Subaru Robin Engines. Any good?

[goeduck]

I saw a post on nextdoor giving away a pressure washer. I set up a time and picked it up yesterday. The guy tells me the recoil is stuck and if someone did not take it he will take it to the transfer station and junk it.

Well, the recoil mechanism was fine, I could hand rotate the engine backwards a bit but not forward and I heard fluid. I took out the spark plug and oil purges as I rotate the engine. Simple hydrolock. I took the oil fill plugs out, left the spark out and tipped it upside down over my drain pan for an hour. Found oil in the carb bowl and the foam air cleaner soaked. Wrung out the foam cleaner and emptied the bowl of oil. The thing must have been stored on its side or it fell over.

Put gas in it and in 3 pulls it started up. Old Smokey at first as expected, but after about 5 minutes it was running great. I stopped it and came back to it later and it started in one pull. I am not familiar with Subaru small engines. I was going to sell it if I got it running and make $75 -100 or so but I like how it starts. Are these engines any good?

 

[bullbreaker]

I have had for like ten years a Subaru 404 cc motor on my JD generator . It has never given me a lick of trouble and starts easily with electric or recoil starter .

 

[Trillium Farm]

They are very good and used by many makes, but Subaru shut down its small engine division in Oct 2017. So I don't know how it will fare in the parts dept in the future

 

[Storm56]

Too bad they quit making them. I have 4 of them, two in pressure washers and 2 in generators, one a single cylinder diesel. IMO they are every bit the equal of a Honda.

 

[Trillium Farm]

Too bad they quit making them. I have 4 of them, two in pressure washers and 2 in generators, one a single cylinder diesel. IMO they are every bit the equal of a Honda.

I agree, my take is that since their car division was taking off more & more they wanted to concentrate on that.

 

[RandyT]

They are very good and used by many makes, but Subaru shut down its small engine division in Oct 2017. So I don't know how it will fare in the parts dept in the future

The funny thing is Subaru didn't tell their dealers that they were stopping production. As a Subaru small engine dealer I was notified by my Honda distributor that Subaru was closing.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Subaru split up the engines and sold the tooling/rights to three places that I know of.

Kubota bought two, (I think) Yamaha bought a couple and the rest went to a Chinese company who is going to make them and bring them back...

SR

 

[goeduck]

the rest went to a Chinese company who is going to make them and bring them back...

SR

That would be good, the engine seems to be well built. For small gas engines I prefer my Honda GXs although I do have a Kawisaki Twin, a couple of Briggs, couple old Tecumseh one Chinese no name. The Subaru Robin is way, way better built than the no name Chinese engine. I like it better than the Briggs I have as well. I would put it around the Kawi in quality.