the problem or bent crank witch can be straight ened without taking anything apart
and yet i bet this failure is very rare.
😂😂😂👍
Briggs is notorious for those plastic cam assemblies failing, they shouldn't use plastic on the cams.
Another case of the purchasing department under the gun to reduce costs, and deciding to use an inferior part design - And as is most likely usual, the engineering department had no say in the part replacement.
I had a Honda do the same thing on a pressure washer. What is with the stupid plastic gears?
Metal gear could have blown up all running parts in the crank case, metal cams wear down too esp if not oiled, which would be cheaper to replace a plastic cam or all internals? They should put a plastic or brass key on the fly wheel too.
Its like a circuit breaker for your house, would you want a 200 amp breaker on a 20 amp line? What could go wrong?
Farming equipment has shear pins on everything too if you put a shear pin in with too hard metal the rest of the machine blows up if something gets stuck.
@@Seriouslydave doubtful, the gear spun on the shaft, I have never seen a metal cam do that!
@@Seriouslydave in reality though mowers in this price range with internal engine issues are 90% of the time just put out for trash, not taken apart and fixed, it's a friggin shame too.
I was hesitant to watch this when I saw it was 26 minutes long. Most videos that long tend to have lots of babbling with little real diagnosis and repair steps. This video was properly detailed. I learned a lot. Thank you.
Thanks for the bonus footage!! That was driving me crazy. Briggs use to make such good engines.
Briggs is total crap now.
I still use a early 1970’s 8 HP cast iron engine that Briggs made without a sputter. Turns over on first try
Because of watching your videos over the last 6 months i was able to fix my first 2 generators could not have done it with out your videos thabk you so much for all you do
Good to hear.
perfect instructions on resetting timing..I recently ran over a rock that knocked the timing off and caused this problem..it started once and belched smoke like a champ.. i shut down immediately and it wouldnt start again so i tore it apart to see what was happening but had no idea what to look for till i got this vid. and it worked perfect... thanks amigo.. good job.
A helpful tip: The gas tank fill cap on this and similar mowers was very poorly designed! Grass and other debris collects on the underside of the cap flange and when you remove the cap the debris falls into the gas tank. As an ex lawnmower mechanic I am very meticulous when it comes to using clean gas so when the carb jet on my Toro kept getting clogged I knew something was up. After discovering the source of the problem I did two things. First I installed an inline fuel filter in the short rubber gas line running from the tank to the carb. Do NOT use the little red plastic style filters sold online as they will not filter out smaller particles. Rather use the round clear plastic filters that contain fiber filters. Due to the short distance between the tank and the carb and the overall length of the filter this requires some manipulating but it can be done. Second, and this is very important, before removing the gas cap run a rag around the bottom surface of the cap flange to remove debris. I haven't had a single clogged carb jet in the two years since I diagnosed this problem.
I totally agree with you everything is so poorly made the fail in this country so you consume more and more product I have a lawn mower engine roughly the same model in style but it's from 1990 everything is internally cast or aluminum I've even gone as far as polishing it and porting the engine it's 190 cc's from factory it's probably 200 cc since I've done everything to it This country's despicable when it comes to waste. I've also stated that these engine brake switches are horrible for the magneto and flywheel so my recommend recommendation is to take a double strand piece of wire wire to your magneto and wire it to the block of the engine run the wire up your handlebar to an off and on switch. Patent pending.
Thanks so much for that tip. I already knew about installing a primary filter after the tank but never heard about the gas cap debris issue before. Now I’ll be on the lookout for that with every mower I work on. 👍🔧🧰
I have made it a habit to always overfill my tank to flush out grass debris since the mid 70’s and have never had an issue with a clogged up carb.
For this exact reason, for about the last ten years, I keep a 2" paint brush on the wall where I fuel my equipment. I use the brush to whisk away all the debris from the base of the cap and the surrounding area before removing the cap. Only takes about five seconds.
rbarr775 I like that method better than overfilling or using a rag to clean off the debris. Thanks!
There is nothing more satifying than to take something that has no percieved value to an average person, and make it like new for a few bucks.
Good going! That's probably a $300.00 mower!
If you did this yourself you would have to go buy the tools to do this kind of work, which would probably cost the same as a replacement mower, hence why people throw them out...
