New Little Project

[Intrepidation]

So this Spring I've been working to make our yard a nicer place. The back/side yard has been, since we moved her last year, a barren expanse of mostly dirt and some weeds. That's all changing, as there is now grass growing quite well there, after some tilling, seeding, and watering.

Soon it'll be time fort eh first mow. We've been using my Uncle's mower for the rest of the yard, but I want my own. When I was younger I used to fix mowers and I kinda miss doing that.

A search on Craigslist lands me a Brute 22" Self-Propelled mower. Owner said he bought it last year and used it until the engine died and the manufacturer wouldn't warranty it, so he decided to get rid of it. $35 later (talked him down from $45) and I've got a mower, a disassembled engine, and all kinds of attachments. He claimed it just died, but looking at the blade, it looks more like he hit something and probably bent the crankshaft.

So it needs a motor, I may have a lead on just the ticket. If I get it going I just got a $325 mower for a fraction of the price.

Didn't have a lot of time today, but I did at least get it cleaned up.

Certainly cleaned up good! Now I just need an engine...

[Camino LS6]

Good luck with the project.

Those small engines have never been my thing. Cars I have no issue with, but those small engines always seem to confound me.

I hate anything with a pull-start.

[daves87rs]

Looks like a great start!

[ocnblu]

Whoa, you waxed that thing to within an inch of its life. Good luck finding a 3.5L HO for it.

I have a perfectly good mower in my shed, all apart, because I could not get the starter coil spring to hold together in an attempt to replace the broken starter rope. I gave up, went to Sears and bought a new mower. This happened like 3 years ago.

[SAmadei]

*Sigh* FWD. Well, even I wouldn't balk at a FWD lawnmower... actually, I've never cared for self propelled mowers (that you can't ride).

So what kind of engine are you looking for? Looks like a B&S mount... I imagine the belt for the front wheels has some kind of adaptor. Should be lots of B&S motors for sale on CL... the basic motor never seems to change.

Actually, it looks like the body stamping is the same as my Craftsman I got free from my neighbor a few years ago. I had a lot of problems with the front wheels not staying upright. I hope they reinforced that area on yours.

Edit: Yeah, I see they have reinforcement plates on the sides. Something like what I was going to do to mine.

Edited June 11, 2011 by SAmadei

[Intrepidation]

It's a B&S 650 Series motor. I'm not really looking for any specific engine, just one that runs

I don't really even care about the SP feature. I can live without it. The mower body is light and easy to push anyway. However if I can get it all to work that'll be cool.

[SAmadei]

It's a B&S 650 Series motor. I'm not really looking for any specific engine, just one that runs

Its tough to tell, with all the plastic added to the top of the 650, but I think I have a 190cc B&S buried in the garage. Without seeing more images of your's, I couldn't make a judgement call if it would work or not.

About 5 years ago, I had been running an old tough-as-nails Snapper lawnmower... when it started to smoke and squeal internally, I figured it was near the end of its life. That summer, I poked through all the piles of mower parts Dad left behind and some flea markets, and before I knew it, I had about a dozen nearly identical B&S motors and a Snapper "parts" mower. Its amazing how clean some engines are on the inside considering they were half-buried in mud when I found them. I was swapping this and that and had a combo working, but it was tough to start... thats when the neighbor gave me the free Craftsman. Most of the parts got shelved, as I figured the Craftsman will one day need copious B&S parts. That Craftsman has been a good mower, though.

In any case, not likely worth the shipping, even if I could find it.

I would hit up a flea market... know what your "short block" is and you could likely come home with 3-4 engines for $5-$15 each. If you look for one with all the fancy plastic, you're going to pay for that... most new mowers that fail are going to be engine failures, not body.

Get yourself some chrome trim and side pipes and that bad boy will be the envy of the 'hood. ;-)

[Intrepidation]

It's a B&S 650 Series motor. I'm not really looking for any specific engine, just one that runs

Its tough to tell, with all the plastic added to the top of the 650, but I think I have a 190cc B&S buried in the garage. Without seeing more images of your's, I couldn't make a judgement call if it would work or not.

About 5 years ago, I had been running an old tough-as-nails Snapper lawnmower... when it started to smoke and squeal internally, I figured it was near the end of its life. That summer, I poked through all the piles of mower parts Dad left behind and some flea markets, and before I knew it, I had about a dozen nearly identical B&S motors and a Snapper "parts" mower. Its amazing how clean some engines are on the inside considering they were half-buried in mud when I found them. I was swapping this and that and had a combo working, but it was tough to start... thats when the neighbor gave me the free Craftsman. Most of the parts got shelved, as I figured the Craftsman will one day need copious B&S parts. That Craftsman has been a good mower, though.

In any case, not likely worth the shipping, even if I could find it.

I would hit up a flea market... know what your "short block" is and you could likely come home with 3-4 engines for $5-$15 each. If you look for one with all the fancy plastic, you're going to pay for that... most new mowers that fail are going to be engine failures, not body.

Get yourself some chrome trim and side pipes and that bad boy will be the envy of the 'hood. ;-)

Flea market's a good idea. If my neighbor doesn't have one I'll check that out. I I don't need a motor with a plastic cover, if I really want I could put the one this came with on...just a couple bolts.

