BRIGGS & STRATTON Engine Teardown

Summary

In this video, donyboy73 thoroughly dismantles a Briggs & Stratton engine, famously known to fail unexpectedly. The creator explores various components, determining which pieces are salvageable and which are destined for the scrap pile. Despite being full of oil, the engine still suffered a catastrophic failure, likely attributed to over-revving. Through this teardown, viewers learn about the value of specific engine parts and the importance of proper maintenance, like regular oil changes, to prolong engine life.

Highlights

• The Briggs & Stratton engine teardown reveals the intricate reasons behind its failure. 🔍
• Engines full of oil can still face failure due to unexpected over-revving issues. 🛢️
• Donyboy73 advises on salvaging valuable parts from blown engines to use in repairs. 🔩
• Despite previous repairs, some engine parts, like the carburetor, remain salvageable. 🔧
• The video emphasizes using softer tools to avoid damage when disassembling engines. 🛠️
• Engines can be a source of high-quality metal for other creative fabrications. 🌟
• Learning about internal engine failures helps viewers identify maintenance opportunities. 📘

Key Takeaways

• Even when full of oil, Briggs & Stratton engines can still fail, possibly due to over-revving. 🛠️
• Regular oil changes are vital to prevent engine mishaps and prolong longevity. 🚿
• It's beneficial to salvage parts like carburetors, throttle assemblies, and cam shafts from broken engines. ♻️
• Damaged screws on carburetors indicate previous repairs and potential issues. 🔧
• Flywheels and crankshafts, even if going to scrap, can still provide usable metal for fabrication. 🔩
• Engines might hide internal damages like broken connecting rods, making thorough investigation important. 👀

Overview

Donyboy73 welcomes us to another hands-on video where he explores the intricacies of a Briggs & Stratton engine. Known for serving snowblowers, this particular engine fell victim to an untimely demise. The exploratory journey involves assessing the situation by inspecting the oil levels, even though its abundance doesn't prevent disaster. As he deftly dissects the engine, viewers learn the importance of regular oil changes to avoid unexpected blowouts.

Beyond the typical teardown, donyboy73 enlightens us on the art of salvaging. Valuable components like carburetors, throttle assemblies, and cam shafts stand out as essential treasures, especially for those in the repair business. He also highlights how parts not worth saving for engine purposes can still serve as raw materials for other projects, showing how ingenuity meets practicality in the world of mechanics.

The video takes a compelling turn as donyboy73 uncovers the hidden woes of the engine's internal components, showcasing how and why pieces like connecting rods fail spectacularly. The conclusion wrapped up with a practical note on how fabricating and salvaging from faulty engines can lead to potential savings and resourceful outcomes in future repairs or innovations.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction and Initial Inspection The chapter titled 'Introduction and Initial Inspection' begins with the presenter introducing a Briggs and Stratton engine from a snowblower. The engine is suspected to be damaged as it is very easy to pull even with the spark plug in place. The objective of the chapter is to disassemble the engine to diagnose the issues. The engine model is identified as a 1350, and it is noted to be full of gas. The chapter sets the stage for a detailed examination of the engine's condition.
• 00:30 - 01:00: Oil Check and Teardown Plan This chapter focuses on the initial steps in engine maintenance and inspection, specifically checking the oil as soon as the engine comes in. The oil level provides critical insight into the engine's condition, and it's mentioned that these engines can 'blow up' regardless of oil presence. Additionally, there's a note about a common issue with the throttle component coming off. The plan for the day involves disassembling the engine, with a promise to demonstrate this process ('show you in a box').
• 01:00 - 01:30: Draining Oil and Starting Disassembly The chapter discusses the salvage of parts from a blown-up engine. Despite the engine being damaged, there are many salvageable components worth keeping. Before disassembling the engine, the narrator plans to drain the oil, as the engine has an unusual oil plug resembling a plumbing plug. After draining the oil, the process of taking the engine apart will commence. The chapter ends with a tip on easily removing the choke knob from the engine.
• 01:30 - 02:00: Removing Components and Salvaging Parts The chapter provides insights into the frequent breakdown of engines and the importance of regular maintenance to prevent such failures. The focus is on practical tips for removing components and salvaging parts from engines, highlighting the need to change oil regularly to maintain engine health. It also touches on the non-original parts that may be found when dismantling engines.
• 02:00 - 03:00: Inspecting Carburetor and Throttle Assembly In the chapter titled 'Inspecting Carburetor and Throttle Assembly,' the focus is on analyzing the engine components, particularly the carburetor and throttle assembly. It is mentioned that it appears someone has previously worked on this engine. There is a description of the presence of two bolts at the front associated with the gas system and two additional bolts at the back.
• 03:00 - 04:00: Disassembling and Checking Internal Components This chapter discusses the importance of saving hardware such as fuel tank bolts during repairs, as they can sometimes vibrate off and become useful in the future. It also mentions the process of pinching a full gas tank and removing the carburetor using an E5 Torx external number five.
• 04:00 - 05:00: Further Disassembly and Flywheel Removal The chapter discusses the process of disassembling a carburetor from an engine to explore its internal components. The speaker expresses dislike for finding damaged screws during disassembly, as it indicates improper handling of the parts.
• 05:00 - 06:00: Examining Engine Failure Cause The chapter titled 'Examining Engine Failure Cause' discusses the cost of engine parts in Canada, specifically carburetors for Briggs engines which are approaching $200. The narrator mentions the possibility of finding more affordable aftermarket alternatives. Upon inspecting a carburetor, the narrator notes signs of corrosion and dirt but concludes that the carburetor can be salvaged.
• 06:00 - 07:00: Final Salvaging and Conclusion In the chapter titled 'Final Salvaging and Conclusion,' the narrator discusses the importance of saving throttle assemblies during engine salvage operations. They highlight that many engines may come without a throttle assembly, making it crucial to have spare parts available for complete functional setup. Additionally, the narrator mentions the governor spring, implying further steps or considerations in engine assembly or maintenance.

