# the free toro 5/24



## crazzywolfie (Jun 2, 2014)

i figured i would start a separate thread for this thing. i am not 100% sure what the plans are for it. over all it looks to be in decent shape and it might have not seen much use but from the damage i have found looks like it has been stored outside long enough to get some water in the engine at some point. not 100% sure what i am going to do with the engine. thinking about possibly tossing a 8hp on it but we will see. might need a adapter to use the stock pulleys. i do got the cylinder sitting with penitrating oil but not going hold my breath on that doing much. the oil level is also too full so not sure if there is water or gas in the crank case but there is definitely too much whatever it is. will have to wait till a nicer day to deal with draining that. almost getting too cold to work outside. 1 tire already has a tube in it and the other one doesn't. seems like the tube might be holding air or at least better than the non tubed tire. also surprisingly enough the tire with a tube actually came off and the other one may need some help to get it off. also pulled the belt cover. stuff under there looked pretty good and also the reason i don't think the machine has seen much use or has maybe been repainted. the idler wheels for the belts are in really good shape with paint still on them and the belts actually still look pretty decent and are actual toro brand belt. like i said not really sure what my plans are for it but may to just keep messing with it when i have some free time and see what happens.


----------



## Ziggy65 (Jan 18, 2020)

I would say that is the original paint, have seen the older Toros with painted pulleys before. I can always tell when a blower with those type of control knobs have been stored outside for a while, they appear to dry out and fade from the elements.

If you have an 8 HP available, I would probably put it on this machine if the rest of the tractor internals are in good shape. These older Toros are well built and the 8 HP will make it a much better machine than with the 5 HP.

Will enjoy following along on this project no matter what you decide.


----------



## sledman8002002 (Jan 20, 2021)

Cant beat the fact it was free. Nice project wolfie.


----------



## crazzywolfie (Jun 2, 2014)

thanks. ya can't go wrong for free. hopefully i can get it finished up before we get some snow. it even has a spring loaded scraper bar so i know they do a real good job cleaning right down to pavement. 

i was thinking it was the original paint but you never know sometimes. the paint on those idlers still being so intact is part of why i think this thing may be low hour machine. i figure if it had been used enough there should be a belt mark worn through the paint on the idlers.

engine wise i got a 8hp but it has a 3/4" shaft and the 5hp is 7/8" so may need an adapter or to find another engine since i don't think i have any 3/4" pulleys. most seem to be for 7/8" shaft. i do have the 277cc power more that has a 7/8" shaft but have a feeling it may have clearance issues on the toro just like my mtd. the chute control rods always seem to get in the way with the big engines.


----------



## crazzywolfie (Jun 2, 2014)

i couldn't wait so pulled out my pipe wrench and broke it free. i really don't know if i should bother trying to run this engine or not. still doesn't seem like it is spinning as free as it should. maybe in a day or 2 it might start spinning easier after after the penitrating oil has a chance to soak in. i don't think it has spark but should probably check the points while it is apart. i also drained the oil. there was a tiny bit of water but i don't believe it was enough to do any damage. there was definitely at least 1/2 liter of oil so i think the bottom end should be good.


----------



## crazzywolfie (Jun 2, 2014)

i felt motivated to keep wrenching longer so brought the engine inside lol. think i have spark but might just not be spinning the engine fast enough and i think i got the carb clean enough that it should start with a bit of fuel. valve clearance is good


----------



## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

That's why I just throw on a 10 - 15 carb.


----------



## crazzywolfie (Jun 2, 2014)

well i am trying to put no money at all into this engine especially with the condition it was in when i first got it but i think it would still be cool to get it running if possible. i think it should run with the carb that is on it since all ports seem to be clear. i don't need it to run good but it would be cool to see running. i did find my 3/4" shaft pulleys so putting the 8hp engine may not be so hard now.


----------



## sledman8002002 (Jan 20, 2021)

crazzywolfie said:


> it would be cool to see running


I agree, bringing it back to life helps keeps a mechanical person sharp.  (Me anyway...)
Since you got it free'd up, might I suggest adding an ounce or two of Lucas HD oil stabilzer with the fresh oil. I've had great success with it with same situation engines. Love the stuff, I use it while assembling on a rebuild as well, I call it honey oil.


----------



## paulm12 (May 22, 2015)

great job so far, lets hear it running !!!


----------



## carguy20 (Feb 8, 2021)

You should probably be able to get that motor running, but how well and for how long is another story. It might not be a bad idea to hone the cylinder and put a new set of rings on it. I know it would cost a little, but it might perform better. 

The machine looks like a nice find other than that.


----------



## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

I agree with getting old engines back up and running, but when it comes to a carb that has been petrified, I find the 10 or 1500 is a cheap fix.


----------



## crazzywolfie (Jun 2, 2014)

if i had some chemicals i would have considered tossing them in but i didn't. it ended up getting some used oil that i got out of another machine. like i said don't really want to throw money at the engine. i agree with carguy about it probably needing a hone and new rings but would cost too much.

so i threw it back together and here is the result. there is a slight tick that i think might be a bad connecting rod. i thought i could feel it when pulling it over but wasn't 100% sure. otherwise it seems to run pretty good and everything seems to function as it should. i was expecting it to smoke with how badly the engine was stuck.