No tacky add ons for it, but if I go with a used engine I'll clean it up and make it look nice before putting it on.

[Intrepidation]

Well the weather was nice after work today so I opened up the box and had a look at the engine. It seems like all of the parts are there, right down to the valve keepers. The only thing conspicuously absent is some sort of pulley to drive the transmission belt. Still not sure how that hooks up. May take a trip to the store and have a look at a new one.

I spy with my little eye something that probably resulted from hitting something big and voided the warranty.

Looks like some damage to the crankshaft. It doesn't look bent, but I'd probably need a precision instrument to really tell.

Apparently while I was messing around with it in the garage my sneaky neighbor left me a present!

The deck is in rough shape, and the wheels look like they're about to fall off...

He said he got it for free. It was being thrown out and had no wheels. He kinda beat on it. It has no air filter and was used to clear the overgrowth in his shop's backyard, warned me the crankshaft may be bent, he forgot.

Primed the carb a few times, pulled the cord and it fired right up though, runs great and no excessive vibration.

Even better, this engine appears to be an older version of the 675 Series. It makes only .75 less hp and the parts appear to be interchangeable. That means I have a hole motor's worth of spare parts less than a year old. Even the plastic cover looks like it'll fit.

Most importantly, it appears that the bolt pattern is the same. I'll know for sure when I pull it off tomorrow. If it is then I'm all set for an engine.

I'll give it a good cleaning, paint it, then give it a tune up. If all goes well I'll have a brand new looking, $325 lawn mower for $35.

[caddycruiser]

This kind of project is the best. Fun. And now you have a pair...the result should be good.

[SAmadei]

Well the weather was nice after work today so I opened up the box and had a look at the engine. It seems like all of the parts are there, right down to the valve keepers. The only thing conspicuously absent is some sort of pulley to drive the transmission belt. Still not sure how that hooks up. May take a trip to the store and have a look at a new one.

Its hard to tell from the photos of the deck and the engine parts...

I was assuming the belt was set up to ride on a surface above the deck, but after looking closer at the photos, I'm no longer sure. I'm assuming that the broken part with the vanes is where the blade bolts to the engine, and therefore lives below the deck... in the photos, it appears it has a slight belt wear mark on the outside edge.

Or course, you would have a better view of these parts, I'm just surmising.

He said he got it for free. It was being thrown out and had no wheels. He kinda beat on it. It has no air filter and was used to clear the overgrowth in his shop's backyard, warned me the crankshaft may be bent, he forgot.

And always felt broken lawnmowers where like coat hangers... they seem to multiply spontaneously.

In any case, cool... I hope you have all the parts to get it together...

[Intrepidation]

It fits!

[Intrepidation]

It turns out that the air box mounting bracket is slightly different between the two mowers. The one from the 675 fits on just fine, but since the 675 has Ready Start, it doesn't have a primer like the donor engine has. I've got one on order for next week. In the meantime I put it on anyway so I could close the airbox and wash the motor. Having sat outside for a year or so and having the snot beat out of it, it's pretty filthy. Think there was even a small ant's nest under the shroud.

A healthy dosing of engine degreaser and my pressure washer cleaned it up quite nice though. Looks like I'll need to pick up a section of fuel line and a fuel filter. I've already picked up a new spark plug and air filter, and I'll change the oil before final assembly.

I've already made use of my spare parts by replacing the oil filler neck (old one was leaky), and the plastic cover fits perfect. I'll probably hit the newer muffler with exhaust paint so it stays looking nice, and get a new blade. I think by next Monday it should be all finished if all goes well.

I'll give the donor deck back to my neighbor if he still wants it, I have no use for it.

[A Horse With No Name]

Looks like a great start!

Agreed!

[Intrepidation]

So I figured out how the belt attaches. There is indeed a pulley which slides over the crankshaft. Now I just have to figure out how to get that part which holds the blade in place off. I'm not sure if its just rusted in place or what.

[Intrepidation]

Today after work I had a little daylight to tinker with the mower. Decided to pull off the cover and shroud. Only to find...

Dear gods...

Well no wonder why my neighbor said it would overheat after a while...no cooling with all that crud in there. Even little ants had taken up residence in it...time for an eviction.

To be sure there was a big mess, but it was no match for my pressure washer.

Much better. I did notice that the spark plug wire near the coil looks to have been chewed at, most of the insulation is gone. However, as it just so happens, I have one to spare.

Tomorrow I will see about getting the blade mounting bracket off, do an oil change, change the coil, spark plug, replace the fuel line, swap out the somewhat rusty muffler for the newer one, and reassemble the engine. Then it'll be just about time to transfer it to its new home...

All that will remain is the airbox mount I have on order and a new blade.

[ocnblu]

Please hurry, my grass is gettin' tall!

[Intrepidation]

So the day has come...

Wrapped up prepping the engine today. Installed a fuel filter and swapped out the muffler, as well as new spark plug, oil change, and swapped out the ignition coil.

Then unbolted the engine and transplanted it to its new home.

