Snapper Robin EH18V vs Subaru EH18

12 years ago

I own a 2nd hand Snapper with a ProPoly Robin EH18V on an approx 2000 year commercial model.

I think the ignition coil is going bad (when hot it does not start. If it starts hot it takes almost a minute to become fully alive. Also it's been getting worse over the last year.) The ignition coil will cost $115 because parts on this engine are becoming scarce.

An auto dealer in town has several snappers that have not moved since I lived here. One of the commercial models has the Subaru EH18V (classic style) like the following:

www.hondayamahavillage.com/new_vehicle_detail.asp?veh=2163

My engine shows 6.5 hp and the Subaru shows 6.0 hp. The dealer is asking $650.

There is a discussion here about these engines here: (scroll toward the end until you see the EH18V snapper)

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/lmower/msg091724278798.html

So are these engines the same?

I don't want to make an offer on the Subaru if I will run into the same parts problems.

Also what would be a good price to offer? And about how much could I get for mine?

Thanks for the advice.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (9)

canguy
12 years ago
Subaru and Robin are the same, the engines are made by Fuji in Japan. Very good product but parts are scarce and expensive.
subarupower
12 years ago
Hello,

EH18V was introduced to the US market in the late 90's. We've discontinued the production of this model around year 2001 due to lack of demand from the US OEM's. Since the product was on the market for a few good years, we're obligated to keep the parts supply in our stock for long years after discontinuation.

The part number for the Ignition Coil is 261-79401-41 and we have it listed for $99.96. The electronic components tend to be priced a little higher, I figure because of the costs involved in manufacturing it, compared to other engine components. Please make sure you contact one of our distributors to receive the best available pricing on our parts, $115.00 is a little high for this service part. To find a distributor near you, please visit our website and use our dealer locator, I am providing the link below.

http://subarupower.com/dealerusacan.aspx

Regards,

Subaru Power
Lake Zurich, IL
Related Discussions
2 cycle Snapper question - need advice
Q
Comments (28)
Right, there's no reason you shouldn't mulch with a Hi-Vac. The only functional difference is that the bottom lip on the deck is turned under for a Hi-Vac and outward for the dedicated mulchers with the A.I.R. designation. I mulch with a Hi-Vac all the time, and so do a bunch of lawn crews. Dan, I'm not familiar with a smaller OHV Robin. That would be interesting. I am familiar with the old L-head Robins, that I think might have been called WT1-185V or something like that. Although displacing the same as the EH18V, these would be much smaller and lighter due to the L-head configuration. They would also make a lot less power. But as you say, I'm sure they are anvil reliable. I thought about buying one on eBay once for a mower project, but never got around to it. My current mower is a C216012RV (commercial Hi-Vac with the monster Robin EH18V but no self-propel) that I added self-propel to. This thing was the deal of the century: the guy was local and listed it on eBay as a "Robin" mower instead of Snapper for $50 buy-it-now, IIRC. So nobody with a "Snapper" search ever saw it, and I snapped (pun intended) it up asap when I saw it. I went to pick it up, and it looked brand new. They guy couldn't start it, so he figured it was disposable. I got it home, cleaned out the carb, and it ran great. I added the drive system with parts I mostly had laying around, and now I have the Cadillac of Hi-Vacs (Cadi-Vac?).
...See More
Snapper/Robin no spark
Q
Comments (3)
eric has a good point with the chute safety. newer Snappers no longer have the safety but yours may. When the chute is located correctly it presses on a lever disengaging the connection. EH18V. If memory is correct, this is the one they had problems with coil set up. They had no adjustment for air gap and some were as much as .045" on the gap. Some would run OK for a while and die, others wouldn't run at all. I suppose if one were not as far out it would last longer before quiting. Check the air gap, if more then .010" try to re-gap it. If it won't get down to .010", remove it and look at the mounting holes. The may not be elongated for adjusting. In the shop we used a dremmel with a small barrel cutter and made that slot that should have been in there and made the correct air gap adjustment. They were fine after that.
...See More
Bought a used Snapper - have questions
Q
Comments (23)
That is an older flathead Robin engine. The "85" is just part of the model #, not the year. That may be about right, though. You can look on the deck behind the engine and find a silver tag with the model and serial number of the Snapper deck (as opposed to just the engine) and then look that up the Snapper site to find exactly what you have. You will also find the owner and parts manuals there. Go to www.snapper.com and click "literature." If you have the bag on and the chute is not plugged, the mower should always bag the grass. Your chute just got plugged. This can happen, especially with wet grass. If bagging is your - ahem - bag, then you might want to see what kind of blade you have under there and get the one with the "winglets" that bolt on to provide extra lift. That seems to prevent a lot of clogs by increasing the force through the chute. As for the drive speed lever: no, it should stay in the speed you select. The little bumps on the lever's panel are there to hold in gear, but there should be a spring behing that panel to hold it - maybe that's missing? Or else the adjustment slider down near the driven pulley's bracket is loose, allowing the driven pully to wander on the drive wheel (turntable). The tubing protruding from the side - do you mean from the side of the engine? Maybe that's the oil dipstick tube. I hope you actually have a dipstick in it! Otherwise, I'm having trouble thinking of what it would be. These are good machines that are very serviceable and still are produced new today with few changes (the engines have changed, of course). Especially if you are bagging, there is no reason it won't be productive for you.
...See More
Snapper Subaru Robin EH18
Q
Comments (1)
Go to the Subaru-Robin page and look up service and support. They have both parts list and service manual for your EH18. The service manual has specific info about setting the governor. You can then pull down a PDF of the two manuals. See the link below. Here is a link that might be useful: Subaru Manuals
...See More
lonestar245
12 years ago
A young friend who mows for school money picked up a Snapper with the EH18V engine- I think. LOL. I looks like the EH18V anyway- the exposed metal shroud version- OHV. I handle his repairs as needed. He runs Snappers as I believe they are the toughest, least expensive decks to keep going over the long haul.

