I will say that this video may no longer be valid. I have learned that Tecumseh in one form or another is still producing parts for their engines as well as building new engines in other parts of the world.
I will go check out their website for myself as well.
Harbor freight sells an engine under the name "Predator" which is a twin to Tecumseh push mower engines I have. I don't know if the Tecumsehs had iron cylinders but the Predator has cast iron cylinders, ball bearings and also a paper air filter. Show me a Briggs and Scrap-Iron 4 to 6hp engine with those features. Plus, I use the heck out of these mowers on my tree farm and they will run nearly two hours on a tank of fuel. We have to chase the B&S mowers with gas cans. That realy sucks!
Harbor freight sells an engine under the name "Predator" which is a twin to Tecumseh push mower engines I have. I don't know if the Tecumsehs had iron cylinders but the Predator has cast iron cylinders, ball bearings and also a paper air filter. Show me a Briggs and Scrap-Iron 4 to 6hp engine with those features. Plus, I use the heck out of these mowers on my tree farm and they will run nearly two hours on a tank of fuel. We have to chase the B&S mowers with gas cans. That realy sucks!
I am so tired of seeing American companies setting up shop in China. I had a Rupp minibike that had a 4hp Tecumseh engine that was totally bulletproof. I ran it hard, but I always kept the oil clean. It never let me down. If I was a millionaire I'd buy the Tecumseh patents and re-organize the company. If it were up to me Tecumseh would be back with a vengeance!!!
our local hardware store is still selling tecumseh engines on there equipment. they must have a stock of them still i bought a few engines made by tec just to have them.
I gotta say that it seems that Briggs are better built than Tecumseh's, as I have a 1981 11 hp vertical and a 1979 11 hp horizontal cast iron Briggs, and they both ALWAYS start.
The original family didn't sell them 10 years ago, it happened in '07, much more recently. Sold to Platinum Equity who never tried to revive the company, and in turn sold it to Certified Parts Corp.
My mini bike has a 4.5HP Tecumseh engine on it and it's beautiful. It went through all the seasons without being covered and all I needed was gas and a new spark plug (was sitting for 2 years) then it sat for another year and the only thing I needed was oil. Tecumseh is an amazing engine brand. Haters GTFO.
I never had good luck with Tecumseh. 4 years ago, my 6 year old pushmower's Tecumseh blew the connecting rod through the side of the crankcase. I replaced that with a Lawn Boy with a Tecumseh. Today, it wouldn't start. Turns out, the cylinder walls are scored from the rings destroying themselves. My neighbors 5 year old Tecumseh engine locks up sometimes from the valves sticking. IMHO, Tecumseh = badly engineered junk. All of my B&S powered mowers still work, some are > 30 years old.
@BSD2000 The recent Tecumseh LEV series of engines is junk, I had one and the cylinder walls died, massive scoring everywhere. Just like your issue with yours. Old Tecumsehs were great, just as good as Briggs engines. The 3.5hp series that they built for Sears under the Eager 1 brand name, were very durable engines.
Sad that another American company goes away. A lot of people don't like Tecumseh. As the author of this video says, 'Tecumseh has served me well as well'. I bought a KMart mower (green) in '94, 4 hp Tecumseh. Engine was still strong when I abandoned it to the trash because of a shot deck. My newer 6hp Tecumseh is getting ready to go on its second deck (the decks are the weak link). It's a '98, with quite a bit of use under its belt. Runs fine.
i just found out when i went to an ariens dealer you will see sabaru small engines being put on some smaller snowblowers like 24 and 26 models which are their most popular but it comes at a price increase of around 200.00?? whats up with that
New owners of Tecumseh have decided to start up production again. They have made an agreement with LCT Engines to start with 2-cycle and then the snow king. And they will be made domestically. check out lausonpower on the web.
@pjdrews hey buddy I googled lauson power and didn't find any thing that spoke of the new 2-Strokes or the snow kings can you post a specific web address for me please I would really love to see it Thanks
I have both a Briggs mower and a Tecumseh mower. The Briggs mower is only about two years old and it's already a piece of shit. The Tecumseh mower is about seven years old and it stills runs like brand new! I'm sorry to see Tecumseh go!
I just started college for small engine repair and have had 2 Tecumseh engines come across my workbench. I am really lovin' Briggs and Stratton, more every day. My lawnmower (which works only half the time) has a Tecumseh 3.5 on it and I hope documentation on it is easier to find than the other motors I've worked on.
@outlawdad74 Info is out there in these engines as well as parts. There are numerous repair manuals for the different styles of engines. These manuals also contain specs like torque values, clearances etc...
sad.......i have(i belive) 1968 tecumseh..(US made baby!!!)....im rebuilding it.......i have awsoe luck with the OLDER tecumseh's......NEWER are SHIT cuz they chinese made.....the only thing chinese ever could do right was make food........they are great strong runing motors..........i think the reason people have so much trouble with tecumsehs is there harder on em or the dont take care of the engine........i think i have more tecumseh than briggs.......AND IM PROUD OF IT!
@noacronym actually it was really bad while the previous wackjob. A.k.a. G.W. A-Hole was president. my state lost 280,000 jobs mostly in manufacturing mostly to FUCKIN CHINA. i really think that that A hole was trying to make Americans work for less
That just plain sucks! Ive never had a bad tecumseh engine. In fact, I just brought one up from down south for my mower. Needed a carb and breather....... strong compression starts first pull. No idea how old it is. BTW nice sign! I have nothing against briggs or tecumseh I own both. If briggs ever goes were screwed, im sick of seing 'made in china' on every damn thing.
