Trashed Lawn mower.. what to do?

[Korean_redneck]

I live in a really trashy Trailer park and people throw away everything. I already got soem furniture in my room people threw away.. a stereo in perfect working condition. etc.... sorry off topic..

anways.. my neighbor threw away a 1996ish push lawn mower.. i took it out of the trash area.. so i decided I can rebuild it.. the Carb is trahsed and the Air filter assembly is gone... the spark plug is rusted.. but other than that.. its good.. is it cheaper to rebuild or buy a new engine? I can't tell if its a Tecumseh or Briggs.. but its 5.0 HP.

 

[416Rigby]

New parts can often cost as much as a new engine. That's why I bought a replacement engine rather than pay several hundred dollars for a few parts. New Briggs and Tecumseh engines in the 5hp range are very cheap. Check Small Engine Warehouse online, they have a good selection.

 

[The_Jeff]

You can get a new carb and air filter on ebay for $5. Spark plugs, wheels, etc can be bought at walmart. If it turns over and "feels right" it'll probably run. You'd have to judge if water got into the cylinder, that might screw it up.

 

[MAJA]

I got a brand new mower, from Walmart for 90 something dollars, for what thats worth. But I do agree in fixing older stuff up, instead of trashing. But this goes against the "consumable" nature of todays marketing.

 

[bretfraz]

Find the serial number on the engine block or head and check Briggs and Tecumseh's websites to see what it really is. From there you can find prices for carb rebuild kits, plug, air filters, etc. You can buy most all the rebuild parts online if you can't get them locally.

I fixed my POS Tecumseh motor for about $40.00 in parts so it can be done cheaply if the basic motor is good.

 

[Korean_redneck]

quote:

---

Originally posted by bretfraz:
Find the serial number on the engine block or head and check Briggs and Tecumseh's websites to see what it really is. From there you can find prices for carb rebuild kits, plug, air filters, etc. You can buy most all the rebuild parts online if you can't get them locally.

I fixed my POS Tecumseh motor for about $40.00 in parts so it can be done cheaply if the basic motor is good.

---

Ok thanks for the INfo... Tecumseh is a pretty nasty engine? How can a engine with such basic 4 cycle design be crappy?

 

[cousincletus]

I have never really liked Techumseh engines because B&S engines seem to have less problems and last longer. Most small engine dealers have a lawnmower junkyard in back of the shop where you can look for the missing parts. I would try to fix if the deck is in good shape. That should work well mowing your lot in the trailer park.