The fruits of my labor:

Runs great! All that's left is the proper air box mount which should be here Friday and a new blade which I'll also get Friday.

The only thing that doesn't work is the self propelled feature, because the donor engine's shaft is smaller in diameter than the original,s o the belt pulley doesn't fit on there properly. I'd like get that working, but it's not a big deal.

Not bad for $35, a good cleaning, and money spent on a little more than a good tune up.

[Camino LS6]

Nicely done!

Are those Viper wheels?

[Camino LS6]

[Intrepidation]

lol, I see what you did there.

But they look more like 4-prop propellers to me if anything.

[Camino LS6]

That's cause they cheaped-out and went with the 4-spokes instead of the 5s.

We should get you some yellow Viper badges...

[Intrepidation]

We are not ricing out the lawn mower.

What I will do is keep it looking nice. Rinsing it after each use and so on. I like nice things and I like them to stay looking nice.

However if you're wanting to get me stuff I'll take a Denso a/c compressor kthx.

My favorite mower from when I was a kid had metal multi spoke big wheels. Classy.

[Camino LS6]

How about a Viper-powered lawnmower...

[Intrepidation]

It would probably go about as well as Jeremy Clarkson's Corvette Powered blender.

[67impss]

I think they have one in the Mopar catalog

[RjION]

Long Stack dual cone CAI to match the wheels with a billet pull handle and oil cap ........ come on

[Intrepidation]

[Intrepidation]

The new air filter mount came in today. Installed it with no problems, but when I went to prime the engine gas started leaking out of the carburetor bowl. Turned out the gasket was bad, so I replaced it and the bowl with the spare I had. That fixed that leak, but then I found it coming out from behind the carburetor. So I took the whole thing off and discovered that the mounting bracket was bent right along where the carb mounts, so the gasket couldn't form a proper seal. Straightened that out and put it all back together.

I'm ready to call it finished. It starts first pull now, runs great, and I even got the drive wheels working. I wasn't able to get a pulley that would properly fit, but the one I have has a set screw in it which locks it into the notch in the crankshaft. It's not perfect, but it's not going anywhere, and this isn't a car, so it doesn't have to be perfect. Works great. I'm happy with how my project turned out.

[Camino LS6]

Cool!

[SAmadei]

My current lawnmower project turned out to be short one bolt... a reverse threaded oddball one. Outrageously expensive and because I ordered it solo, the shipping is costing the same as the bolt... so I have a $18 bolt coming to my house before I can cut grass again.

[Intrepidation]

I had a lot of fun with this. I might see about picking up another to play with.

I saw this in the back of the shop I ordered my air filter bracket from.

It's just like my favorite mower I used to have as a kid, except my was green. I'm gonna call them up and see what the deal is with it. If its just sitting there and they're willing to part with it for free or cheap, I think I'll grab it.

[ocnblu]

You're really moving up in the horsepower department, after messing with those Dodges. Are you sure you can handle the powuh?

[Intrepidation]

Well I f I can manage all of that racket power the Colorados at work have, I can manage these.

[Intrepidation]

It didn't burn out, it still works, it just looks like something chewed through a bunch of the wire's insulation. I figured might as well put the newer one in since I had it.

[ShadowDog]

Glad to see you're among the few outside of the disposable culture. While my grandfather was quite the resourceful and inventive fellow, my mom pretty much hangs on to everything broken that might end up being Frankensteined into existence again. She had four electric trimmers and I could get one working with all the parts; however, I calculated what my time was worth away from my wife, kids and other items on my job list and handed her a new $300 Echo gas trimmer and called it a day.

...I know, not very resourceful, but there's only so much I can take. What you did was something I would have done before a wife and kids. Now... I'd have given it all to someone like yourself with the time and effort. Good on you. That was a fine job!

[SAmadei]

Glad to see you're among the few outside of the disposable culture. While my grandfather was quite the resourceful and inventive fellow, my mom pretty much hangs on to everything broken that might end up being Frankensteined into existence again. She had four electric trimmers and I could get one working with all the parts; however, I calculated what my time was worth away from my wife, kids and other items on my job list and handed her a new $300 Echo gas trimmer and called it a day.

I don't necessarily fault that logic, but one thing I've seen is that the newer stuff tends to break permanently faster. The Frankenstein weedwacker made from 4 victims that uses older, stronger parts may outlast the $300 Echo 5-fold.

For me, I had 4-5 half-dead weedwackers, but even late '90s/early-00s wackers where made like garbage. I normally would have Frankenstiened them forever, but I was at wit's end and, uncharacteristically, I finally gave up and bought a new Craftsman one and its been good to me.

Now I have to figure out what to do with 4-5 perfectly good weedwacker motors. Motorized inline skates? ;-)

I wonder if one of them would run a water pump... Hmmm...

I still believe in the ol' Frankenstein, though.

[Intrepidation]

Briggs and Stratton Quantum engines haven't changed much in the last 12 or so year, which is why I had lots of spares. They're tough engines. Only way you can really kill one is by hitting something with it.

[RjION]

Dodge ............. all we need now is a video with sound clip of that badboy powering through the deep grass, and some driveway revvvvvving.

Edited June 27, 2011 by RjION