Advice wanted for fixing tractor engine

[fordguy1910]

I have an old 1977 Sears 10/6 garden tractor that isn't currently running but with a few tune ups hopefully it will.

It has seen a lot of hours. I am going to replace the cylinder head gasket, another side gasket, the air filter, and (hopefully) clean the muffler.

I also purchased a fuel stabilizer for it, hoping it can help clean the engine. My question is, what methods would be safe to clean the engine (ie degreaser etc.) Its an old engine so I hope it can take these cleaning fluids I put in it.

Im afraid the engine will just blow up (although I have no facts to support this other than the fact that it is 32 years old). I just want to make sure that putting cleaning fluids into it will not hurt it. Can an engine really blow up or is this a wives tail??

What is the best way to clean out a muffler? I took it off, and it sounds like there is a bunch of rust flakes inside of it.



Thank you so much for your help. Im 17 and still very much a newbie to this sort of thing, but I like to work on it if I can.

UPDATE:
As of last night, I added the head gasket and my battery is fine, so I went to turn the ignition and the mower got very little power, just like a little click. The rotation blower wheel thing on the engine (or w/e its called) turned a little but thats it. My neighbor put a screwdriver on this part connected to the battery, and then engine had alot more power running through it but it still wouldnt start. Its like your starting a car and you can hear the the engine cranking but it doesnt get that last little push it need.

Yes, the spark plug is brand new, and the compression inside the engine is at 55 lbs. Its a 10 HP engine.

Suggestions please??!! Anything helps : )

 

[Ken Cunningham]

If you havent check the plug to make sure its firing, start there. If it is firing then after trying to crank it pull the air cleaner off and smell the carberator to see if you can smell gas, if the smell isnt really strong use some wd40 or pour just a little gas in the carberator and then try to crank it. If it starts and then dies your gonna have to look at the carb to see why its not getting gas.

Post back to let us know whats going on.

 

[Wineslob]

1. Pull the sparkplug and see if you even have spark. Just hook up the sparkplug wire to the plug and ground the plug to part of the engine. Turn the engine over and you should see a nice blue spark in the gap.
If it's yellow, you may have an ignition problem. If no spark........better investigate.
2. A good cleaner is..........diesel fuel............on the outside. I doubt you need anything to clean out the insides.
3. If this is a Briggs engine, the cranking cyl pressure should be in the 120+ lb area. (6.5 CR, side valve engine) 55 lbs is too low, and indicates worn rings.

The rotation blower wheel thing on the engine (or w/e its called) turned a little but thats it.

Thats the flywheel and it contains the magnets for the ignition system and the ring gear for the starter. The fins on it do act as a cooling fan.


As far as the muffler, it's better to replace it. They rust out all the time.

 

[Danno1]

My neighbor put a screwdriver on this part connected to the battery, and then engine had alot more power running through it ...............

Clean your batt terminals and charge the batt. THEN, check for spark/fuel/timing, etc.


A double dose of Seafoam in the gas will clean up the insides of the carb and won't hurt any rubber parts on an old engine. If your local auto parts store doesn't stock it, go to a marina. They'll have it.

.

 

[MikeD74T]

fordguy, If this engine has not run for a while it will probably need a carburator cleaning. You can do this. Nothing you can just put in the gas is as effective as a take apart cleaning. Give a few more details, like enginr manufacturer/serial number/model number & we'll help for find a more direct solution to your quest. MikeD74T

 

[DennisMI]

Post back with the Sears model number, three digits, a decimal, and more digits, located on a plate; and the engine make model and type number, stamped usually on the housing around the flywheel. You can get a Briggs and Stratton parts manual in PDF from their web site Small Engines, Lawn Mower Engines and Generators by Briggs & Stratton. and you can look up parts at Sears: Online department store featuring appliances, tools, fitness equipment and more

At the small engine shop where I used to work I pressure washed them before working on them. Put it on a trailer, and take it to a self serve car wash and give it a goos soapy cleaning and rinsing. tip it on it's side and wash the grass from under the deck, and any other dirt you can find. When you tip it on it's side, tip it away from the side where the valves are otherwise crankcase oil will drain through open an open valve and get in the cylinder, carburetor, and muffler, and will foul out the plug, and will take quite a bit of turning over with the spark plug removed to clear the oil. Besides, it will smoke a lot when ut starts. The inside of the engine shouldn't need cleaning except for new oil.

If the spark is bad it will need a set of points and condenser, they are located under the flywheel, and will require a special puller to remove the flywheel. You can remove the flywheel without this special tool, but you need to be careful because factory reps will tell you that you will break the crankshaft. I've done it both ways, and I haven't broken a crankshaft. If the points and condenser as well as the coil are bad you will need a new coil which has magnetron (Briggs and Stratton) built in. The magnetron replaces the points and condenser. If it's a Tecumseh don't remove the cast aluminum housing that contains the points and condenser, that will change your timing, and you will need to find the procedure to set the timing, the coil, points and condenser can be replaced without removing the aluminum housing.

The clicking is from a bad solenoid, that's the part where your neighbor jumped with the screw driver, ot it could just have dirty or bad connections. I would clean and repair the connections first because they will need to be good if it needs a new solenoid.

