QuestionMy Murray riding mower engine just stopped yesterday while I was mowing. Would barely move when I hit the starter. Checked the oil and it was gone!!! Let it sit overnight, added oil to it and it will turn over but not start.
Started tearing engine down and found that most of the bolts holding the lower pan on were loose and oil had leaked from several of them and around the gasket. There are some scratches in the cylinder. They don't appear to be very deep (but I've never done this before!!). Can I just hone them out, and see what happens without replacing pistons/rings/etc.?? Can I even order just new stock rings or would I have to order over-sized rings (and over-sized piston to match??)??
I have no problem tearing down, reassembling -- it's just the question of the cylinder bore, pistons and rings. What should the ring end gaps be?? If I had to go with .010 (or larger pistons, do I have to take the block to a shop or can I do it with my cylinder hone?? To order over-sized rings must I order over-sized pistons?? I'm thinking yes.....
Any guidance in this area would be most appreciated.
Thanks, Mike
AnswerYou might be able to hone out the scratches, depending on how bad they are, but the engine may not last as long.
The best repair would be to take the block to a machine shop and have the cylinder re-bored. Of course there is labor costs along with a new piston and rings.
If the scratches are not too deep you could hone and go with with over-sized rings but you might have to file the rings to get the correct gap.
http://www.nnyparts.com/briggsspec.pdf
See page 171 for ring gaps:
http://bgsengineclinic.com/brochures/276781SingleCylinderOHV.pdf
Eric
