Ok , I have I believe to be a 2011 Craftsman riding mower with a 48 inch cutting deck and a 24hp Intek V-twin Briggs & Stratton engine that was given to me 3/25/18 of this year. Engine model #446677 0463 E1. Previous owner said engine started backfiring while mowing then died. Since I had done auto mechanic work for several years and the mower still looked almost new I accepted it. Got it home and charged up the battery and give it a whirl. The engine completed about 4 or 5 revolution’s and it backfired. So did a little research on this issue. Found out it could be several things. So I removed the flywheel and checked for a bent flywheel keyway. It was fine. Next I pulled the valve covers and what do you know. Sitting on the mower on the left side it had dropped the pushrod out of the lower exhaust tapper and sucked it into the engine. The valve guide and spring looked fine and were not stuck as I could compress the spring and valve without any hard spots. On the intake valve it had about .0012 clearance and the pushrod was barely hanging on. The right side of the engine was almost as bad finding both pushrods barely hanging on and not dropping out of the tappers. I have tried to use a telescoping magnet and run it inside the engine just to the right of where the pushrod sets on the lobe. I’m not sure if the pushrod is steel or aluminum? Anyway no luck from that point of entry. Next I removed the oil filler tube and went from that angle but the magnet only grabbed the crankshaft and wouldn’t allow me to move the magnet all around in the crankcase to retrieve the stray pushrod. It got dark on me so I had to stop for the night. Tomorrow I’m going to drain the oil and remove the drain valve and give it a try that way and after the oil is drained I had thought about jacking up the opposite side of the mower so that the pushrod might be loose in the crankcase and slide or roll to the side of the crankcase where the filler tube and oil drain valve are and maybe get lucky and be able to retrieve it. What I would like to know is the exhaust pushrod steel or aluminum and do you have any suggestions that wouldn’t require the engine to have to be torn down ! I sure could use a engine repair manual showing how to separate the engine case if needed to extract the rougue pushrod. Anything you can suggest or can me to download would be awesome. Thanks Tim F.

Shaun , Yeah usually better to start new thread , as you can see multitude of questions and not quite as many qualified responses. If you are comparing apples to apples Briggs not Tecumseh or Kohler , then yes the Briggs in question are junk . however if you maintain them , they will serve you reasonably . They have had a history of premature cam lobe wear and valve lash issues and bent push rods. They require religious mtce oil filter changes along with valve top end lube fuel treatments . Your experience could be any of 5 basic issues. Worn cam lobe , worn valve guide , dirty carbon fouled valve seats or faulty guides , loose valve lash rocker adjusting nuts or screw or a slightly bent or worn push rod . Only you can advise of the preventative mtce you have performed , regular oil and filter changes , fuel conditioner use etc ! Check you internal components and get back to us with Engine specifics Manf. Model Number , age , general condition !

I would point out here that the Original Service Manuals did say to adjust the valves AT TDC however, a Service Bulletin came out correcting this to 1/4" down past TDC so OP may have an old manual. Also, the fact that this only happens to the one cylinder is further indication of a cooling problem.as I mentioned above. One Mfgr routed the exhaust too close to one of the heads causing such a problem, don't recall who. Walt Conner PS: There are at least 3 tried and proven ways to fix a slipped valve guide but buying a new head each time it happens does help the economy. This post was edited by walt2002 on Sun, Nov 23, 14 at 15:54

Just wanted to let you know I found more of the Canopy Rods at another newer Wal-Mart. I am one happy camper. The rods are a much less expensive version of a design I'd expect to see at Pottery Barn or Restoration Hardware. The quality is excellent and the prices can't be beat. I recommend anyone in the market seek out this brand. The 36 - 66" rods were $25 and the 66 - 120" rods were $31. My total for 2 of each was about $110. They are 1 1/2" diameter rods, nice and substantial too. I am simply thrilled with this purchase. It is for my "temporary" window treatment -- someday I will spring for the custom drapes I really want, I hope, and these rods might get the boot. But they look really amazing with the panels I got from Linens and things (108" long tone on tone striped damask in a pale straw color w/coupon only $20 each!! I needed 13 panels for my project). We just have so many other expenses right now, that I am proud of myself that for a total investment of $380 I have all the draperies I need to polish up my very large kitchen dining room/great room. Can't wait to get them up...