@MattytheDem LMAO, i would have to say thats correct! Im running a USA made 80's era Tecumseh on my one mower whose deck is about 30 years old and a 23 year old briggs on the other, both one pull starters and American Made!
Starting in Fall of '08 all the Sears Craftsman snowblowers no longer have Tecumseh engines. They are now being built with some Chinese made engine. Made in USA used to mean good quality at a reasonable price. Sadly now, Made in China means anything from good to poor quality at the same price.
@westernhunter38 I have seen those China engines at the local Sears hardware, I have also seen them on the generic MTD snow blowers at home depot and Lowes.
Its amazing how far foreign prducts have penetrated the US market, its disgusting.
Sad!! That's what happens when good companies are mis-managed. This country used to be a nation of skilled manufacturers and builders. Now, thanks to bad leadership as well as environmental concerns, we are quickly losing our ability to be a skilled manufacturing nation. God forbid that Americans should get their hands dirty anymore. We've become a nation of over-educated, but really stupid whimps!
@westernhunter38 Exactly, the USA was once the technological leader of the world. Everything from precision machining, to the most advanced electronics we did best.
@FearSyndr0me Nobody said anything about the Japs. The Japanese have always made good quality well engineered products. It's just that early on most westerners had this false idea that anything made in Japan was inferior and nothing could have been farther from the truth. Maybe most USA companies need to take some pointers from the Japanese these days.
@MattytheDem My experience with Kawasaki lawn mower engines has impressed me tremendously. My dad bought a Toro mower with a Kawi engine on it in 1985, that thing still runs flawless with only basic routine maintanence given at the start of every season. I know a few other Kawi owners who've had the same great experience with Kawasaki engines. They really are a workhorse.
@westernhunter38 I so agree , I say we send OSHA ,EPA, Lawyers and Obamas carbon tax to China and then lets see them play ball . did I mention child labor ?
Tecumseh made great motors, I have 6 horse on a rototiller and an 8 on a racing mower. The TVM195 (8 horse) runs like a beast, even without a needle in the carb! plus it's been flooded with rainwater at least five times, and never got hydrolocked. 5 pulls and it started right up!
I ran over a pick axe and chopped it in two with my 1970 3hp Tecumseh back in '85, and it kept running after replacing the sheared woodruff key. The crankshaft was a little bent, which caused slight vibration, but it still mowed our 1 acre lawn till '95, when the deck rusted out. Kept the engine as a spare, no way I could part with that fantastic piece of machinery!
I haven't had any troubles with my Tecumseh engines. I tried to blow one up once- ran it full bore- and on propane too so it was running quite hot. It took about 20 minutes... the small amount of oil remaining in the crankcase was gelled up, and the rod eventually snapped. The connecting rod is probably the weakest part of any 4 cycle small engine.
Well, to be honest, Tecumseh engines tend to have carb issues more often then Briggs. They, like others have said, are prone to throwing rods if abused. For years Sears was Tecumseh's largest client, using their engines on 99% of their equipment from the 50s to the 80s. When Tecumseh quality started to decline in the 80s, Sears realised the engines were costing them money and began using Tecumseh less and less. When that major contract was lost it was a combination of lost sales and bad.....
I do not pefer one brand ot the other when it comes to Tecumseh and Briggs. I feel that with the proper care both will preform well and last quite a long time.
tecumseh ,sucks they throw rods and break flywheel keys like crazy .I nearly lost a finger trying to start one of those pieices of shit,they are tecrapsehs to me.i you do happen to get one running put it to full throttle put bleach in the gas and blow the bitch up!!! Get a REAL engine, get a Briggs.
I have been a user of both B&S and Tecumseh and really havent had too may problems with either. Have a Yard Machines snow blower with a 5.5 Tecumseh on it for 2 years and hasn't given me a lick of trouble. I also have a 1975 B&S lawn mower that wouldnt run until I cracked open the points cap and cleaned off the corrosion. The machine sat for like 8 years and after I cleaned the points and put fresh gas in it it fired right up! So I really don't have any gripes about either make.
Solid state ignition for Tecumseh OH140. Open from spark plug terminal to metal case of unit. Should be a couple thousand ohms if I'm not mistaken. So secondary winding must be broken. No way to fix other than buy $150 part 610906. Any suggestions to save money?
Well, the first thing I would do is snip off the psark plug lead anout an inch from the coil, then check resistance. This will eleminate the secondary as the fault. If your coil checks out good after that I would just splice a new HV lead onto the coil. I would use a but splice and then build it up with friction tape and follow with a good piece of heat shrink tube.
I've had to rebuild the carbs on a couple of my Tecumsehs a couple times, but thats all that ever happen to these things. The 25 year old 8 horse on my snowblower always starts in -20 degree temperatures and the only thing that has ever been touched on it is the spark plug. They just don't die.
Great , those POS engines never run right. The carb. leaks on them from the factory. Buy a real small engine , buy a Briggs. They need to move to China . Those slant eyed bastards cant build an engine either. I wont miss theses engines at all.
@MattytheDem the kohler engines that i have seen fuck up have been the victims of shit maintainance. kohler engines must be properly maintained just like a teccy or a briggs
I have an old H70 7hp tecumseh on my snow blower and i love it. Starts right up no matter how cold it gets, i give it a beating all winter long and doesnt give me any problems!
At this point I an discusted with anything these engine manufactures crank out today. Their commercial/ industrial engines (Honda and Briggs) still seem to be of decent quality. But for the everyday lawnmower enigne, I turn away some repair jobs on new engines because no matter what is done they still won't run "right".
I have spent more time fixing my Tecumseh lawn mower than I have cutting my grass. Their engines are badly designed pieces of crap. No wonder they are history.
