RobJ
Elite Member
Just wanted to pass on some Briggs engine info that I've been dealing with. I bought a 21" snapper in 2003 with the 6.75hp Briggs Intec engine. The engine was crap from the beginning, hard starting, uses a lot of gas, etc. My previous snapper had a 4hp Briggs and lasted 17 years. And we have a long mowing season down here. 11 months!!
Through a little research, the old Briggs engine we see is called an L head (valves in the block). This is considered a "dirty" engine. The new OHV Intec is a "clean" engine. Briggs can only make so many dirty engines a year. So my clean Intec engine, hard to start, started smoking..sometimes. Smoke for a couple minutes, then stop, repeat. Searches on the internet found this to be a common problem. My neighbor which bought a new snapper with the 7.0hp Intec is starting to see the same problems, mainly the hard starting now. His is only 3 years old.
Anyway you can still get the L head engine if you shop around. Some dealers don't offer them. My replacement was a Briggs 6.5 hp Quantum engine. This engine does not have the cast iron cylinder, but many of the older ones did not either. You can get one in this model for more money. Mine was $159.00 and bolted right up and after 2 uses starts easier and with only 1 pull. They had a 4 hp engine for $139. Almost went this route. The dealer I bought it from was well aware of the Intec problems. The only cheaper source was Small Engine Warehouse (google it). They had the Intec as a "take off" (IE slightly used) for $110 plus $25 shipping.
This dealer also had the L head on new snappers. Actually he only had snappers with the Briggs L head engines and the expensive Kawasaki engines(About $350 engine only).
Good Luck if you've had Intec woes like many others have.
Through a little research, the old Briggs engine we see is called an L head (valves in the block). This is considered a "dirty" engine. The new OHV Intec is a "clean" engine. Briggs can only make so many dirty engines a year. So my clean Intec engine, hard to start, started smoking..sometimes. Smoke for a couple minutes, then stop, repeat. Searches on the internet found this to be a common problem. My neighbor which bought a new snapper with the 7.0hp Intec is starting to see the same problems, mainly the hard starting now. His is only 3 years old.
Anyway you can still get the L head engine if you shop around. Some dealers don't offer them. My replacement was a Briggs 6.5 hp Quantum engine. This engine does not have the cast iron cylinder, but many of the older ones did not either. You can get one in this model for more money. Mine was $159.00 and bolted right up and after 2 uses starts easier and with only 1 pull. They had a 4 hp engine for $139. Almost went this route. The dealer I bought it from was well aware of the Intec problems. The only cheaper source was Small Engine Warehouse (google it). They had the Intec as a "take off" (IE slightly used) for $110 plus $25 shipping.
This dealer also had the L head on new snappers. Actually he only had snappers with the Briggs L head engines and the expensive Kawasaki engines(About $350 engine only).
Good Luck if you've had Intec woes like many others have.