@@starzlea So true. Our society has us conditioned to throw things away. I've repaired small engines, vacuums, all kinds of stuff. It is so rewarding!
It's a 150 dollar mower at Lowe's.
It’s great but what if it doesn’t work. You have to back and troubleshoot it all over again. By the time you figured it out you already spent $300-$400 of time and labor.
@@Jbaron9834 do it yourself is the only way a shop would probably get in excess of $150 to do the repair but very well done video
My first guess was the aluminum key, but I didn't realize it had tinkertoy parts inside. That was a fun video. I mostly work on older stuff, but I enjoyed watching your careful approach, and I learned a few things!
My thought, exactly. Even a steel key will get knocked out of time by a big hit on the blades. LOL your tinker-toy comment.
A plastic gear forced onto a steel shaft and then soaked in hot oil. Perfect!
They're made to break
Planned obsolescence for you at a reasonable manufacturing cost. At least we have RUclips and Amazon to make a nice counter-balance for the wise.
And probably no option in replacement parts, such as a one piece unit.
same belongs to paddle-wheels in many car water pumps losing contact to the shaft during operation
They are close enough to perfect - I've worked professionally with those engines since they came out around 1990, and I have never seen that problem.
My father started his career as a machinist in the navy. He taught me how to repair all sorts of small engines and even some car and outboard engines. It is a very useful skill that I have never needed even once as an adult. But I'm glad I learned.
Uncle had a BMW with a bad gearbox indicator. Gearbox was fine, sensor was broken and changing it was nearly 2000€ because you had to gut the gearbox...
If you’ve never used it once even as an adult, is it really a “useful skill”?
@@donn1387 If you can repair small and big engines, you can repair a lot of other things, understand a lot of things and have fiddly fingers. All types of usefullness here. ;)
@@donn1387 Knowledge is always useful. I appreciate auto mechanics more because of that knowledge and experience.
There is a huge shortage of people that can do this work.
Its a skill worth putting on a hook and tossing into the job pool see what bites.
Great job! I wish l had a son like you. You seem to be a very good young man. You cut the grass and clean up after you. Most of todays youth wont cut grass for their parents. God bless you.
It's a shame so many manufacturers have gone to plastic internal parts, simply don't have the reliability of the old school engines
I agree
Most of those parts are made in China.
@@HsingSun I phones are made in China. Is there anybody complaining about I phone build quality
It's intentional to make more money. That and he majority of American consumers will always shop with their wallet and buy the cheaper mower. You get what you pay for . Cheaper mower, plastic parts. Your blaming the manufacturer? It's not the manufacturer call it's the consumer. You build a better one then you can't complain.
James Kenta. You sound like somebody thats 25 years old . I became of age in the 1970s and my experience with small engines and consumer grade tools were they didn't compare favorable with foreign manufacturers engines and handtool . Particular red Chinese hand tools. Other counties electronic devices like camera , chisels. tape recorders television load binders far exceeded the quality of American manufacturing . Taiwan hand tools were very low grade compared to zred Chinese tool .
40 years later Harbor Freight cheap Chinese hand tools and and power equipment are depended on by professionals and hobbyist
Fun to watch a master mechanic solve a problem. Always a good thing sleep on it.
Outstanding video, very informative and free from unnecessary intro, music, safety information, tools used, long back story, etc.
I always learn something watching your videos. There’s something to be said about the way you go about things! Your easy to follow and you don’t rush through anything! So many you tubers rush through there video’s with very little information or show the steps needed to do the job leaving you feeling like their main interest is getting subscribers instead of actually putting out helpful information. Guys…You gotta put in the effort and be more focused on the video and not how many likes you get!
Nice work JC, always a calming influence within the small engine fraternity. No stress, no fuss and no rush. A discerning upload!
Hi
Ivoiiie
@@roynorris5146 Hi
Just here to say thanks from the UK. After watching your video a few times and having a Toro 675 GTS failing to start with similar issues I decided to take apart my first ever engine. Same fault as this one with the camshaft sprocket timing out after shifting on the shaft. Followed your video, replaced the camshaft and fired up on the second pull. Many thanks a mower saved from the clutches of scrap.
Well done James, you should be teaching a small engine course, you would be a good teacher, thanks for sharing your knowledge , you were very helpful.
