Small Engines (Lawn Mowers, etc.): 5hp Briggs & Stratton, briggs stratton, exhaust gasket

Question
Hi Tim,
I was cleaning out my shed recently and I found an old 1987 Briggs & Stratton 5hp Horizontal Shaft flathead engine. It used to go on a go-kart of mine, and hadn't been started in eight years. I took it all apart, and cleaned it all out. But when I went to start it (using fresh fuel, of course), it took a while to start, and once running, emmited a lot of white smoke. I could tell it wasn't burning oil. I don't know what it was, but all of a sudden, the engine revved real high, there was a huge bang, and the engine threw a shower of sparks from the exhaust. Then it just lost all power, barely idling and backfiring like crazy. Then it just shut down. Oil was running from the intake, unburt fuel was dripping from the exhaust, smoke was coming out of the area around the spark plug. What the hell happened? Is it fixable?

Thanks!
-Scott

Answer
Hello Scott, I wish I could have been there to see an early 4th of July! It's fixable. What I would do in your shoes,would be begin at very basis. And decide if this is a excellent weekend project. Because one you have a fuel problem because white smoke was blowing out of your exhaust. Gasket and seal problems, and compression problems. Clean the engine and gut it and begin at the very core of it, and that would be the block. Sounds great! Happy decision making!