My last Tecumseh was probably 15 years ago. They had the softest flywheel keys of any engine I've ever seen. You'd probably shear 3-4 of them per season and never hit anything with the blade. It was as if the act of pull starting the engine was enough to shear the key. That was reason enough to move on.
how good are tecumseh small engines
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I found the flat head engines used in snowblowers to be almost bulletproof, at least until the govenor froze on them and you came out of the snow, then they became ventilated block engines. Other than that, 20yrs is about what I see out of them with mediocre maintenance and bad gas from last season.
The 3hp 2-strokes also lived basically forever, didn't spin fast enough to wear out the iron bores and didn't care what was in the tank as long as it had oil in it. I have an ice auger that's over 30 years old and used hard every year, know of several that are older and used just as hard, no one complains about them except for the noise.
Now the OHV engines they made were garbage, all the ones I've seen never seemed to run right from the beginning and the carbs on them were very fussy about sitting for more than a few weeks. I'd avoid those if at all possible and look for Honda or B&S.
The 3hp 2-strokes also lived basically forever, didn't spin fast enough to wear out the iron bores and didn't care what was in the tank as long as it had oil in it. I have an ice auger that's over 30 years old and used hard every year, know of several that are older and used just as hard, no one complains about them except for the noise.
Now the OHV engines they made were garbage, all the ones I've seen never seemed to run right from the beginning and the carbs on them were very fussy about sitting for more than a few weeks. I'd avoid those if at all possible and look for Honda or B&S.
I bought this little craftsman with a 6.75 tecumseh it will not run unless you keep spraying it with starting fluid. So it's not getting gas. I checked the hose from tank to the carb it's not clogged. So what should I do from here. I'd prefer to not buy a carb unless I have to.
It's almost the same price to buy a rebuild kit and the Tecumseh carb tool as it is to buy a replacement carburetor. The non oem carbs actually seem to perform better than the original designs.
Tecumseh engines are tough as nails, except when it comes to fuel delivery. It was their only major weakness.
Tecumseh engines are tough as nails, except when it comes to fuel delivery. It was their only major weakness.
Originally Posted By: PhilsSmallEngine
It's almost the same price to buy a rebuild kit and the Tecumseh carb tool as it is to buy a replacement carburetor. The non oem carbs actually seem to perform better.
This. You can actually get a new carb on ebay for less than $20. Just change it out.
It's almost the same price to buy a rebuild kit and the Tecumseh carb tool as it is to buy a replacement carburetor. The non oem carbs actually seem to perform better.
This. You can actually get a new carb on ebay for less than $20. Just change it out.
I've run Tecumseh flathead engines ( and 2 strokes, too) for 25 years with zero problems. Current Toro PP is on 11 th season, starts on first pull. Mower deck / wheels will give out long before engine ever will...
Don't buy into the anti Tecumseh hype.. parts are readily available and they run forever if taken care of.
Don't buy into the anti Tecumseh hype.. parts are readily available and they run forever if taken care of.
JHZR2
Staff member
I had a tecumseh in high school for a landscaping and snow removal business I ran. I made thousands upon thousands of dollars with that mower and it ran like a top. The deck rusted before the engine.
Originally Posted By: iahawk
I've run Tecumseh flathead engines ( and 2 strokes, too) for 25 years with zero problems. Current Toro PP is on 11 th season, starts on first pull. Mower deck / wheels will give out long before engine ever will...
Don't buy into the anti Tecumseh hype.. parts are readily available and they run forever if taken care of.
Just like I said. They are durable and last forever. But your durable and last forever engine has a terrible fuel delivery system. Your engine makes 30-50% less power than a comparable Briggs or Honda engine. Tecumseh push mower engines bog down and stop in heavy grass that a Honda or Briggs would laugh at.
I've run Tecumseh flathead engines ( and 2 strokes, too) for 25 years with zero problems. Current Toro PP is on 11 th season, starts on first pull. Mower deck / wheels will give out long before engine ever will...
Don't buy into the anti Tecumseh hype.. parts are readily available and they run forever if taken care of.
Just like I said. They are durable and last forever. But your durable and last forever engine has a terrible fuel delivery system. Your engine makes 30-50% less power than a comparable Briggs or Honda engine. Tecumseh push mower engines bog down and stop in heavy grass that a Honda or Briggs would laugh at.
Originally Posted By: Lubener
The Tecumseh trash talking is likely coming from those who do not understand them and do not have the skills to repair and maintain them.
Or from guys like myself that work on a ton of them and see them for what they are - low power, antiquated (although durable) engines.
The Tecumseh trash talking is likely coming from those who do not understand them and do not have the skills to repair and maintain them.
