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Briggs ELS V-Twins on new Simplicity Regents

15 years ago

Hey Gang,

What do you guys hear/see w/ regards to this motor? I know there were filtration issues early on but they appear to have been resolved. I know this motor is no Kawasaki or Vanguard, but is it any good? Is it a 15+ year motor if cared for (oil changes, air filter maintenance, etc.)?

Thanks !

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Comments (5)

tomplum
15 years ago
The earlier ones did leave a nasty impression for many people. Maintenance is the key for sure. No bets on longevity here.
troller_mo
15 years ago
I have a 24hp model ELS on my '03 Craftsman GT5K and it's been a very good motor for me. I do get some cold engine startup blue smoke, but it immediately stops and doesn't do it for the rest of day operations. I'm sure this is due to crankcase bleed-off getting into carburator after shutting it down. I do make sure to check oil before initial startups just to be sure of oil quanity. I might add 1/2 quart or less each season, so I consider this normal.I also air blow the mower after mowing and blow the air filter clean(for next mowing)and have not had any air filter hold-down cover warpage problems as some have. Don't know if this helps or not in your purchase, but I think the ELS is a fine motor. As to longevity, I don't have any answers as the ELS is a newer motor compared to some of the other models. I've seen Honda, Kawasaki,Kohler engines have troubles too, so having a Briggs on a mower shouldn't be a turn-off.
Tim
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Hi all, I'm not mechanically inclined, so if you could give me some thoughts on what has happened I would appreciate it much. I have a Craftsman Pro Lawn Tractor, it has the B&S 24 hp ELS V-Twin with a 24" cut, that I just use here at home,(2 Acres) I've had it about 2 maybe 2.5 years and it is out of warranty. I was riding it from the garage to the yard (blades were not engaged yet) when a very loud pop happened and it died. After that, when I tried to restart it, the motor just turns but it will not start as if something in the engine broke..... I DO think this is MY fault (and I'm embarrassed to say this), but I think I was low on oil - could you give me a suggestion as to what may have broke, due to my ignorance, so I can at least have some idea of what to tell someone it may need when I try to find someone to give me an estimate to repair it? BTW, I live in a rural area and do not have any authorized B&S centers within approx. 80 miles of me (Sears store is about 58 mile away too). One last thing, I have always put new oil and filter, and air filter on it each year, and last year I put a new spark plug on it in addition to the other maintenance - I have tried to keep it running well, but this year I just made a MAJOR/stupid mistake that is gonna cost me......... Thanks for any suggestions guys (and ladies) :-)
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vinnie_s
15 years ago
I retrofitted my 2003 ELS just a dew weeks ago, to use that newer style 4 screw air-filter cover. It runs great. I highly recommend it. I was one of the lucky ones were it didn't fail, even though it had that defective cover. Now with the new style cover I installed, I don't have any fear of it failing. I have heard that the newer style ELS engines have been far more reliable. I think you are safe.
nine7xbam
15 years ago
Below is a thread about the Briggs ELS from this forum , albeit from 2 years ago . I'm just glad I bought my Broadmoor 4 years ago for just around 3K before they raised the price ridiculously high ! I'd go for the Deere X300 in your situation and probably would've bought that then if it had been available - the Deere model then closest to what I wanted was the LT180 with no cruise control feature and $250 more in price at $3300 than the Broadmoor I found at $3050 . And I would not ever blow out an air filter with compressed air as that could damage it and as a consequence damage the engine !

Here is a link that might be useful: Briggs ELS
nine7xbam
15 years ago
I see on another thread that you went with the X300 -good choice ! And don't ever blow out that air filter with compressed air . Congrats on your new machine !

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