I use to work for a small engine shop and the worst Tecumseh engine that they ever produced was the mid 90s Vector series. Who ever designed that engine was smoking something bad!! After that I think Tecumseh started on a steady down hill decline in quailty and performace. I am not surpised they went bankrupt.
On the Choke A Matic carb the choke shutter is operated by the fuel diaphram, on the older Automatic Choke carbs the choke shutter is operated by a coil spring that detects engine temp at the breather. Im not sure when they switched from metal to plastic, early 80s I suppose.
I agree that Briggs makes some made some nice long lasting engines, I have plenty of Briggs engines that can vouch for that fact. All I am saying it that older Tecumseh engines deserve a little more credit. Note the engine in the video which is a 3.5 HP enigne from 1971, I didn't put a newer engine the video because in more recent years their qualiy has suffered.
I don't know Echo man, I have seen some seriously screwed up Tecumsehs but I have also seen some seriously screwed up Briggs engines. I have never owned a Tecumseh with the problems you describe, must be the operator.
Good riddance. Their engines SUCK big time. The damn lean surge exists in 2 out of 3 engines i work on. Briggs engines rule! Good riddance!!! Glad you are gone!!!!!!!!!
I have done some reaserch and found out techumseh has quit making ENGINES and switched to making BIO DESIEL FUEL PUMPS so they are still in buisness just making a differnt product
i have an 87 tecumseh and it was sitting in a field for 13 years i changed the fluids cleaned the carb and it started np was the first engine i ever worked on
The Tecumseh Power Division was created from two companies. Their four stroke designs came from Lauson, purchased in 1956; their two stroke designs came from Power Products, purchased in 1957. Both Lauson and Power Products built engines of excellent quality and the early Tecumseh products built upon this excellence and were also quality built engines. The quality of Tecumseh engines declined, starting in the 1980s until the only nitch-market they could hold was in snow blower engines.
It a complicated history but the piont is that the Tecumseh company's quality has been declining over the past 20 or so years. However we should look back at the innovations made by Tecumseh, Lauson, and Power Products. They really made some well designed engines.
Yup, the early Tecumseh engines were quality; and Tecumseh was the only small engine manufacturer that gave Briggs a run for its money. Briggs got such a lead on everyone in the 1920s with their washing machine engines and the distribution network they setup that, really, no other engine manufacturer had a chance. As good as the Lauson/Power Products/Tecumseh engines were; Briggs was making some really superb engines in the 1950s / 60s (such as the 6S).
I have a friend that worked in the Tecumseh plant in New Holstein. He tells me that every production decision that was made in the last 20 years was a decision that would result in decreased cost of the product. Quality suffered and market share dwindled, more production costs were cut, and the downward spiral continued until the product was near worthless.
I heard the Tecumseh name was acquired by Ariens. Supposedly they will sell parts only through independent Ariens dealers making the prices skyrocket. Also e-bay prices for whole used/vintage & still new boxed engines will start going at a premium price if that happens.
extremeerror, yard machines and MTD uses briggs and stratton engines, i got an old MTD tractor that has a briggs engine, Craftsman used to have tecumseh engines, i had a craftsman that has a tecumseh engines, it would run fine for the 1st 30 hours, then it runs like shit, craftsman have too much trouble with tecumseh engines, they went into briggs and stratton engines and i bought a sears craftsman tractor with a briggs engine, and i have no problem with it since
I know Tecumseh became "Tecumseh Power", that name was chosen by a company called Platinum Equity if Im not mistaken. It is possible that Tecumseh is still producing in Europe, I said in the video I wasn't sure about that. But US production has stopped.
i new this day was comming soon. ive had ALOT of problems with techumsen engines over the years mostly with the carborator on them the older 1s were better then they made them cheaper and cheaper. i am guna miss techumnsen engines though
No surprise. I've been working on their shit for years and I'm sick of it. Less and less manufacturers were using them for OEM engines/transaxles because of quality problems. Back in the day they made some of the best engines, and they were such an innovator! OHV, electronic ignition YEARS before B&S. But sometime in the 1980's they started getting cheap and using crappy materials and lots of thin metal and plastics. Transaxles went to shit around the same time. Just sad... I'll miss 'em though.
Yea, I noticed they were becoming less common on the big selling brands. They were of much higher quality in the past, thats why I have an early 60s mini bike engine on the left of the sign in the video, not a 80s or 90s mower engine.
Yeah, I'll try to remember them as the good company they were back in the '60s & '70s. All the vintage Tecumsehs I have are unkillable! I guess it's gonna be a pain to get parts now. Thank goodness I have a whole bunch of vintage NOS parts already.
Well said ACROCKDC, I also consider the vintage Tecumseh engines to be well built reliable engines. Like I said in the video, Im gonna start gathering any engines or parts I can find.
i have 2 clinton engines one of them is my generator and it gets used. it has very very low hours on it. it even has the factory paper mounting templat under the engine! clinton engine company was affiliated with techumseh werent they?
(I would like to correct something I said in the video; I stated that Tecumseh has been producing engines for 100 years. Technicaly they have only prodicing enignes for 52 years, when the Tecumseh company aquired the Lauson engine company in 1956. That is really when the "Tecumseh" engine was first produced.)
briggs and stratton will always be number 1 fuck you and your shity motors
luv2cheez 2 months ago
@luv2cheez briggs is a very good engine but wisconsin will whip it's ass lol sorry to burst your bubble buddy
JohnDeere30201 1 month ago
And not a single shit was given
Rarrin9378 2 months ago
so are we abel to get parts still
jeremylee99100 3 months ago
@jeremylee99100 companies make after market parts
Rarrin9378 2 months ago
im never getting rid of my snow blower than become its was made in america
jeremylee99100 3 months ago
@jeremylee99100 all of my small engines walk behind tractors tillers ect are made in America
JohnDeere30201 1 month ago
Tecumseh 10hp motor has always sucked.... Dont ever buy one...
sum1uallno 5 months ago
@sum1uallno man 10hp are the best ones they ever made i have one from 1972 and still runs perfectly today its cast iron built to last
1224steve 4 months ago
Why is there website still up?
dc5000123 5 months ago in playlist Complete Small Engine Restorations Works.