Or from guys like myself that work on a ton of them and see them for what they are - low power, antiquated (although durable) engines.
Originally Posted By: PhilsSmallEngine
Tecumseh engines are tough as nails, except when it comes to fuel delivery. It was their only major weakness.
They use a pilot jet instead of an adjustable idle mixture needle. That pilot jet needs to be drilled out if the engine is going to be used at lower elevations. Usually just one or two sizes larger than stock will do it. Miniature wire gauge drill bits and a pin vise.
Tecumseh engines are tough as nails, except when it comes to fuel delivery. It was their only major weakness.
They use a pilot jet instead of an adjustable idle mixture needle. That pilot jet needs to be drilled out if the engine is going to be used at lower elevations. Usually just one or two sizes larger than stock will do it. Miniature wire gauge drill bits and a pin vise.
Originally Posted By: bubbatime
Originally Posted By: dlundblad
Usually it's the B&S that do well on the hills while the Tecumseh doesn't. Maybe yours has a different design?
Most Briggs engines are splash lube while most Tecumseh engines have an oil pump. Tecumseh should work better on hills because of the oil pump.
I was unaware of them having an oil pump and still recalling reading the direct opposite here.
We have an LB with that engine and it did horrible on hills. It being RWD didnt help matters, but you could tell it was getting oil starved too.
The B&S does much better.
Originally Posted By: dlundblad
Usually it's the B&S that do well on the hills while the Tecumseh doesn't. Maybe yours has a different design?
Most Briggs engines are splash lube while most Tecumseh engines have an oil pump. Tecumseh should work better on hills because of the oil pump.
I was unaware of them having an oil pump and still recalling reading the direct opposite here.
We have an LB with that engine and it did horrible on hills. It being RWD didnt help matters, but you could tell it was getting oil starved too.
The B&S does much better.
I have had two Tucumseh powered push mowers, the first bought in 1995.
I still have it.
I've parted with one I bought in 1997 and used to mow our 3/4 acre lot for fourteen years.
I saw this MTD mower on clearance at Target for seventy dollars and bought it as a spare.
I instead used it as my main mower for all of fourteen seasons on our large lawn without issue.
It did use a fair amount of oil toward the end and it became very finicky about running.
It sometimes ran great and would then run very badly, which became tiresome. This may have been a mere carb problem, but I didn't bother to investigate further, having gotten way more use out of the machine than I would have ever expected.
The 1995 MTD Tecumseh has been my daily driver since.
It runs great and uses no oil at all.
I gave it a fill of M1 15W-50 last June and the oil still looked clean when I last used the mower in October.
My point is that Tecumseh made perfectly good engines, at least as good as Briggs.
Parts are readily available from Parts Tree for reasonable bucks.
All of the above is also the reason that I usually recommend cheap mowers.
A decent cheap mower is likely to return more than its cost in use with no more than minimal care.
Keeping the oil topped up is probably the most important factor in OPE engine life.
In short, I'd have no problems buying a machine with a Tecumseh engine.
I still have it.
I've parted with one I bought in 1997 and used to mow our 3/4 acre lot for fourteen years.
I saw this MTD mower on clearance at Target for seventy dollars and bought it as a spare.
I instead used it as my main mower for all of fourteen seasons on our large lawn without issue.
It did use a fair amount of oil toward the end and it became very finicky about running.
It sometimes ran great and would then run very badly, which became tiresome. This may have been a mere carb problem, but I didn't bother to investigate further, having gotten way more use out of the machine than I would have ever expected.
The 1995 MTD Tecumseh has been my daily driver since.
It runs great and uses no oil at all.
I gave it a fill of M1 15W-50 last June and the oil still looked clean when I last used the mower in October.
My point is that Tecumseh made perfectly good engines, at least as good as Briggs.
Parts are readily available from Parts Tree for reasonable bucks.
All of the above is also the reason that I usually recommend cheap mowers.
A decent cheap mower is likely to return more than its cost in use with no more than minimal care.
Keeping the oil topped up is probably the most important factor in OPE engine life.
In short, I'd have no problems buying a machine with a Tecumseh engine.
Originally Posted By: dlundblad
bubbatime said:
nock on wood every tecumseh I have or had has run strong and hard.
While I do realize they were built cheap, and they did have their quirks, my family has had nothing but good luck with them. As a kid, I remember we had a two-cycle Tecumseh push mower that was lightweight and powerful. My mom used to have a riding lawn mower with a Tecumseh engine that had 15 years of hard use without having engine problems. (The B&S-powered replacement seized up with in six months) I know of a cheap Tecumseh-powered generator that starts on the second or third pull every time.
IMO, I was sorry they went under.
