Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

My7hp tcum snowking is burning oil I took off heads etc got my piston in hand look fine no scratch cylinder great too but ring are bad used compression is very low. OI know

my next door neighbor once changed his rings on his mower with his hand without cracking it? should I try this?

Goldrush - while I have been lucky performing ring installs by hand, I don't recommend it. Rent or purchase a ring expander for this task. You will also need a tool to insert the piston with it's new rings into the cylinder - I forget what its called by darned, but I actually own one (it IS 2am...)  All this will be useless if the cylinder walls aren't trued up - you could use a cylinder hone to clean up the walls, but if the bore is excessively worn at the top (think of a snow cone cup), then it needs to be bored to assure a perfectly parallel & uniform cylinder shape. Instead of renting all these tools & taking a chance, a short block assembly might be an easier & cheaper alternative. Just swap over all your old engine's incidentals (carb, ignition, head, flywheel etc).

Marty

Bill_D - you mentioned a 68 H/O - was this a Pontiac of some sort, or a Hurst/Olds? Those Hookers can be quite expensive regardless of make they're installed on, but the most expensive headers I've used were a custom set made from "Headers by Ed" out in the midwest ($900 for a pair!). These things wrapped around the frame on both sides & were an absolute NIGHTMARE to install - even had to remove the driver's side control arm & notch it for proper clearance on a 69 GTO stick shift car.

I don't miss performing header installations one bit...

Marty

Marty, You should his Hurst Olds, very very nice!

Bill, don't you still have a pic?

Hi Goldrush-

I rebuilt an H50 Tecumseh last winter and had a very good result. I attribute my positive experiense to a friend who had a tool that measured the inside of the cylinder from the top the to the bottom. He determined that all the cylinder needded was to be honed and that the new parts would be of stock size. Don't forget to put the new rings back in  the right sequence and make sure you check the end gap and to stagger the  gaps. I would definitely get the appropriate tools for the job! 

 I was able to borrow a hone, ring spreader and ring compressor and had a lot of fun doing the rebuild. The cost was about a hundred dollars because the reason for the rebuild was a broken connecting rod that fotunately did not go through the case. The changing of the rings was a function of having the engine open so why not?

If you feel other parts are are worn such as the valves or rod I would forego the rebuild and either get a shortblock or a replacement engine. One of the discount suppliers on the net had an eight horse L-head snow King for $269.00 last week. When I get finished typing this I will search it out and post!

Marc 

 Goldrush,

    For your info, Small Engine Warehouse has 7.5 Hp OHV Intek engine for about $285.00.

They have the same footprint as your Sno King 7 HP.

With the change would be equal to about a 8.5 L head.

                                                                        Fred            

Fred beat me!  Also check the Surplus Center .They have an 8hp Tecumseh iron bore tiller engine, horizontal shaft for $279. If you are handy these engines can be adapted to snow use by removing the air filter and a little creative work using the airbox off of your old 7hp. Snow King.If the shaft diameter is right thats a great engine!

Marc 

Hi Goldrush,

Would you mind telling me how old your Tecumseh engine is?  I'm hoping it is many years old and that it is just time to freshen it up.  Also, was regular maintainance done on this engine over the time you owned it, such as oil changes and such.  I'm trying to get an idea who makes a better engine, Briggs or Tec, and I like to keep track of things like this.  Thanks.

Dont forget to gap the ends of the rings & in a pinch if a ring compresser isnt available, a good quality hose clame of the right doameter can be used

Hey Richie-

Tecumseh vs Briggs = Ford vs Chevy-You probably like what your father did!

Marc

When I used to be in high school, I took a small engine course. I learned how to remove and reinstall pisten rings without a tool. They are very fragle, and you have to do it just right or they will break.