I have a small engines certificate from my local community college and I must say, I still have plenty to learn. Subscribed to your channel today and hope to get some repair knowledge from a front line mechanic. Thank you for sharing this. I did replace the crankshaft on one machine and it worked fine for a long time after.
I was in the industry for thirty years. The way things are trending, small i.c.e. are going to be extinct in a few short years, replaced with battery electrics.
its pleasure to see someone do a repair properly. there are so many fools that dont know what they are doing posting videos its not funny
Impressed! Very good job. As a fellow Small Engine Repair guy who watches these videos all the time, you are by far a very thorough tech. Kudos to you. Very good job and it started on the second pull. Enjoy the new mower.
When turned upside down, those engines will typically sit perfectly in the top of a standard 5 gallon bucket. It raises it up off the ground so you can work on it a bit easier and keeps everything level.
Who has two bad knees and loves this tip? This guy!
@@heydannypark
Agree with that...
...And I can appreciate it too.
Even after having two total knee replacement surgeries.
✌️😁👌 Once you realize how important it is to save them as long as possible, you don't ever forget. I see new ways everyday to make my steps more efficient.
I just put it on pool deck! Perfect, set on my bar stool go to work! Then blame the kids for not cleaning their feet before jumping in! Then ok guys, punishment! Go cut the grass!
These are the tricks of the trade I love to hear.
In my younger days I did lawnmower repair. B&S was my favorite engine to work on. I know them inside out. I have small engine tools. I was going to say flywheel key. B&S use to use steel cams now going to plastic hitting a brick,root,pipe or anything in high grass in your lawn that stops the engine with force it will sheer the flywheel key or in these new engines strips the cam. If the timing marks on the cam & crank aren't aligned that mower won't start period. This goes for the flywheel key as well. Really enjoyed watching your video brings back memories of yesteryear.
For anyone wondering, don't get the plastic cam , this may have worked for James, but you're better off getting the all metal cam . Yes , it's interchangeable.
$25 mower. $10 used plastic cam was the better choice for this "push, not powered" mower. I'm guessing the best he'll get for it is $50? As it stands right now, he's going to maybe break even. Now, if you're going to keep the mower for yourself, maybe spend the extra bucks for better parts.
what's the part number for the metal cam?
@@SEN39530 Google
@@midixiewrecked7011 That's not what I asked....
Right,..I kind of think it's cool that he has the skill to do and figure this stuff out but to me none of that was worth the time and then to put another plastic part into that motor..???...For me and it's just my opinion..It wouldn't be worth it..
Excellent video all the way around ! You did a fantastic job trouble shooting the problem, and explaining why the need to remove the motor. Your knowledge to small engines is wonderful. Thanks for sharing !
I bought a New mower Yesterday. My 14 year old Craftsman has been impeccible. It has started on the first stroke every year. Last year however i bought regular petrol and The gas wire broke.
NO repairshop is open. It IMPOSSIBLE to get spare parts in Sweden. I cleaned The AIR filter and plug.
Thanks for The video.
Makes sense that the gear broke loose, it has the least amount of surface area in contact with the metal shaft. Without splines, pinning or keyway that is where I'd suspect rotation to have occurred. Great video, thanks.
I get so jealous watching this video. I would give most anything to have the skills and knowledge to take something like that apart, analyze the trouble, repair it and put it back together. It just amazes me. Thanks James.
I have one in my shed my neighbor owns been trying to get it started he didn't give me good history on it changed all the broken cables and break did spark plug cleaned Carb, checked spark still no start I think I am here or got something with compression this video is amazing I got a lot out of it I only wish to get as good as you.
James, I’ve come across this as my sister hit a water shutoff valve in her lawn. I was able to straighten out the decompression valve and drilled a hole for a spring pin to locate & lock the plastic gear in proper timing. My sister has used it for a couple seasons now with no issues. The air trick is a great way to diagnose what's going on.
That’s exactly what I was going to suggest to anchor gear n cams 👍
Thanks for that informative video. I have a 14 year old Toro with basically the same motor. It still runs and starts great. One thing that amazes me is that the oil never seems to get dirty. It always looks new on the dipstick. I have a very small bit of lawn. Only a 20 minute job and I only change the oil every 2-3 years with amsoil even though it still looks good.
Use detergent oil. Non-detergent does not pick up dirt so it always looks clean which makes it hard to determine how old it is.
Super helpful as I am replacing rings in a B&S engine. As soon as I opened the cover the cam and timing gear fell out. So glad you showed the timing marks! Thank you.
You're right, James, I would never have thought of the cam lobes moving.
Just shows the 'designed obsolescence' in making a plastic camshaft. Ultimate stupidity in my opinion.
But if the "design" is to last only as long as the warranty, brilliant idea.
Thanks for sharing.
I save old steel cams and file off the compression bump. If you can't pull over a Brigs, stay in the house.
They know most people dont do enough maintenance to get more than 2-4 years from a mower.
I really liked the way you worked, clean and methodical.
there is a pressure washer video , briggs 7.75 engine, very similar problem. I had a lawn mower, about 55 yrs ago, (no RUclips), similar problem, would not start. likely same problem. couldn't find any small engine brains to pick. My troy bilt pressure washer has had the carb problem almost every year. I like watching these small engine videos. Thanks for showing your problem solving skills. My lawn mower always started hard, 2 yr old, sold it for 50$, as all of a sudden wouldn't start, and now have lawn service, was given the mower free.
Ahhh, bring back the old briggs style...never an issue except for plug fouling from worn valve seats..hand lap reface, good aluminum carbs with brass seats and neoprene seals..
Had this type issue on a brand new 7250w generator..out of box..that was a teardown ! Three day fix, started up, plugged into home power, ran fifteen minutes and utility can back on .ha!
Hello James. This is my first time to see one of your videos and I have now subscribed to your channel.
It is a pleasure watching someone work who methodically and properly diagnoses problems. It is impressive to see another person who cleans before disassembling, also. Great job on doing things RIGHT!
Thanks
+1
Now I'm going to open my machines so I can try to fix them myself thanks God bless you and you family
Nice Save! Im surprised it even half started with that timing problem.
Nice to watch people fix small engines. Thanks. It would make sense the larger sprocket gear would break loose considering the torque to shaft size. I may need this video for my Sear's mower I had put aside a few years ago not understanding the insides so well. You took a lot of the apprehension out of what seemed an insurmountable job.
Had a problem once with a small motor that was very perplexing. would not start for anything. the problem was on the exhaust side the muffler was so full of gunk that air flow was impeded. took the muffler off and cleaned it out (could not believe all the junk that was in it). Started immediately. Wow this guy's a pro I never would have found this. He's obviously familiar with Briggs. Professional tools there as well right down to the gloves. Great video.
Brilliant thanks, I didn't know that plastic pressed into shafts was hidden in these engines. I think the sound it made like the chuff of a steam engine on starter fluid was an indication that valves were popping at the wrong time. Very helpful to us dabblers!
It's a pleasure watching such professionalism and expertise in action. I dount I'll be tearing into any small engine motors anytime soon but I enjoyed (and learned from) your video so much, I downloaded it just to watch again sometime. Well done and thank you for sharing your expertise.
Plastic cam are u kidding me talk about garbage plastic carburator s too more garbage with higher prices talk about greed wow
Great to see in this throw away society that you take the time to explore and restore. Of course, repairs like this would be outrageously expensive because it appears it’s all your labor with cheap parts.
Having the key on the crankshaft shear off is a very common problem with these mowers where the engine's crankshaft has the blade directly bolted to it. When the blade hits something "unmovable", such as a rock, the flywheel continues to turn, shearing off the key. The engine then won't start because the spark timing is extremely far off. While common with push mowers, I've even had it on a John Deere lawn tractor, whose engine crank isn't directly attached to the blades; apparently that problem was caused by a backfire or other issue, but exhibited the same no-start symptoms.
Its not always visible that theres a problem until the flywheel is removed and the key inspected , whats helped me is to inspect the blade and underside usually if its backfiring and the blades been damages you can bet the key is sheared and timing is off
Generate when they hit something to stop the blade the momentum of the flywheel continues
I've had ones where the flywheel to crank is off a tiny bit and it was no start. Removed and reinstalled flywheel and it worked,
I've always been a big Briggs & Stratton fan boy, and had no idea that they had sunk to that level of installing plastic cams. This really made me sad.
I gave up on B&S years ago noticing things like that. Also the local Amish rental place only uses Honda engines.
www.ereplacementparts.com/pulley-camshaft-p-554847.html?gclid=Cj0KCQjw5PGFBhC2ARIsAIFIMNdCCiANHXUKnKw2eE7pl26DL6a6jpiUTW9VcqGAVMwDjCkw0-214ywaAkzaEALw_wcB. Honda does it the same way.
Been a Honda fan for many power equipment lately not one of the Honda engines have for years has ever had a problem no matter how poor the maintenance has been.
Briggs has been using plastic cam gears for at least 15-20 years.
Btw, the metal cam gears everyone loves so much will corrode and fuse to the gear on the shaft in a matter of months if they sit, especially once the oil goes bad.
Good information and takes me to the next step diagnosing my riding mower problem, which started with replacing with a new carb, rather than simply cleaning the old. Now it blows fuel back out of the carb, suggesting a valve problem. But I have readjusted them several times with no improvement, resulting in no compression. You now have a new subscriber.. thank you.
Where's your son? LOL, he should be mowing that yard. I remember him starting a generator for you once. As soon as it started he ran away! Has he stopped running or is he running like Forest Gump? Another great repair. I enjoy watching you methodically and calmly work on things. Slow and steady, no sledgehammers involved...
Child labor quiet nice ain't it 😒
Well done. You know your
Stuff.
Another win. Interesting issue found. James, it’s time you treated yourself to a lift. Even a simple one would do. My knees hurt just watching you work on the floor.
A lift? I don't think he needs one,after all I suspect this is his hobby n not his profession.
I work on mine on my tailgate. Lol
I have a bad back to begin with and troubleshooting a small engine always takes more time than I would like to spend bending over. The last mower I repaired was a husqvarna AWD motor and it is the heaviest mower I have ever seen. It's a beast. I had to have my wife help me lift it up there. 'Twas a 450 dollar mower brand new and I fixed it for 16 bucks. It's what I am using at home now.
B&S motor. Lol
Man the feeling of seeing someone fix something better than new WoW! love it, Thanks James
Plastic cams.... Insane. Seems that every time they stick plastic inside an engine, reliability disappears.
Good work.
Plastic INSIDE an engine? That is ABSOLUTELY the worst case of planned obsolescence!
Especially coming from Briggs and Stratton, that’s what happens when you have try to save on cost
Great Video . We learn something new every day and this is no exception. Real nice to see someone taking the time to teach others how to fix things especially the lawn mowers and yard equipment. I'm however surprised that a reputable engine builder would use such cheaply made parts in their products. Thank you for your for posting this video.
Nobody fixes shit in today's throwaway world. Global warming is going to teach all the idiots a lesson.
Great to follow that diagnosis and repair
@@leroydavis3538 Only way to remain competitive is to use lower cost materials. Since we have become a throwaway society, most repair shops would probably not repair this mower. I basically gave some old lawn mowers to the dealer I bought my riding lawn mower from. He said they would just go into the junk pile. Neither of the old lawn mowers had that many hours on them. They just kept failing on the power drive system and after the 2nd time with less than 10 hours on it (a good seasons mowing for my yard and would not work the following spring) I decided it was not worth spending another $150 for the same repair. Lawn mower was from a very well known manufacturer in the Minnesota. Just a bad and unreliable design.
Its a Briggs...
Briggs went bankrupt a couple of years ago,I think some of the last engines made were a lot worse than the one in the video. Some other company picked up the assets and trademarks. @@leecowell8165
You must have the patience of Job. Not a single swear word (either that, or you did a bunch of re-takes!) Well done!
Your methodical focused trouble-shooting is enjoyable to observe.
Agreed. A real pleasure in and of itself.
even though he leaves the sparkplug wire connected . LOL
Hello James, what a lot of people don't realize is when you tip a mower over on its side to make sure you tip it with the carburetor side up. it can cause problems tipping it carb down
oops!
I'm moving in next door to James so he can fix my lawn mowers dam things never start when I want them love watching James Australia your a champ good idea James hope you make heaps mate good way to pick up a cheap mower if your a neighbour thanks James
Nice fix James. You work and explain everything like a gentleman!
