Tale of Two Inteks

   / Tale of Two Inteks #1  

alexsbuddy

Gold Member
Joined
Mar 10, 2016
Messages
331
Location
Diamond, MO
Tractor
LS XG3037 w/ LS LL3109 FEL Kodiak SD5 Mower, Speeco Model 65 PHD, Bush Hog BX-600 Box Blade, Titan 42" Skid Steer Pallet Fork/Hay Spear Combo
In the span of one week, I have had to replace the head gaskets on both of my lawn tractors. One is a Troy-Bilt and the other is a Craftsman. Both have B&S single piston OHV Intek engines; TB has a 17.5hp and the Craftsman has a 20.0hp. The repair is fairly straightforward (there are also some good You Tube videos).

In both cases, the engine was running just fine and then suddenly began exhausting a tremendous amount of white smoke. When it happened with the first tractor, I thought it was a catastrophic failure but then learned of the problem with the head gasket on the Intek.

The Intek is a simple engine to work on and, albeit the head gasket issue, is fairly rugged and reliable. My point is.....if this happens to you, don't run out and buy a new tractor. The repair/fix is easy and the cost (less than $40 for all gaskets, oil, and oil filter) is a whole lot less than a new lawn tractor.
 
   / Tale of Two Inteks #2  
Well I would not go out and buy a lottery ticket right now with your luck. Odd that two would happen so close together, but also nice to have an engine where you can easily fix it.
 
   / Tale of Two Inteks
  • Thread Starter
#3  
One is a 2007 and the other is a 2009, but I am guessing they have nearly the same # of hours on them. Will check tomorrow...put HR meters on them when I bought them.
 
 
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