BRIGGS & STRATTON Engine Teardown Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 hey guys welcome back to I've got a Briggs and Straton engine from a snowblower and I'm pretty sure it's blown up guys it pulls really easy the spark plug is in by the way so what I want to do today is tear it down and we're going to find out what went wrong with this engine okay here it is it's a 1350 it's full of gas and what I usually check when an
• 00:30 - 01:00 engine comes in is the oil that's what I check right away because that tells you a lot about what may or not have happened so it's got lots of oil in there so this did not happen because there was no oil now these engines do have a tendency to blow up whether there's oil in them or not I get so many of them there the throttle thing came off so what I'll do today is take it apart and I'm going to show you in a box
• 01:00 - 01:30 what I'm keeping and what I'm throwing out there's a lot of good salvageable Parts on a blown up engine even though it will be stripped now before I take the engine apart I will drain the oil someone has an oil plug over here that looks like a plumbing plug which is a good idea I'll drain the oil then I'll come back and rip it all apart okay let's get started here here's how you get the choke knob off really easy
• 01:30 - 02:00 I've taken a lot of these apart over the years guys because they do blow up often one way to keep your engine from blowing up is to change the oil regularly in these they are delicate [Applause] engines by the way one of these is not original to that engine that was the spacer after the carburetor screen so
• 02:00 - 02:30 somebody definitely worked on this engine before two bolts here for the gas and two in the back
• 02:30 - 03:00 now those fuel tank bolts are good to save because sometimes they do vibrate off so if you do any kind of repairs save some of the hardware because it will come in handy at some point the gas tank is full so that's why I'm pinching it here now to get the carburetor off you'll need an E5 Torx external Torx number five
• 03:00 - 03:30 now when I save a carb from an engine I do like to take it apart to see what it's like inside now when you take stuff apart and you can see here that they've basically damaged the screw that's not a good sign I really hate to see that these carburetors are quite
• 03:30 - 04:00 expensive here in Canada they're pushing the $200 mark from Briggs now I have heard that you can get afterm Market ones that are half decent from stems so have a look inside there is some gel and the small jet in the middle here looks quite corroded or dirty but I think this carburetor will be savable so I will save that
• 04:00 - 04:30 okay this is the throttle assembly here I always save the throttle assemblies just in case I get an engine without one because a lot of them don't have a throttle and that way you can add one yourself governor spring
• 04:30 - 05:00 I'll save that and I do save the dipstick and the tube here and here's the throttle assembly that I'm saving I will save the starter and you can get these starter bolts off with a t40
• 05:00 - 05:30 Torx so The Recoil is still good they had put some BTS here but that's fine so I will remove the recoil and save
• 05:30 - 06:00 that and I'll save the coil now see how easy that engine turns and The Spar plug is in it
• 06:00 - 06:30 and I also have lots of Mufflers I don't need any more Mufflers I will take the valve cover off here
• 06:30 - 07:00 let's see if the valves move they do move again these bolts on the muffler are a t40
• 07:00 - 07:30 I do not need any more shrouds so I'll just bend it up cuz I got to get the bolts off for the head lots of Hardware when you take an engine [Music] apart
• 07:30 - 08:00 now let's check the push rods nice and straight when they're nice and straight I do save them okay let's see if that piston moves I don't think it will nope so definitely the connecting rod is shot before I remove the sum cover here I must get the pulley off
• 08:00 - 08:30 and these are coming off easy man those are insanely tight today
• 08:30 - 09:00 and I think there's one more hiding nope I think I got them all I will save the belt finger right here now if you're working on a good engine and you want to save it I do recommend using a brass hammer or a rubber mallet to remove the sump cover it's just aay softer material when
• 09:00 - 09:30 you're pounding on your engine okay there we go and have a look inside this engine guys the connecting rod is all in pieces now what I really hope that is still good in there is the cam shaft
