Used Briggs and Stratton Engines

Well Used Briggs and Stratton Engined Generator

Have you ever been offered some cast of item with a Briggs and Stratton gas engine? Perhaps someone left an old lawnmower by the curb. Ormaybe a relative had a weed wacker or generator they no longer wanted.

About ten years ago, I was given an already well used Briggs and Stratton engine generator. It was an old 6000 watt Craftsman from Sears. It was in rough shape and did not run. The previous owner gave it to me for that reason.

Looking it over, it had a clogged fuel filter and possible a dirty carburator. Seeing that it had sat outside,and was covered in rust and dog hair, I figured maintenance was not adhered to. The fuel tank was filled about a quarter of capacity.

Unlike many peole who store their gas engines dry, I usually keep them totally filled to the brim. About a cup of Stabil and a topped off tank later, I changed the fuel filter. The carb was primed and I gavethe pull start some pulls.

The choke was leaking a bit of fuel and the carb was trying to let fuel flow. After a few pulls, there were some chugs.Flipping the choke off, the engine started. All this thing needed was good fuel and a new filter. Stabil has saved many a gas engine for me. Craftsman used to warranty everything they sold. But this did not apply to generators. Luckily Briggs and Stratton engines have been made forever. They are usually fairly easy to work on.

Fuel filter, eventually new fuel hoses, and cleaning some corrosion is about all this engine has needed. Corrosion forms in the pull start mechanism. Small ball bearing use centrifugal force to act as a clutch to engage the pull rope to the crank. Compression and a spark plug then do their work to fire off the engine. Thisengine probably has many years left in it now, with just minimal maintenance.

For all two stroke gas engines, make sure you use some sort of fuel treatment to keep water sepration and shellac from forming inside the carb. This is why I prefer to keep all fuel components "wet" instead of running them dry. Ran dry, shellac can form from the ethanol gasoline sold today. Next, checking and adding oil as needed is about all you should need to do for maintenance.

Of course, keeping the engine out of the weather helps a lot. I made a nice wood cover for this generator. A custom pigtail cable lets me run about 2/3 of my house off of this generator when needed. The custom pigtail was made from a section of large industrial grade generator cable and connectors from a big box home improvement store. This lets me connect the generator to a connector on the outside of my house. Briggs and Stratton engines have been used in many items, not just generators, and many of them use the same parts.

My John Deere lawnmower, even though being a smaller egnine, is still a Briggs and Stratton. They both use the same air filter, fuel filter and spark plugs. They even have the same carburator. This makes maintenance easier as you are not buying spare parts for multiple models. Thiscan be a great thing if you are needing or wanting to keep things simple.

If you find an old Briggs and Stratton engine in a lawnmower or generator. Give it a second look, it may be an easy fix. It may even use parts you have for another item. They are relaible and easy to repair in most cases.