If you read my post again you will see that I said "And you should never run the engine at less then full speed unless you are sitting still. Hydro pumps, blade tip speed, etc are all engineered to work best at full throttle and you will help keep the engine from building up carbon." I did NOT say that running an engine at less then full throttle will build up carbon. There will be normal carbon buildup in any of the engines used in lawn and garden equipment. Lugging a tractor around at lower engine speeds for an extended period of time will build up MORE carbon then if it is run at full throttle, especially under a load such as with the blades engaged. If you feel a need to run your engine at 2800 instead of the factory set 3600 then that's your choice. While I am far from being some type of know it all, super mechanic, I have been working on this type of equipment/engines (at 3 different businesses that deal in various brands such as Snapper, Toro, Exmark, Lawnboy, Scag, etc) for about 18 years so I have seen a thing or two. So if you believe that running an engine at 2800 instead of 3600 is better, then I guess it is I that is all ears.

It is very hard to imagine the cap coming off the valve while the engine is running and not having an extreme affect on the engine running if it would run at all. I am not sure but what the thickness of that valve cap would be such that it would exceed the depth of the indention in the rocker arm, which holds the push rod in place, letting the push rod fall out and rocker arm dislocate. I would come nearing thinking that it was dislodged when someone was working on the valves and left out when the valve was adjusted. Also, a dislodged valve cap is not going to cause the engine to "makes an awful clanging noise from the engine." It would be noisy of course. Sure, put the cap back on, adjust the valves and see what happens. (Don't try to "pop" it back in place) To answer your question, it is held in place by the close fit of the parts, not enough room for it to come out. Walt Conner

You guys have been VERY helpful - wish i could buy you all a beer... Turns out the engine is a Tecumseh and NOT a Briggs & Stratton ... No where on the engine did it say Tecumseh - I finally found a sticker on the side of the engine with some numbers which turned out to be sears parts numbers and then finally I traced a part number to 36680 (a tecumseh Starter motor part number) Anyhow - i found a couple of aftermarket starters for the about $49-59 dollars a real Tec. Starter (#36680) is about $125 bucks (definitely not going to happen). I question the value of this tractor no cutting deck, rough shape, etc. --- I would not pay $50 dollars for the tractor - So Im not sure I would spend the $50-60 to actually repair it... As suggested - I will continue to search for a bargain starter - I know if I wait long enough Ill get it for a good price... BUT to confuse things further - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Today I ran into someone who put out an older Snapper lawn mower with a 8hp Briggs and a 30ish inch cutting deck onto their front lawn (for free!) Its rough - but its free... (wow - that 8HP B+S engine is a lot bigger than the 8hp tecemseh engine) Its a pull start unit (no electric starting), owner tells me it will fire up with starting fluid but wont run, it did run last spring... So Im thinking Ill "grab her snapper" - toss the sears tractor (but keep the tecumseh motor just in case). And work the Briggs motor/carb into something usable.... QUESTIONS: -- - - - - -- - - - - - - 1. Do any of you happen to know if theres enough meat on the back of that funky looking Snapper tractor to mount my crumy little ball hitch to drag around my trailers? The Snapper Im talking about looks roughly like this one http://www.snapper.com/rear_engine_riders.html except older i did not think to look for that when i was looking the snapper over... 2. Do any of you know if the engine mounting bolt patterns for a 8HP Tecumseh and a 8HP B&S engine are the same??? Granted the snapper has the mowing deck (but I got a scotts 2046 for mowing). The sears is a good slow mule for my intentions of moving trailers, moving stone and logs around the property Plus im gonna have to take the pully into consideration (that sounds messy)... im guessing crank diameters dont match... 3. Do you think the Snapper has a torque-y transmission transaxle (whatever it has under there) to do roughly what Im doing with my Sears? The Snapper Im talking about looks roughly like this one http://www.snapper.com/rear_engine_riders.html Im thinking the Snapper might be a good choice Your thoughts please Mucho Thanks - Dave

I put a new Briggs 16 HP cast iron engine (Model 326437) in our 1971 or 2 Gilson. Did this in 1983, and installed an hour meter at the same time. The engine now has well over 1000 hours and just this summer began burning oil. On taking it apart, the valves and valve seats were still excellent, the bore showed almost no wear, and the crankshaft connecting rod journal looks good and is within the Briggs' manual reject limits. The piston was the main sufferer. It has an eroded top land near the exhaust valve side. I've ordered a new standard size piston, connecting rod, and a set of very pricey chromium plated piston rings. These are no longer sold by Briggs, but I found set from a parts supplier. When the engine was new I added an oil filter and have used Mobil 1 synthetic ever since, 20-50 weight. Also clean the air filter regularly, oil the foam band around the air filter, and change the oil when it looks dirty, which is often much more than the 25 hours recommended by Briggs. I believe that other engine brands would do as well, or better given equal care. My favorite engine is the little Kubota on our ZTR.