@dc5000123
I will say that this video may no longer be valid. I have learned that Tecumseh in one form or another is still producing parts for their engines as well as building new engines in other parts of the world.
I will go check out their website for myself as well.
SmallEngineMechanic 5 months ago 2
This has been flagged as spam show
Harbor freight sells an engine under the name "Predator" which is a twin to Tecumseh push mower engines I have. I don't know if the Tecumsehs had iron cylinders but the Predator has cast iron cylinders, ball bearings and also a paper air filter. Show me a Briggs and Scrap-Iron 4 to 6hp engine with those features. Plus, I use the heck out of these mowers on my tree farm and they will run nearly two hours on a tank of fuel. We have to chase the B&S mowers with gas cans. That realy sucks!
ihate2wait 6 months ago
Harbor freight sells an engine under the name "Predator" which is a twin to Tecumseh push mower engines I have. I don't know if the Tecumsehs had iron cylinders but the Predator has cast iron cylinders, ball bearings and also a paper air filter. Show me a Briggs and Scrap-Iron 4 to 6hp engine with those features. Plus, I use the heck out of these mowers on my tree farm and they will run nearly two hours on a tank of fuel. We have to chase the B&S mowers with gas cans. That realy sucks!
ihate2wait 6 months ago
I am so tired of seeing American companies setting up shop in China. I had a Rupp minibike that had a 4hp Tecumseh engine that was totally bulletproof. I ran it hard, but I always kept the oil clean. It never let me down. If I was a millionaire I'd buy the Tecumseh patents and re-organize the company. If it were up to me Tecumseh would be back with a vengeance!!!
charger19691 6 months ago
our local hardware store is still selling tecumseh engines on there equipment. they must have a stock of them still i bought a few engines made by tec just to have them.
animebsd 6 months ago
I gotta say that it seems that Briggs are better built than Tecumseh's, as I have a 1981 11 hp vertical and a 1979 11 hp horizontal cast iron Briggs, and they both ALWAYS start.
classicoutboards 6 months ago
The original family didn't sell them 10 years ago, it happened in '07, much more recently. Sold to Platinum Equity who never tried to revive the company, and in turn sold it to Certified Parts Corp.
meccaturbo 7 months ago
My mini bike has a 4.5HP Tecumseh engine on it and it's beautiful. It went through all the seasons without being covered and all I needed was gas and a new spark plug (was sitting for 2 years) then it sat for another year and the only thing I needed was oil. Tecumseh is an amazing engine brand. Haters GTFO.
shanizzle28 7 months ago
I never had good luck with Tecumseh. 4 years ago, my 6 year old pushmower's Tecumseh blew the connecting rod through the side of the crankcase. I replaced that with a Lawn Boy with a Tecumseh. Today, it wouldn't start. Turns out, the cylinder walls are scored from the rings destroying themselves. My neighbors 5 year old Tecumseh engine locks up sometimes from the valves sticking. IMHO, Tecumseh = badly engineered junk. All of my B&S powered mowers still work, some are > 30 years old.
BSD2000 8 months ago
@BSD2000 The recent Tecumseh LEV series of engines is junk, I had one and the cylinder walls died, massive scoring everywhere. Just like your issue with yours. Old Tecumsehs were great, just as good as Briggs engines. The 3.5hp series that they built for Sears under the Eager 1 brand name, were very durable engines.
meccaturbo 7 months ago
@meccaturbo i have 9 of them still perring :)
squeaksweeks 2 months ago
I'd rather have Briggs and Stratton anyways. my 1995 19 HP Briggs opposed twin cylinder engine is still purring away today.
84randomdude 9 months ago
fuck Tecumseh engine bigs walks all over them
djcatdog525 10 months ago
TECUMSEH SUCKS ASS HAIL BRIGGS AND STRATTON!!!!!!!!!!!!
luv2cheez 10 months ago 2
@luv2cheez fuck brisss, go tecumseh
squeaksweeks 2 months ago
Sad that another American company goes away. A lot of people don't like Tecumseh. As the author of this video says, 'Tecumseh has served me well as well'. I bought a KMart mower (green) in '94, 4 hp Tecumseh. Engine was still strong when I abandoned it to the trash because of a shot deck. My newer 6hp Tecumseh is getting ready to go on its second deck (the decks are the weak link). It's a '98, with quite a bit of use under its belt. Runs fine.
kolbpilot 10 months ago
i just found out when i went to an ariens dealer you will see sabaru small engines being put on some smaller snowblowers like 24 and 26 models which are their most popular but it comes at a price increase of around 200.00?? whats up with that
sheddski 1 year ago
look on the internet for tecumseh engines and parts. lots of sites.
fonephat 1 year ago
New owners of Tecumseh have decided to start up production again. They have made an agreement with LCT Engines to start with 2-cycle and then the snow king. And they will be made domestically. check out lausonpower on the web.
pjdrews 1 year ago
@pjdrews Thats great, I have been hearing rumors but nothing definative.
I wonder what name they will be taking. Ever better to hear they will be made right here where they belong.