Great video. I have two Briggs horizontal engines in the shed, one 8HP , and one 11.5HP. Both built in the 1970's and both run like a top! It's truly a shame what management has done too this epic company! How they ruined a great small engine just for a meager profit margin more.
It is sad. They have definitely cut corners on their newer engines.
You're lucky, Bill.
Briggs & Stratton makes modifications to their engines often so the parts on old engines can't be used to repair
They are in love with money and it shows in their products,same can be said for 99% of companies out there.
Most people kill their mowers with lack of maintenance in 2-4 years. Some leave them in the side yard year round.
No point in making them for the long haul if the majority of owners fail the machine anyway.
Actually when the old B&S went bankrupt a couple of years ago the management gave themselves a big "retention bonus" just a day or few before filing for bankruptcy. Heads they win,tails I lose ($10,000. or so investment in Briggs stock)
Needless to say,I don't think I will be buying much from the "new Briggs & Stratton"
I'm impressed with the p.s. segment, most of the people that fix this stuff have no idea or don't have the initiative to find out what or why of parts failures.
Me being the cheap thrill seeker, I would have tried to drill through the drive sprocket and shaft and pin it. Maybe would have done so to the replacement part just to be sure that it would be the last time I had to go into it.
I'm going to out on a limb here and just guessing but I bet it backfired about twice and that was it for the plastic to steel connection.
Thank you for your help with the timing. process.
Thank You James A pleasure to watch a video taken by someone who knows what he is doing with a camera while giving clear and concise commentry of what he is doing.
Take Notice all you muppets on You Tube that grab a cell phone in one hand and wobble it around in one hand while attemting to dismantle machines this is how it is done properly.
James did the same wobbling when he started doing videos.
Excellent video, enjoyed that very much! Plastic cams have been around for a very long time, they changed over from metal over 20 years ago. Even though failures are pretty rare I think it would’ve been nice if they had a splined shaft to press the plastic parts onto instead of a smooth surface, seems like asking for trouble by not locking such critical parts in place. I had a weird one last summer; had a Murray push mower with an OHV Briggs engine that ran just fine but it would practically break your hand pulling it over. I figured it was an easy fix, just a simple valve adjustment issue or loose rocker. Nope, turned out the little return spring on the compression release got hung up and wouldn’t let the finger drop back into place so no compression release. I tore the whole engine apart and gave the spring an extra wrap to increase the tension, it worked reliably after that (had it been a Quantum engine I would’ve just put another cam in it). Sometimes a bargain isn’t a bargain, but it’s fun to troubleshoot and fix them!
This one was more then I thought it would be. Have opened up a lot of generator engines recently. Was hoping for an easy fix. Spring time, mower wont start, good compression. How hard could it be?
@@jcondon1 Right, how hard could it be! After all it’s one of the simplest, most reliable time tested engines on the planet and it looks well cared for. Surprise!!
Interesting. I have abandoned a three-wheeled orange brushcutter AS Motor AS26 AH8 because it frightens me, having nearly ripped my shoulder out. Many people have been incapacitated for a year because of kickback when trying to pull-start a machine. I, too, thought it was a problem with the key, or valve timing. No. I walk past it with my head turned away in fear. Replaced it with a white Orec SH61H. Maybe following your lead, I will one day open up that thing ...one day. Maybe.
silly ol me.......when you said "cam".......I said to myself........"the hell you say!" I never heard of a small engine jumping time. I then expected you to find that black gear part to have a missing tooth or similar.
Quite good video. In focus, no shaking, good audio. Over all.....excellent...you fixed it good and made money too.
Great video and I like how you showed the entire process with a clean machine, can't work on my projects if it's cruddy, I clean them up and makes less mess overall.
Thank you for your explanations and accuracy. Learned some points on checking the timing outside and the compression nob. Very clean video.
You are a great mechanic and I will check the timing after seeing your in-depth demonstration I feel like I can get into the guts of this old mower of my brother in law’s and with the knowledge you have freeing given. Thanks for filming this.
Great video. Informative, detailed, and not overwhelming background music drowning out what you're saying.
Another great video. Its disappointing to me that Briggs (and others I assume) would use plastic cams. Another step towards a throw away world. Thanks for making this video.