The engine ran fine when I inspected it, then again when he fired up a couple of times to show off to some motorhead buddies, then after owning it for a day, it would not start. I cannot find that it has any spark. I have removed the kill wire when cranking. Used a cheap Harbor Freight tester (the kind with a light bulb) and the bulb does not light up at all. I sanded off the magnet on the flywheel and the coil face (fairly rusty)- still nothing. I found a SB indicating some had hard restarts when hot due to coil being too far away- I drilled out the mounting holes and moved it closer- I use a Stihl service tag (business card thickness) as my spacer and it works every time- but not this time. Tired a new plug- nothing.

So, I am assuming the coil is bad. Finding this thread, I see coils are expensive! If I go by the number provided, I cant even find one for sale using google to search. I have tried all my usual online sources for parts- nothing. In addition, I simply cannot justify spending $100 on a coil for a $300 mower.

I have seen many brand new coils with different part numbers on places like eBay that look identical to this coil, but hesitate to start throwing good money after bad. Any chance some of these might fit and work on this motor?

Or am I missing something with the existing coil, or does anyone know where I can get one for less than $50, or did he just invest in a boat anchor? I feel bad for him as I advised him I have always heard these were great engines- "The Honda Killer" as I have heard some dealers say about them.
subarupower
12 years ago
If you can find coils that are older than the number we provided above, you can use them. I don't think fitting aftermarket coil will work on this engine due to certain magnet requirement specs.

Please try setting the air gap between the coil and the flywheel's magnet anywhere between 0.012-0.020in. using a filler gauge instead of Stihl's service tags.
lb1kenobi
11 years ago
Picked up a NOS Robin 2 cycle motor on ebay, need correct crankshaft for a Snapper 21" Hi-Vac mower that is selfpropelled. Anyone got any parts for these? See link:
Looks like the seller has one more left.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Robin-Snapper-EC13V-4HP-2-Cycle-Engine-/270858372254?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0amp;hash=item3f106ac49e#ht_3941wt_1374
Greg Goyeneche
11 years ago
Interesting engine. I have a couple of Snappers with the WTI-125V/EC-13V 2 cycle motor. Mine are from the late 90's so are nameplated Wisconsin-Robin. Your motor has an oddball shaft, which I believe is for the Comet BBC. Standard direct drive Snapper application uses 3-5/32 x 7/8 or 25mm. Also, your engine does not have the zone start control.

Although you can't bolt up the engine and use it on your Snapper, if you paid $100 you got a good deal for parts. Coil costs at least that much, and the Mikuni carb is in the same neighborhood.

The only thing not practical to substitute are the cranks, because the crank is a three-piece built up assembly, and requires an inspection plate and gauge blocks to set it up properly upon assembly.
lb1kenobi
11 years ago
ggoyeneche-

I don't understand what you mean by inspection plate and gauge blocks,can you elaborate on that,I figured it would be a simple procedure to switch crankshafts to the snapper self propelled style.
Greg Goyeneche
11 years ago
The crankshaft is a three-piece, right and left shafts, plus a press fit crankpin connecting the two. The con rod and its bearings are assembled thru the crankpin before everything is pressed together. It's absolutely important that you get the two pieces lined up correctly relative to one another, and that there is no sag or camber to the assembled pieces.

Send me an email through the forum, and I'll respond back with the page from the parts list which illustrates what I'm talking about.
HU-238142609
last year
last modified: last year
What type of oil should I use for a 6.0 eh18 motor and what's the capacity

Snapper Robin EH18V vs Subaru EH18

Comments (9)

canguy

subarupower

Related Discussions

lonestar245

subarupower

lb1kenobi

Greg Goyeneche

lb1kenobi

Greg Goyeneche

HU-238142609

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US