IMO, I was sorry they went under.
I actually preferred the tecumseh engines I rgew up with over the briggs. they were easier to take apart if they needed it. yes there was a rudimentary oil pump integrated into the camshaft. simple but effective. they worked better than briggs engines on our sloped lot, as the briggs could starve for oil. with the tec, all you had to do was keep the crankcase breather on the uphill side to not eject oil.
they were a PITA to start, however--- briggs did a better job there.
the tecumseh professional engines were a different breed. they were impressive and I wonder if they were actually rebranded from elsewhere. OHV, cast iron everywhere, roller mains, dual counterbalance weights--- solid motor. The carbs would wear out first--- before anything else--- throttle shaft would wear, hole would elongate from pulse action. I had one of those and that one-lung 16hp was a hoss--- don't recall exactly but it probably weighed in at 70-80 lbs.
they were a PITA to start, however--- briggs did a better job there.
the tecumseh professional engines were a different breed. they were impressive and I wonder if they were actually rebranded from elsewhere. OHV, cast iron everywhere, roller mains, dual counterbalance weights--- solid motor. The carbs would wear out first--- before anything else--- throttle shaft would wear, hole would elongate from pulse action. I had one of those and that one-lung 16hp was a hoss--- don't recall exactly but it probably weighed in at 70-80 lbs.
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Tecumseh motors I like:
L head. I run the [censored] out of these (can aquire for next to free) in minibikes, go karts, you name it. The tecumseh L head plowed the driveways of snow covered America for years (and today still). Float bowl carb is simple to service, can be cleaned with a twist tie and some carb spray while mounted on engine.
small 2 cycle snow blower motor. If you have an old single stage blower, 90% chance its got a tecumseh. Nearly impossible to kill these motors, will run on stale gas and whatever oil based product for lube you put in the gas tank.
Stay away from:
Verticle shaft tecumsehs with red primer bulb on carb body.
Those primer bulbs crack easily, and cause most of the "wont stay running" symptoms. You will always be replacing these.
Also these like to burn oil. I guess they were designed for upper cylinder luberication
So essentially, horizontal shaft tecumseh = good
verticle shaft = bad
If you want a long lasting verticle shaft, either a briggs 3.5 vacuumjet or a 4-6hp quantum. I've ran quantums that have fuel diluted oil that never got changed, and they never stopped running. One of the best small engines ever designed.
L head. I run the [censored] out of these (can aquire for next to free) in minibikes, go karts, you name it. The tecumseh L head plowed the driveways of snow covered America for years (and today still). Float bowl carb is simple to service, can be cleaned with a twist tie and some carb spray while mounted on engine.
small 2 cycle snow blower motor. If you have an old single stage blower, 90% chance its got a tecumseh. Nearly impossible to kill these motors, will run on stale gas and whatever oil based product for lube you put in the gas tank.
Stay away from:
Verticle shaft tecumsehs with red primer bulb on carb body.
Those primer bulbs crack easily, and cause most of the "wont stay running" symptoms. You will always be replacing these.
Also these like to burn oil. I guess they were designed for upper cylinder luberication
So essentially, horizontal shaft tecumseh = good
verticle shaft = bad
If you want a long lasting verticle shaft, either a briggs 3.5 vacuumjet or a 4-6hp quantum. I've ran quantums that have fuel diluted oil that never got changed, and they never stopped running. One of the best small engines ever designed.
I've seen good, bad and in between from all makers of small and large engines that I have experienced through operation and/or ownership. All manufactures have a bad and a "Monday" engine.
The (vertical shaft) Tecumseh 13hp put out in the early/mid 90's and 15hp early 2000's, made for MTD riders, were beasts. On the purchase of both those riders, went out bought the MTD Brigs, brought it home, tried it, took it back and brought the Tecumseh home - it stayed. The Brigs we brought home had no power on the hills, couldn't handle our land.
The Carb is the main issue they have, same with the Brigs, most of that is owner related. People want to put their lawn mower up for the winter without draining the gas out of the bowl, then fire it next season without spraying a little oil in the spark plug hole. Next thing you know they are calling it a POS.
The (vertical shaft) Tecumseh 13hp put out in the early/mid 90's and 15hp early 2000's, made for MTD riders, were beasts. On the purchase of both those riders, went out bought the MTD Brigs, brought it home, tried it, took it back and brought the Tecumseh home - it stayed. The Brigs we brought home had no power on the hills, couldn't handle our land.
The Carb is the main issue they have, same with the Brigs, most of that is owner related. People want to put their lawn mower up for the winter without draining the gas out of the bowl, then fire it next season without spraying a little oil in the spark plug hole. Next thing you know they are calling it a POS.
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