crazyal
Super Member
I've had a number of those Briggs engines over the years. They were actually a pretty good engine. Occasionally the diaphragm that pumps gas from the big tank tot he small inner tank would fail but over all can't say too much bad about them. Might even have one sitting in a corner somewhere. Everything from rototillers to go-karts had them. I personally like the new engines with the fuel shut off (I like to store carbs dry) and a lot of those older engines were never designed to handle solvents like ethanol. The biggest issue I've ever had is the muffler. Often they just used pipe threads to secure them. When the muffler would rust it was almost impossible to replace because it would snap off right at the head. That made for a very noisy engine. I don't think people remember just how noisy they were. I have a 97cc HF water pump and as long as it has fresh fuel it starts right up, runs great, and is very quiet.
As for parts to repair the old engine, just go on ebay. You can find pretty much everything you need for a good price. If it's running rough then chances are it's either the carb (which can be cleaned and rebuilt) or the points (which is under the flywheel) which should get removed.
If you do an engine swap just make sure you don't modify the splitter and keep all the old parts. I get that asking a neighbor to do something kind usually leads to them saying thanks for the offer but refusing to accept the gift. When you just do it they are more willing to accept the gift. For example I plow the right of way. Most neighbors offer to give me money and I refuse (I was raised to do the stuff you can to help your neighbors) while some just buy gravel for the road. Gravel means more to me because it means they made an effort. If you think your neighbor may not like the HF engine you can always say I kept all the parts so we can get the old Briggs running good again and swap it back. Just say you've always wanted to try one of these Chinese throw away engines out. Usually if you've spent enough time around a neighbor you can tell how he feels about the Chinese knockoffs.
As for parts to repair the old engine, just go on ebay. You can find pretty much everything you need for a good price. If it's running rough then chances are it's either the carb (which can be cleaned and rebuilt) or the points (which is under the flywheel) which should get removed.
If you do an engine swap just make sure you don't modify the splitter and keep all the old parts. I get that asking a neighbor to do something kind usually leads to them saying thanks for the offer but refusing to accept the gift. When you just do it they are more willing to accept the gift. For example I plow the right of way. Most neighbors offer to give me money and I refuse (I was raised to do the stuff you can to help your neighbors) while some just buy gravel for the road. Gravel means more to me because it means they made an effort. If you think your neighbor may not like the HF engine you can always say I kept all the parts so we can get the old Briggs running good again and swap it back. Just say you've always wanted to try one of these Chinese throw away engines out. Usually if you've spent enough time around a neighbor you can tell how he feels about the Chinese knockoffs.
