HoosierBuddy
Well-known member
So, we've got this Ariens ZTR mower....and I've gotten into a bit of a love/hate relationship with it.
The wife was using it to get one more mowing in before putting it up for the year and she said she noticed oil on the barn floor next to it before starting so she added some. Well, I saw her circling the yard blowing blue smoke and I have to admit my stomach dropped a bit. "F-in head gasket!"
I black flagged her on lap 3 and pulled it into the pits; black oil dripping off the engine. I pulled the dipstick and there was the telltale wisp of smoke coming from the oil sump. Yup...I know how this story goes.
These B&S Intek's are a great value....less than $600 for a fully dressed 19 to 21 horse engine. But the 540 cc single cylinder engine has a known weak point and that's the head gasket. Last time this one went, I borrowed a trailer from work, hauled it 10 miles to the small engine repair place, waited a week, borrowed the trailer again and got it home.
Thinking about the logistics, I figured it'd be faster (less manhours for me) to fix it myself. So, I got on the horn with the small engine place and told "the man" what was going on and I figured it was time to learn how to change the head gasket myself. He was very accommodating, and bagged up head gasket, rocker cover gasket and an exhaust gasket and left them at the counter for my wife to pick up. Like $25. I went ahead and picked up a new spark plug, oil filter, air filter and 2 quarts of oil while I was at it. Another $30.
The repair went pretty well. It took me right at 2 hours from picking up the first tool to test running after repair. The only tricky part was resetting the valve lash with feeler gauges. The most time was spent getting everything super clean before installing the new head gasket.
Anyway....it went back together and started first time. The wife ran it the next day for about 45 minutes doing her last mowing for the season and learned once again that it's handy to have someone that's handy.
I bought a spare set of gaskets and stuck them on a nail next to the mower. I did it right....but I figure this will not be the last time that gasket burns through. Really, it looks to me that B&S need to make the gasket out of a better material. If they made a metal elastomer replacement gasket, it'd probably be a once and done fix. The fiber gasket seals OK, but the cylinder pressure eventually blows it out, then you've got exhaust pushing into the intake and oil being shoved out everywhere.
Phil
The wife was using it to get one more mowing in before putting it up for the year and she said she noticed oil on the barn floor next to it before starting so she added some. Well, I saw her circling the yard blowing blue smoke and I have to admit my stomach dropped a bit. "F-in head gasket!"
I black flagged her on lap 3 and pulled it into the pits; black oil dripping off the engine. I pulled the dipstick and there was the telltale wisp of smoke coming from the oil sump. Yup...I know how this story goes.
These B&S Intek's are a great value....less than $600 for a fully dressed 19 to 21 horse engine. But the 540 cc single cylinder engine has a known weak point and that's the head gasket. Last time this one went, I borrowed a trailer from work, hauled it 10 miles to the small engine repair place, waited a week, borrowed the trailer again and got it home.
Thinking about the logistics, I figured it'd be faster (less manhours for me) to fix it myself. So, I got on the horn with the small engine place and told "the man" what was going on and I figured it was time to learn how to change the head gasket myself. He was very accommodating, and bagged up head gasket, rocker cover gasket and an exhaust gasket and left them at the counter for my wife to pick up. Like $25. I went ahead and picked up a new spark plug, oil filter, air filter and 2 quarts of oil while I was at it. Another $30.
The repair went pretty well. It took me right at 2 hours from picking up the first tool to test running after repair. The only tricky part was resetting the valve lash with feeler gauges. The most time was spent getting everything super clean before installing the new head gasket.
Anyway....it went back together and started first time. The wife ran it the next day for about 45 minutes doing her last mowing for the season and learned once again that it's handy to have someone that's handy.
I bought a spare set of gaskets and stuck them on a nail next to the mower. I did it right....but I figure this will not be the last time that gasket burns through. Really, it looks to me that B&S need to make the gasket out of a better material. If they made a metal elastomer replacement gasket, it'd probably be a once and done fix. The fiber gasket seals OK, but the cylinder pressure eventually blows it out, then you've got exhaust pushing into the intake and oil being shoved out everywhere.
Phil
Last edited: