Briggs and Straton Mower Engine

[Anonymous-0]

I got this 19hp riding mower from my wifes brothers estate. It looked like new but I remember him saying he was having problems with it. After cleaning it up and putting good gas and oil in it I cut the grass. It went ok. The next time I started it I heard a faint tapping in the engine. I knew something wasn't right but not sure what. Saturday I pulled the valve cover off and sure enough the tapping was a bent push rod. What would have caused it to bend a rod. The mower has all of 40hrs on the engine.

 

[jd b puller]

Most likely it"s had stale gas run thru it. This causes deposits on the intake valve stem, which reduces the amount of clearance between the valve and the guide. Eventually the valve tries to "stick" and it bends the push rod. Pull the head off of it, ream out the guide and clean the crap off the valves. You didn"t say if it was a single or a twin, but the twins can swallow the push rods if it gets off there. Usually you notice it about the time it tries to digest it and wraps the push rod around the camshaft or crankshaft.

 

[Walt Davies]

If its the opposed twin the V-twin model then junk it because sooner or later it will just explode and oil will run out of the crank as the rods came apart.
I know I had one on my mower and after about 1 year it was just sitting and idling and all of sudden the thing just came apart at the seems. I have Sears repair service on it and the mechanic who put the V-twin in said he had 5 more just like it to change. The opposed 19 HP twin is all junk and will not last that is why Sears put the 22 HP V-twin in my mower.
Walt

 

[JT]

If you have a bent push rod, it has to be a v-twin, as stated, bent push rods are from getting soemthing on the valve stem and will not let the valve open to full capcaity, more than likely stale fuel. You will need to take head off, remove velve, clean the valve stem and valve guide, put it back together, and you should be good to go. Now, you can take some deep creep, spray on valve stem, work in and out, spray deep creep, work in and out, that may solve the problem, worth a try. If it does it again, then head needs to come off and get valve and guides properly cleaned.
Jim

 

[JT]

Walt,
Maybe the ones that Sears uses are junk, but I have customers with the 19hp Briggs opposed twins with hundreds of hours and several years old that run fine and have no problems what so ever.
Jim

 

[Anonymous-0]

Thanks for the replies, I think you may be right on with the stale gas. The mower had sat for about a year and It had a little gas in the bottom of the tank. I didn't realize bad gas could cause that kind of damage. Guess I just learned a lesson about draing or treating gas left in the tank for a while. Now that I think about it the power washer is doing the same thing. How coincidental is that. It had old gas in it also. I guess I will be pulling heads off this weekend. Thanks!