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- #21
I'm not blaming the engine at all. I still don't know what happened, because other than this failure, there is no other indication that it was poorly maintained. One thing I did see when I was working on the old crank yesterday is that the oiling holes on the con rod journals were packed full of aluminum shavings, and I'm not sure this could happen from just this incident. My best guess at this point is that the previous oil was a little low, so my changing the oil had nothing to do with it.
What I didn't mention was that I worked on this engine with a co-worker that teaches small engine repair & maintenance at the University where I work. He's been doing this for over 30 years, has seen every type of engine out there. What he tells me is that although Tecumseh makes a decent engine, they are far below the quality of B&S and Honda. His opinion, not mine, but I trust his judgement. He also showed me how the Tecumseh repair manuals are poorly written, a lot of the terminology is backwards (they refer to bearings as journals, for instance).
My point on the "not buying anymore" was more based on the lack of replacement parts, and the fact that they are appear to be stopping production. My Sears mower also has a Tecumseh engine, and I've been unimpressed with it's build quality. The starter rope abraded and broke this summer, but the recoil unit is stamped together, I had to pay $40 for the part just to replace the rope. But it does run well, starts on the first pull every time, etc.
What I didn't mention was that I worked on this engine with a co-worker that teaches small engine repair & maintenance at the University where I work. He's been doing this for over 30 years, has seen every type of engine out there. What he tells me is that although Tecumseh makes a decent engine, they are far below the quality of B&S and Honda. His opinion, not mine, but I trust his judgement. He also showed me how the Tecumseh repair manuals are poorly written, a lot of the terminology is backwards (they refer to bearings as journals, for instance).
My point on the "not buying anymore" was more based on the lack of replacement parts, and the fact that they are appear to be stopping production. My Sears mower also has a Tecumseh engine, and I've been unimpressed with it's build quality. The starter rope abraded and broke this summer, but the recoil unit is stamped together, I had to pay $40 for the part just to replace the rope. But it does run well, starts on the first pull every time, etc.