Lot of manufacturers use metal cams but each lob in pressed on to round shaft, makes fault finding nightmare only got to move 10 degrees
And MANY of these plasticized units never made it beyond their first mowing.
I've got one with a similar issue. Timing is definitely off but the key is intact. Was hoping not to dive into the engine but I guess that's the next step. Thanks for the vid!
Hey James good find. Found your channel in my recommendeds today. I’ve have a few videos of these cams taking a crap over the years. Neat little angle drill you have. I like the fact that it doesn’t spin 20k rpm.
Seems RUclips likes this video. That mower was used for 6 years at most before failing. Thanks for dropping a comment. Love your content.
Hi Mowermedic!
A ranch I worked for had a lot of Briggs and Stratton motors on irrigation lines they were always failing with the same fault. Its pretty sad that a highly regarded manufacturer like Briggs uses plastic cams that can slip.
That’s the price you pay for the engine being as cheap as it is.
Agreed. Some places plastic is not welcome. Can you imagine how much research - development went into getting plastic to work for that purpose? Planned obsolescence or exacting lifespan?
They were most likely bought out by a Chinese company.
I used to have a Murray push mower, had the big wheels in the back, and a Briggs Quantum on it. LOVED that mower and engine. What killed it was the stellite valve seat for the exhaust valve came loose from the block. I tried everything I knew, even tried peening the seat back secure in the block and re lapping the valve, but there was no saving it. That killed it dead. Loved that mower. It had a cast iron cam in it, it was a bit older than your mower here I'm sure.
Another outstanding video!! Thanks much. It seemed evident that it was the gear that slipped even without the bonus footage. The decompressor was now being interfered with by the gear. Since the decompressor is fixed to the shaft, but now binding with the gear, then it had to be the gear that moved.
Thank you, this was exactly the help I needed. Mower is now running great
You're right! Out of all of the things that it could've been, I would've never thought of this. Thanks.
What a relaxing video. Very therapeutic. Thank you James.
Edit: And no awful music!
The most important part! The sound of silence!!
They make stuff to break so in a couple of years you just go out and buy a new one.It's really sad how greedy companies can get.
These are made far better than what you can buy now. The shear pin is a common repair. There is one always in my toolbox. It does suck when it fires wrong and the pull cord rips out of your hand.
@@toadalgea " The shear pin is a common repair." Agreed, one need only break down as far as the flywheel; however you must have missed the part about the failed camshaft requiring the opening up of the engine - not an easy fix.
Your right everything now is made with a life span of 3 years then you have to fix it or buy a new one and in some cases the fix is more expensive then buying a new one..
That’s why I detest the phrase “good enough”, the cause of failure, crashes & lives!
Zero cool I agree 💯%
Well done James, i enjoyed the mower repair, you slowly and carefully carried out this job, which i prefer to do. Greetings from Australia 👍
You are a good mechanic!!
All the people that have had the failure in those engines should start a class action lawsuit!
Thanks for taking the time to show the camshaft failure at the end !
IMPRESSIVE... Wow, you really know your stuff! This is way beyond my capabilities but was so interesting to see you work out the problem & sail through the deconstruction & reconstruction. Thanks for sharing your knowledge, for having such great visibility, detail, & explanations, & for NOT having any background music... you ROCK, James!!! God bless!
[9.20.2022]
Years ago I had a brand new mower with a Briggs and Stratton engine. I was hard starting right from day one. I took it back and had the dealer look at it and they could not figure out the problem so I was essentially stuck with it. A couple of years later I had some free time away from my business so I decided to get it running as it should. The carb was alright and there was plenty of spark. I tore the flywheel off and everything appeared okay until I looked at the points. I measured the gap and it was about .0029" which struck me as being a little much. When I checked the factory spec it called for .0020" so I filed the points and re-gapped them to spec. After that it was a one pull machine and worked great for the next couple of years until my ex-wife ran it out of oil.......... The point is, never rely on the manufacturer. They make mistakes all the time and you get to own them.
I thought he would have tried first..
.002 is a very small gap, I would think it should have been. 020 not .002. Today they don't use points it's more like electronic
Wow that was one of the most satisfying engine build I have ever watched Cleary explained from the start to the end.