• 09:30 - 10:00 because often times the decompressor breaks off of them and they're expensive and unavailable however I do think you can get aftermarket ones on Amazon I've never used them if you have and they're good please comment below the way you'll know if your cam shaft is still good is if it's not all scored up on the loes here it looks pretty smooth and the most important thing is to make sure that the decompressor mechanism here still Springs back just like
• 10:00 - 10:30 that I mean that spring in there is like a hair you can sit right here it's so small right there but if it's good you've just saved yourself over 100 bucks for oem1 instead of buying a noem one so I will save this cam shaft it was worth getting the scrap machine or engine just for this even and look at all that pieces coming
• 10:30 - 11:00 out here are the valve lifters you can save these if you want it's not a part that you will often need though another part that I save if it's good is the timing gear you can save the key on the shaft if you want right here now I've decided to remove the flywheel because I want to show you the journal where the connecting rod goes on the crankshaft
• 11:00 - 11:30 and because I am not saving this engine or the flywheel I'm just using a pry bar and a hammer make sure you're wearing safety glasses when you do this WOW went flying out at the engine so here's the flywheel there's the stator that's what powers up the lights on your machine and
• 11:30 - 12:00 the hand warmers you might want to save that if you don't have any spare ones in your collection especially if you do small engine repair now in the journal here I can see some metal parts from the connecting rod that's usually typical I'm not sure what happened why this engine blew up guys it had enough oil cuz I did drain the oil there was enough oil I showed it to you at the beginning my guess is that it over revved and it just basically blew the rod there's no other major signs to
• 12:00 - 12:30 tell me otherwise that's all I can think that has happened now what I do with these crankshafts is because I do have a lot I don't need these is I cut them right here and then I use that steel on the lathe to make other parts and when I have steel from a crankshaft like this it's really hard metal if you fabricate another part with it it's really awesome
• 12:30 - 13:00 so when you strip an engine like this there's a big mess I'm going to sort out all the parts I'm keeping here and I'll show you this in a second okay here's what I'm scrapping all these parts and the reason like I said is because I have multiples of these in my sheds I'm running out of space guys a guy comes about every week here and picks up my scrap I'm even scrapping the sump cover I don't need that stuff I've got the the the Stater
• 13:00 - 13:30 here not much else that is good on there flywheel is good so this is going to scrap right here I'm saving the carburetor the starter and what's in this box there's not a whole lot recoil the head I'm keeping the head because the valve guides are good in there covers and the cam shaft and the coil so probably the cam shaft is the best find in in this engine so this is what I typically do
• 13:30 - 14:00 here guys in the shop I usually strip down about four to five of these every winter and Salvage some parts so I hope this gives you a good idea guys what to save when you are scrapping an engine again if you don't have any of these for backup I would recommend to save them actually I might save the oh cover because sometimes the bolt here that holds like a little guard between the carburetor and the spark plug the knob that goes here usually seizes and people break off the bolt and then you've got a
• 14:00 - 14:30 cover without a bolt sticking out to put the nut back on so I will save that that's about it oh let's look at the cylinder before I end off the video can't believe I forgot that well the cylinder does have a bit of scoring in here but not enough to prevent it from running and I usually never save the block I
• 14:30 - 15:00 usually never save the piston and rings they're usually always damaged as is this one so this will go to scrap thanks again for watching guys if you have any questions just post them in the video below I can't always get all the questions guys because I am extremely busy here but comment anyway because if I can't answer your questions probably somebody else can thanks again for watching guys have a great
• 15:00 - 15:30 day