SmallEngineMechanic 1 year ago
@SmallEngineMechanic They are not being made here in the USA. They are going to be made in LCT's factory in China.
meccaturbo 7 months ago
@pjdrews hey buddy I googled lauson power and didn't find any thing that spoke of the new 2-Strokes or the snow kings can you post a specific web address for me please I would really love to see it Thanks
MrMixedGas 11 months ago
Briggs and tecumseh suck! but they are american classics! just suck overall. Kohler is the way to go!
V8power923 1 year ago
@V8power923 I have a Kohler lawn mower that I have purchased in 2010.I was shocked to find it was made in China.
Trapper100 1 year ago
I have both a Briggs mower and a Tecumseh mower. The Briggs mower is only about two years old and it's already a piece of shit. The Tecumseh mower is about seven years old and it stills runs like brand new! I'm sorry to see Tecumseh go!
Joseph9536 1 year ago
think GOD they fuckin are junk and aint worth a shit
tylerd1964 1 year ago
Thank you for posting this. I worked on Tecumseh engines back in the 1960's They were huge. Worldwide. How sad they are gone.
backfire51 1 year ago
I need a flywheel / magneto for a Tecumseh model VM80 150084A SN#5021D PART NUMBER 610861.
Do you have or know where I can buy one?
Thanks
James Holton
402 Willow Way
Highland Village, TX 75077
972-317-6578
972-317-7937 (fax)
willow156 1 year ago
to bad, they were descent engines
th19940305 1 year ago
I just started college for small engine repair and have had 2 Tecumseh engines come across my workbench. I am really lovin' Briggs and Stratton, more every day. My lawnmower (which works only half the time) has a Tecumseh 3.5 on it and I hope documentation on it is easier to find than the other motors I've worked on.
outlawdad74 1 year ago
@outlawdad74 Info is out there in these engines as well as parts. There are numerous repair manuals for the different styles of engines. These manuals also contain specs like torque values, clearances etc...
SmallEngineMechanic 1 year ago
Oh well, at least we still have Briggs and Stratton.
cc10266 1 year ago 8
Thankfully i can still get parts locally - a sad day as far as i'm concerned, thanks for post SEM.
openwheelmanic 1 year ago
sad.......i have(i belive) 1968 tecumseh..(US made baby!!!)....im rebuilding it.......i have awsoe luck with the OLDER tecumseh's......NEWER are SHIT cuz they chinese made.....the only thing chinese ever could do right was make food........they are great strong runing motors..........i think the reason people have so much trouble with tecumsehs is there harder on em or the dont take care of the engine........i think i have more tecumseh than briggs.......AND IM PROUD OF IT!
vintagecarlover 1 year ago
I hate these engines, but it's still sad.
nonamejoe56 1 year ago
A lot of US production stopped after these vicious rabid whackjob Democrats took over.
noacronym 1 year ago
@noacronym actually it was really bad while the previous wackjob. A.k.a. G.W. A-Hole was president. my state lost 280,000 jobs mostly in manufacturing mostly to FUCKIN CHINA. i really think that that A hole was trying to make Americans work for less
MattytheDem 1 year ago
That just plain sucks! Ive never had a bad tecumseh engine. In fact, I just brought one up from down south for my mower. Needed a carb and breather....... strong compression starts first pull. No idea how old it is. BTW nice sign! I have nothing against briggs or tecumseh I own both. If briggs ever goes were screwed, im sick of seing 'made in china' on every damn thing.
More350Power 1 year ago
@More350Power me fuckin too made in china = PIECE OF SHIT
MattytheDem 1 year ago
@MattytheDem LMAO, i would have to say thats correct! Im running a USA made 80's era Tecumseh on my one mower whose deck is about 30 years old and a 23 year old briggs on the other, both one pull starters and American Made!
More350Power 1 year ago
I love tecumseh engines,not as much as briggs engines but i still love them ,they will be missed.fuck this chinese shit,
we've become a nation of sheep,dum fucking idiots with no american pride
wrenchbender320 1 year ago
Starting in Fall of '08 all the Sears Craftsman snowblowers no longer have Tecumseh engines. They are now being built with some Chinese made engine. Made in USA used to mean good quality at a reasonable price. Sadly now, Made in China means anything from good to poor quality at the same price.
westernhunter38 1 year ago
@westernhunter38 I have seen those China engines at the local Sears hardware, I have also seen them on the generic MTD snow blowers at home depot and Lowes.
Its amazing how far foreign prducts have penetrated the US market, its disgusting.
SmallEngineMechanic 1 year ago
Sad!! That's what happens when good companies are mis-managed. This country used to be a nation of skilled manufacturers and builders. Now, thanks to bad leadership as well as environmental concerns, we are quickly losing our ability to be a skilled manufacturing nation. God forbid that Americans should get their hands dirty anymore. We've become a nation of over-educated, but really stupid whimps!
westernhunter38 1 year ago 2
@westernhunter38 Exactly, the USA was once the technological leader of the world. Everything from precision machining, to the most advanced electronics we did best.
Nolonger.
SmallEngineMechanic 1 year ago
@SmallEngineMechanic
UK was always better at both.
donellcee 11 months ago
@westernhunter38 That just because the US put the Japs out of business for a while and know there back and quite unstoppable.
FearSyndr0me 1 year ago
@FearSyndr0me Nobody said anything about the Japs. The Japanese have always made good quality well engineered products. It's just that early on most westerners had this false idea that anything made in Japan was inferior and nothing could have been farther from the truth. Maybe most USA companies need to take some pointers from the Japanese these days.
westernhunter38 1 year ago
@westernhunter38 every Kawasaki lawn mower engine i have used has been nothing shy of a WORKHORSE.