The engine won't blow up, it's governed. I'm working on a lot of engines that age this summer, a plate compactor that didn't have an engine, and got an engine I saved from a snow blower. A ride on trowell. A generator. An air compressor. A Snapper rider. And a trowel that had a bad engine, and I'm swapping another similar engine that I bought at a swap meet.

The engine may need a little extra help starting by spraying a small bit of carburetor cleaner in the carburetor air inlet just before turning the engine over to start it, that stuff is more flammible than gas, and helps to diagnose problems faster and with less effort on the part of the battery.

I can post more details with the numbers from the engine.

 

[fordguy1910]

Okay. This tractor is a 1977 Sears 10/6 Garden Tractor. The model number is 917.25141. Thats all I know off the top of my head. Its dark and late, so I will get the engine number for you tommorrow. I would tonight, but my pole barn is about 150 yards away, its dark, and theres coyotes around here that could viciously attack me .

I have pictures of it that can be viewed here:http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...79157-help-me-identify-tractor-please-001.jpg
(These are just pics). Tomorrow I will take pics of individual engine parts for you, as well as get you the engine number.

 

[DennisMI]

Coyotes, that's not good.

I looked up the Sears model number, and I think this is the link to the parts breakdown CRAFTSMAN | Model #91725141 | SEARS 10/6 GARDEN TRACTOR | SearsPartsDirect.com If that doesn't work, go to Sears: Online department store featuring appliances, tools, fitness equipment and more, in the upper right corner click on "Parts direct" click on model number and go down and enter the Sears model number 917.25141 to find the page.

I clicked on the "Clutch brake and drive" and found the engine was supposed to be a Briggs and Stratton model 251417 type 0184.

I clicked on the electrical and found a Solenoid (includes key numbers 37 through 40) old part number 103R substitute part number 146154 for $14.90, in stock.

I went to Briggs and Stratton's web site and entered the model and type number, but I didn't have the last two digits, so I used a likely number and added -01 to the type number, and came up with this page http://www.briggsandstratton.com/ma...e/docsearch.aspx?enginelookfor=251417-0184-01 There is a PDF document you can print for the parts book. If for some reason the link doesn't work go to Small Engines, Lawn Mower Engines and Generators by Briggs & Stratton and click on the left margin where it says Maintenance and repair, click Manuals parts lists and wiring diagrams, in the box for Search engine documents enter the engine numbers like 251417-0184-01 and it will find the page, and click on the link to the PDF document.

I forgot to tell you about the rust in the muffler, If you have the muffler off you can pour out any loose rust, if it's burned through you will need a new muffler. Those small engines need a muffler to create back pressure to prevent burning out the exhaust valve, and a new exhaust valve can be more expensive than a muffler. The muffler is available through either Sears or Briggs and Stratton.

 

[fordguy1910]

Okay guys. I took lots of picture so here they are. If you have an inquiry about a specific picture, refer to it by picture one, two etc. so I know what you are talking about. Thanks!
PLEASE NOTE: I TOOK THESE PICTURES NORMALLY< BUT ON THE COMPUTER ALL OF THEM (EXCEPT #1) ARE COMING OUT CROOKED. MOVE THEM ONCE TO THE LEFT AND THEY WILL BE NORMAL.

Picture One: In this picture, this is the thing I was talking about where my neighbor took a screwdriver and connected the top bolt to the bottom with it. It gives the tractor more ignition that just by turning the key but t still doesnt want to start.
Picture Two: Just a closeup of picture one.
Picture Three: This is the carborator
Picture Four: This is what the engine looks like before I started taking things apart.
Picture Five:A closeup. I am pointing to the air filter, which is connected to the carb.
Picture Six: Looking down the carborator
Picture Seven: I am replacing the gasket around the area where those black springs are (again,remember this picture is crooked)
Picture Eight A close-up of those coils
Picture Nine Just a general view of the enigine.
Picture Ten:This is the orginal muffler that came with the tractor. I sanded in and spray-paintedit, however I have not cleaned the inside. My grandpa took it off, so IDK why he kept it.
Picture Eleven: This is the muffler that has been on the tractor for the past twenty five or so years. It hasn't rusted through, and he connected it to the engine using flex tubing and bolting it to the hood.
Picture Twelve: Just to give you a general view of what the tractor looks like (w/o the hood of course)
Picture Thirteen:No purpose here. Just for your viewing purposes. I need to replace the instruction decals down by the gear shift if I can find new one somewhere.
Picture Fourteen: Remember those coils I took pictures of? Will this was the plate covering them. The hole on it is for a tube that connects it to the air filter. Inside of this is a wire brush like substance that was all black and gross. I washed it out with water, and you will get a close-up of it in the next picture.
Picture Fifteen:This is the closeup of that wire like stuff. It is all black and greasy. I cleaned it out with water, but I doubt that will do too much. (FYI, this picture was taken post water cleaning)
Picture Sixteen: This is the tube that connects the air filter to the plate with the black stringy crap (pictures 14 and 15)

 

[fordguy1910]

Okay thats all the pics I took today. Let me know if you need more and PLEASE PLEASE KEEP THE ADVICE COMING I CANT DO IT WITHOUT YOU GUYS!!

For the record the engine model number is (per the maunel)

251417 TYPE 0184-01

Thanks again!

Keep posting as I well be checking periodically