JHZR2
Staff member
Hi,
We have an ariens riding mower for doing our yard. We purchased it in 1987. It is a small mower, not a tractor type. Rear engine, with a 8hp briggs and stratton engine. It mows on hilly terrain for about 1.5 hours per week.
the mower was serviced once a year at the local mower place we bought it from. in the last number of years, at least 5 or more, it has used a lot of oil. It is filled to the 'full' mark before use each week, and after use for the week, it is below the 'min' mark, sometimes not even registering on the dipstick.
Since coming on this site, we have been using 15w-40 HDEO instead, hoping to keep things cleaner and have less consumption.
This past summer, it started running really poorly. We pulled the spark plug, and for the first time, it was really fouled. There was a carbon deposit as long as the electrode. We changed it and found that the magneto was going south, so we replaced that.
It worked fine for most of the summer and early fall, and tried to help it by cleaning the systems. Because it was more or less of a last ditch effort, we ran some gunk engine flush through according to directions, changed the oil, used it for the day, changed the oil again, and things seemed a little better. It still used lots of 15w-40, but it ran, started a bit easier, and the exhaust was less smoky.
Towards the end of the fall, it simply wouldnt start. Nothing seems wrong, nothing abnormal, we get spark, but it wont go. I think its the end for the engine.
How much does a typical B&S 8hp engine cost? How much is a typical rebuild? Can they be easily purchased new/rebuilt? Is there somewhere online that sells them? I dont know how the engine connects to the RWD/blade drive systems, but I cant imagine its too complex. How are engines like this typically attached to the drive and power systems, and can an engine be removed/replaced with typical shop tools?
Anyinfo would be greatly appreciated. We will have some time around the holidays, and if we could do something around that time, it would be really great, otherwise I need to start getting some leads.
Thanks for your time and help,
JMH
We have an ariens riding mower for doing our yard. We purchased it in 1987. It is a small mower, not a tractor type. Rear engine, with a 8hp briggs and stratton engine. It mows on hilly terrain for about 1.5 hours per week.
the mower was serviced once a year at the local mower place we bought it from. in the last number of years, at least 5 or more, it has used a lot of oil. It is filled to the 'full' mark before use each week, and after use for the week, it is below the 'min' mark, sometimes not even registering on the dipstick.
Since coming on this site, we have been using 15w-40 HDEO instead, hoping to keep things cleaner and have less consumption.
This past summer, it started running really poorly. We pulled the spark plug, and for the first time, it was really fouled. There was a carbon deposit as long as the electrode. We changed it and found that the magneto was going south, so we replaced that.
It worked fine for most of the summer and early fall, and tried to help it by cleaning the systems. Because it was more or less of a last ditch effort, we ran some gunk engine flush through according to directions, changed the oil, used it for the day, changed the oil again, and things seemed a little better. It still used lots of 15w-40, but it ran, started a bit easier, and the exhaust was less smoky.
Towards the end of the fall, it simply wouldnt start. Nothing seems wrong, nothing abnormal, we get spark, but it wont go. I think its the end for the engine.
How much does a typical B&S 8hp engine cost? How much is a typical rebuild? Can they be easily purchased new/rebuilt? Is there somewhere online that sells them? I dont know how the engine connects to the RWD/blade drive systems, but I cant imagine its too complex. How are engines like this typically attached to the drive and power systems, and can an engine be removed/replaced with typical shop tools?
Anyinfo would be greatly appreciated. We will have some time around the holidays, and if we could do something around that time, it would be really great, otherwise I need to start getting some leads.
Thanks for your time and help,
JMH