MattytheDem 1 year ago
@MattytheDem My experience with Kawasaki lawn mower engines has impressed me tremendously. My dad bought a Toro mower with a Kawi engine on it in 1985, that thing still runs flawless with only basic routine maintanence given at the start of every season. I know a few other Kawi owners who've had the same great experience with Kawasaki engines. They really are a workhorse.
westernhunter38 1 year ago
@westernhunter38 I so agree , I say we send OSHA ,EPA, Lawyers and Obamas carbon tax to China and then lets see them play ball . did I mention child labor ?
IronworkerFXR 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
I so agree , I say we send OSHA ,EPA, Lawyers and Obamas carbon tax to China and then lets see them play ball . did I mention child labor ?
IronworkerFXR 1 year ago
Tecumseh made great motors, I have 6 horse on a rototiller and an 8 on a racing mower. The TVM195 (8 horse) runs like a beast, even without a needle in the carb! plus it's been flooded with rainwater at least five times, and never got hydrolocked. 5 pulls and it started right up!
mercedesfan650 1 year ago
lovem i have some tecumseh toliet paper from the plants can
michaelstokley1970 1 year ago
I ran over a pick axe and chopped it in two with my 1970 3hp Tecumseh back in '85, and it kept running after replacing the sheared woodruff key. The crankshaft was a little bent, which caused slight vibration, but it still mowed our 1 acre lawn till '95, when the deck rusted out. Kept the engine as a spare, no way I could part with that fantastic piece of machinery!
rburger9 1 year ago
@censor48 Just about every mower manufacture has used a Tecumseh at one point in time.
SmallEngineMechanic 1 year ago
yeah, that is sad...
I haven't had any troubles with my Tecumseh engines. I tried to blow one up once- ran it full bore- and on propane too so it was running quite hot. It took about 20 minutes... the small amount of oil remaining in the crankcase was gelled up, and the rod eventually snapped. The connecting rod is probably the weakest part of any 4 cycle small engine.
KrankieV2 2 years ago
Another american bites the dust. Pooh. No wonder I'm having trouble getting parts.
BlakeMason2 2 years ago
R.I.P Techumseh ;(
Rarrin9378 2 years ago
Hi
I have a new 1972 Vintage 4HP Tecumseh Engine (never used) HS40 for sale if you are intrested.
e-mail me if you are.
John
AnTiNaToRxX 2 years ago
my 2 run good.
JMM9891 2 years ago
Don´t wanna believe,that Tecumseh doesn´t produce anymore :-(
I grew up with Tecumseh ( my dad had one on our former lawnmower and some Tecumseh engines for europe were produced by Fiat)
halso21 2 years ago
i dont know why tecumseh engine is a VERY versatile engine
cat123456789101 2 years ago
Well, to be honest, Tecumseh engines tend to have carb issues more often then Briggs. They, like others have said, are prone to throwing rods if abused. For years Sears was Tecumseh's largest client, using their engines on 99% of their equipment from the 50s to the 80s. When Tecumseh quality started to decline in the 80s, Sears realised the engines were costing them money and began using Tecumseh less and less. When that major contract was lost it was a combination of lost sales and bad.....
SmallEngineMechanic 2 years ago
business practices that brought them down.
I do not pefer one brand ot the other when it comes to Tecumseh and Briggs. I feel that with the proper care both will preform well and last quite a long time.
SmallEngineMechanic 2 years ago
Yup. They throw rods big time if they are over reved.
manhoot 2 years ago
tecumseh ,sucks they throw rods and break flywheel keys like crazy .I nearly lost a finger trying to start one of those pieices of shit,they are tecrapsehs to me.i you do happen to get one running put it to full throttle put bleach in the gas and blow the bitch up!!! Get a REAL engine, get a Briggs.
gokartbuyer 2 years ago
I have been a user of both B&S and Tecumseh and really havent had too may problems with either. Have a Yard Machines snow blower with a 5.5 Tecumseh on it for 2 years and hasn't given me a lick of trouble. I also have a 1975 B&S lawn mower that wouldnt run until I cracked open the points cap and cleaned off the corrosion. The machine sat for like 8 years and after I cleaned the points and put fresh gas in it it fired right up! So I really don't have any gripes about either make.
uhrsker 2 years ago
Solid state ignition for Tecumseh OH140. Open from spark plug terminal to metal case of unit. Should be a couple thousand ohms if I'm not mistaken. So secondary winding must be broken. No way to fix other than buy $150 part 610906. Any suggestions to save money?
jkeiter 2 years ago
Well, the first thing I would do is snip off the psark plug lead anout an inch from the coil, then check resistance. This will eleminate the secondary as the fault. If your coil checks out good after that I would just splice a new HV lead onto the coil. I would use a but splice and then build it up with friction tape and follow with a good piece of heat shrink tube.
SmallEngineMechanic 2 years ago
I've had to rebuild the carbs on a couple of my Tecumsehs a couple times, but thats all that ever happen to these things. The 25 year old 8 horse on my snowblower always starts in -20 degree temperatures and the only thing that has ever been touched on it is the spark plug. They just don't die.
12Radaj 2 years ago
Great , those POS engines never run right. The carb. leaks on them from the factory. Buy a real small engine , buy a Briggs. They need to move to China . Those slant eyed bastards cant build an engine either. I wont miss theses engines at all.
udluse 2 years ago
I like Tecumseh engines for their torque and long life,just not their carborators
My boss has a Craftsman tractor with a 10hp Tecumseh engine with over 4000 hours and he only replaced a simple carborator
He likes to put a lil chevron techron into the fuel to keep the carb and engine clean but he rarely changes the oil in it
My kohler engine just died with only 347 hours of use on in and it was always well maintained
ChevroletBowtie 2 years ago
I agree, I have not had a Tecumseh die or have any serious problems while I owned it.
Thats a shame about that Kohler, they are usually another good engine. Unless you have one of the newer models.
SmallEngineMechanic 2 years ago
Its a 2001 John Deere Kohler 17.5
Shame though,I did like my Kohler,but damn.lol
ChevroletBowtie 2 years ago
@SmallEngineMechanic ive actually seen kohler engines fuck up on a regular basis
MattytheDem 1 year ago
@MattytheDem the kohler engines that i have seen fuck up have been the victims of shit maintainance. kohler engines must be properly maintained just like a teccy or a briggs
MattytheDem 1 year ago
techumseh sucks.
Mississippi1313 2 years ago
they do not!!!!!!!!!!!!
zerofactor17 2 years ago
Agreed
walkingfreak 2 years ago
I have an old H70 7hp tecumseh on my snow blower and i love it. Starts right up no matter how cold it gets, i give it a beating all winter long and doesnt give me any problems!
bumblebeecbr 2 years ago
SAME
the5445 2 years ago
im glad there gone im srry but its true i never liked there engines
excelsnowmobile1 2 years ago
I only like Honda and Kawasaki gas, and Yanmar, Kubota and B&S Daihatsu for 3 cyl Gas engines.
I don't care for anything else,
Ive been around diesel engines most of my life.
I'm a "Diesel Head" and proud of it!
WillieWonka928D 2 years ago
At this point I an discusted with anything these engine manufactures crank out today. Their commercial/ industrial engines (Honda and Briggs) still seem to be of decent quality. But for the everyday lawnmower enigne, I turn away some repair jobs on new engines because no matter what is done they still won't run "right".
SmallEngineMechanic 2 years ago
I have spent more time fixing my Tecumseh lawn mower than I have cutting my grass. Their engines are badly designed pieces of crap. No wonder they are history.
tickattack 2 years ago
there fucking engines and carbs are terrible and there a pain in the ass to work on id rather work on a briggs
walkingfreak 2 years ago
I use to work for a small engine shop and the worst Tecumseh engine that they ever produced was the mid 90s Vector series. Who ever designed that engine was smoking something bad!! After that I think Tecumseh started on a steady down hill decline in quailty and performace. I am not surpised they went bankrupt.
jmc6000 2 years ago
The only thing I don't like about the Vectors is the carb design.
SmallEngineMechanic 2 years ago
On the Choke A Matic carb the choke shutter is operated by the fuel diaphram, on the older Automatic Choke carbs the choke shutter is operated by a coil spring that detects engine temp at the breather. Im not sure when they switched from metal to plastic, early 80s I suppose.
SmallEngineMechanic 2 years ago
Yea, in the pre 1981 manual they simply refer to it as (Automatic Choke) was probably nicknamed choke o matic.
SmallEngineMechanic 2 years ago
Actually in section 3 of the Briggs repair manual (after 1981) where it refrences these carbs is specifically refers to them as the "Choke-A-Matic".
The plastic choke-A-matic carbs are not that old, I believe the engines they are on were built in the 80s.
SmallEngineMechanic 2 years ago
I like the aluminum carbs better, although I have a few Choke a Matic plastic ones
SmallEngineMechanic 2 years ago
....it probably will. Is that a Choke A Matic carb, if so is it plastic or metal?
SmallEngineMechanic 2 years ago
I agree that Briggs makes some made some nice long lasting engines, I have plenty of Briggs engines that can vouch for that fact. All I am saying it that older Tecumseh engines deserve a little more credit. Note the engine in the video which is a 3.5 HP enigne from 1971, I didn't put a newer engine the video because in more recent years their qualiy has suffered.
SmallEngineMechanic 2 years ago
I don't know Echo man, I have seen some seriously screwed up Tecumsehs but I have also seen some seriously screwed up Briggs engines. I have never owned a Tecumseh with the problems you describe, must be the operator.
SmallEngineMechanic 2 years ago
I always liked their engines, out in the bush when you need it to run they run
international660 2 years ago
Good riddance. Their engines SUCK big time. The damn lean surge exists in 2 out of 3 engines i work on. Briggs engines rule! Good riddance!!! Glad you are gone!!!!!!!!!
jenstagner 2 years ago
its so damn hard to fine parts now....
Titliest07 2 years ago
DAMN SKIPPY!!!!!!!!!!
my 15.5 rider is actin up so ima try some "adapting" to make it work.
AWESOME ENGINES!!!!
hella torque!!!!!
corvettkiller666 2 years ago
Sad but True Post,
I've got 4 TEC Engines = All Running
Never had a problem i couldn't fix myself
TEC Flatheads Rule for Dirt Karting
Killer Torque
openwheelmanic 2 years ago
I have done some reaserch and found out techumseh has quit making ENGINES and switched to making BIO DESIEL FUEL PUMPS so they are still in buisness just making a differnt product
Bobbymitchell10 2 years ago
yep, they are still making parts though.
trieocorp 2 years ago
good teccy beeeeelows
Titliest07 3 years ago
tecumseh's suck!!!!! briggs and kohler rock!!!!!
fordkillschevy 3 years ago
The two-stroke engines were better than the four-stroke ones.
douro20 3 years ago
i have an 87 tecumseh and it was sitting in a field for 13 years i changed the fluids cleaned the carb and it started np was the first engine i ever worked on
c0c0asauce 3 years ago
Another slap in the face for USA....Tecumseh company , and jobs...now gone...sad truth we dont make anything anymore...thanks for the vid.
toddkam 3 years ago 2
The Tecumseh Power Division was created from two companies. Their four stroke designs came from Lauson, purchased in 1956; their two stroke designs came from Power Products, purchased in 1957. Both Lauson and Power Products built engines of excellent quality and the early Tecumseh products built upon this excellence and were also quality built engines. The quality of Tecumseh engines declined, starting in the 1980s until the only nitch-market they could hold was in snow blower engines.
CraigDeShong 3 years ago
It a complicated history but the piont is that the Tecumseh company's quality has been declining over the past 20 or so years. However we should look back at the innovations made by Tecumseh, Lauson, and Power Products. They really made some well designed engines.
SmallEngineMechanic 3 years ago
Yup, the early Tecumseh engines were quality; and Tecumseh was the only small engine manufacturer that gave Briggs a run for its money. Briggs got such a lead on everyone in the 1920s with their washing machine engines and the distribution network they setup that, really, no other engine manufacturer had a chance. As good as the Lauson/Power Products/Tecumseh engines were; Briggs was making some really superb engines in the 1950s / 60s (such as the 6S).
CraigDeShong 3 years ago
I have a friend that worked in the Tecumseh plant in New Holstein. He tells me that every production decision that was made in the last 20 years was a decision that would result in decreased cost of the product. Quality suffered and market share dwindled, more production costs were cut, and the downward spiral continued until the product was near worthless.
CraigDeShong 3 years ago
briggs and stratton and honda are way better than tecumseh, sorry.
rudolphna54 3 years ago
I heard the Tecumseh name was acquired by Ariens. Supposedly they will sell parts only through independent Ariens dealers making the prices skyrocket. Also e-bay prices for whole used/vintage & still new boxed engines will start going at a premium price if that happens.
jazzicron911 3 years ago
extremeerror, yard machines and MTD uses briggs and stratton engines, i got an old MTD tractor that has a briggs engine, Craftsman used to have tecumseh engines, i had a craftsman that has a tecumseh engines, it would run fine for the 1st 30 hours, then it runs like shit, craftsman have too much trouble with tecumseh engines, they went into briggs and stratton engines and i bought a sears craftsman tractor with a briggs engine, and i have no problem with it since
SpiritsoftheWolf 3 years ago
extremeerror your a cock sucker who plays with lawn mowers.
nice vid smallengine mechanic
brendanfw14 3 years ago
Thanks for the info! I was never a big fan of Tecumseh engines. I do hate to hear that they are out of the engine business for good.
Sad,
John
jstrunck 3 years ago
I know Tecumseh became "Tecumseh Power", that name was chosen by a company called Platinum Equity if Im not mistaken. It is possible that Tecumseh is still producing in Europe, I said in the video I wasn't sure about that. But US production has stopped.
SmallEngineMechanic 3 years ago
Yea,these engines of late were a let down. Not easy to work on and parts weren't so common.
suchfunstuff 3 years ago
i new this day was comming soon. ive had ALOT of problems with techumsen engines over the years mostly with the carborator on them the older 1s were better then they made them cheaper and cheaper. i am guna miss techumnsen engines though
tractorking93 3 years ago
No surprise. I've been working on their shit for years and I'm sick of it. Less and less manufacturers were using them for OEM engines/transaxles because of quality problems. Back in the day they made some of the best engines, and they were such an innovator! OHV, electronic ignition YEARS before B&S. But sometime in the 1980's they started getting cheap and using crappy materials and lots of thin metal and plastics. Transaxles went to shit around the same time. Just sad... I'll miss 'em though.
LynolsOffice 3 years ago
Yea, I noticed they were becoming less common on the big selling brands. They were of much higher quality in the past, thats why I have an early 60s mini bike engine on the left of the sign in the video, not a 80s or 90s mower engine.
SmallEngineMechanic 3 years ago
Yeah, I'll try to remember them as the good company they were back in the '60s & '70s. All the vintage Tecumsehs I have are unkillable! I guess it's gonna be a pain to get parts now. Thank goodness I have a whole bunch of vintage NOS parts already.
LynolsOffice 3 years ago
Lol same.
stlouissux9119 3 years ago
what does OEM mean
Bobbymitchell10 2 years ago
Bobbymitchell10: OEM means Original Equipment Manufacturer. Means they make stuff for other companies to sell as their own or use in their machines.
LynolsOffice 2 years ago
thanks
Bobbymitchell10 2 years ago
What about the Tecumseh-Peerless trans axles?
moldymac 3 years ago
Im not sure about the transmissions/ trans axles. I would assume they are gone too, unless someone bought the name or that division of Tecumseh.
SmallEngineMechanic 3 years ago
hmm bummer....briggs should merge!
NRP1991 3 years ago
Well said ACROCKDC, I also consider the vintage Tecumseh engines to be well built reliable engines. Like I said in the video, Im gonna start gathering any engines or parts I can find.
SmallEngineMechanic 3 years ago
Sad, played with them 30 years ago.
Hallaran 3 years ago
i have 2 clinton engines one of them is my generator and it gets used. it has very very low hours on it. it even has the factory paper mounting templat under the engine! clinton engine company was affiliated with techumseh werent they?
1944johndeerel 3 years ago
(I would like to correct something I said in the video; I stated that Tecumseh has been producing engines for 100 years. Technicaly they have only prodicing enignes for 52 years, when the Tecumseh company aquired the Lauson engine company in 1956. That is really when the "Tecumseh" engine was first produced.)
SmallEngineMechanic 3 years ago
It does indeed.
SmallEngineMechanic 3 years ago
That sucks..
fordwillkillyou 3 years ago 2