----------



## Ziggy65 (Jan 18, 2020)

Those old flatheads are tough to kill.


----------



## sledman8002002 (Jan 20, 2021)

Good stuff wolfie. Run it for a few more minutes then change the oil into a clean container and have a look see. Maybe swirl a magnet thru it.
I agree with Ziggy on them being tough old buggers.


----------



## paulm12 (May 22, 2015)

sounds good from here !! Hard to tell if there is a knock or tick, especially since those older machines have a few rattles already. I agree with another oil change and inspection.

tx


----------



## crazzywolfie (Jun 2, 2014)

so i should keep running it till it blows up just to see how tough it is? lol.

the oil i put in it wasn't that clean so not sure if i could tell if there was any new contaminants. i did let it run for about maybe 10 or more minutes. it took about 2-3 minutes just to get it to stop smoking. i also think all the water is now out of the crank case. i am pretty sure i saw it leaving the crankcase vent at some point. the knock or tick is coming from the engine and not the machine. you could feel it even when the piston was stuck but the amount of rotation in the crank was very little to the point where it was hard to say if it was moving or not.


----------



## sledman8002002 (Jan 20, 2021)

crazzywolfie said:


> the oil i put in it wasn't that clean so not sure if i could tell if there was any new contaminants


Ahh, I thought you threw fresh stuff in it. I'd still change it out, get any abrasive contaminants out as quick/much as you can. 
If its going to tighten up or blow, so be it.


----------



## crazzywolfie (Jun 2, 2014)

nah i cheaped out and put used oil in it. did a oil change on a machine for someone last week. the oil looked ok and smelt better than the stuff that came out of this engine. might try doing a oil change with new oil and see what happens.


----------



## sledman8002002 (Jan 20, 2021)

Yep, I hear ya on that point.


----------



## carguy20 (Feb 8, 2021)

Glad to see you got it running!

Now that you know it runs, put some fresh, clean oil in it. I can see using GOOD old oil just to see if it will run. I have used some old (still new) 10w30 dino from Napa in machines that I am checking to see if they will function. If they check out, out comes the Mobil 1 EP.


----------



## crazzywolfie (Jun 2, 2014)

it is on the list of things to do but the weather has not been the greatest lately and most wrenching is down outside so may be a bit slower getting to the oil change. i did let it run for about 30+ minutes while working on one of the other machines yesterday. the tick doesn't seem like it has gotten any worse. also checked the engine speeds. 3350rpm full throttle and about 1800rpm at at idle so it may need the full throttle adjusted some. also need to do something about the leaking tire and it also likely needs the impeller mod. so much work to do and so little time to do it all.


----------



## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

There is always next year ... you have others, right.


----------



## crazzywolfie (Jun 2, 2014)

hahahaha ya i might have a few. i have actually been meaning to change the oil on my beater machine at my sisters place. i put used oil in it 2 years ago and completely forgot about it till now lol. i will likely be going after the machines that i plan on selling first just because those ones need to go. anything i am keeping is not as important.


----------



## sledman8002002 (Jan 20, 2021)

crazzywolfie said:


> put used oil in it 2 years ago


If you were next door I'd donate a coupla quarts of 5-30 to you


----------



## crazzywolfie (Jun 2, 2014)

hahaha there is no shortage of oil here. sometimes i just don't have the time or completely forget about it as time passes. good used oil is just as good as new oil most of the time especially for a engine with a unknown history. my beater machine would have the muffler glowing red bad enough that you could see it during the daytime. after fixing it i wasn't sure how long it would last didn't want to put new oil in it. it may get a oil change this year if i get around to it lol. it may get tossed through with the machines i got for sale.


----------



## sledman8002002 (Jan 20, 2021)

I'm the type that if you were next door, I'd be apt to sneak over and change it while you were out LOL


----------



## crazzywolfie (Jun 2, 2014)

hahaha you would be more than welcome to. i could even roll the whole fleet out for you. there is 6 here and 4 at my sisters place lol. i also sometimes forget which machines have got oil changes and when.


----------



## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

Not for nothing, but used oil, most likely contaminated, will shorten the life of a small engine considerably .... just sayin ....


----------



## crazzywolfie (Jun 2, 2014)

i don't see if getting too contaminated unless you do something along the way to really contaminate it. most times i use pop bottles to drain the oil into so i can see if there is anything obvious in the oil.


----------



## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

All I am stating here is when you drain used oil, usually it is discolored or black, and has lost much of its properties to give a nice clean lubrication of the internal components. Putting that back into another machine, instead of putting fresh oil, will allow the engine to run, but will not provide the protection that fresh oil will, and the very fine particles wont be helping matters. I myself, believe that fresh oil changes on any equipment is one of the first things to perform for engine longevity.

JMHO


----------



## paulm12 (May 22, 2015)

I agree with Oneacer here, I would not re-use old oil. I am cheap, but I always replace used with new.


----------



## crazzywolfie (Jun 2, 2014)

if i was selling the machine yes it would get new oil but if your expecting the engine to burn oil or blow up is there really a point putting new oil it it? its not like the oil i put in it was out of a vehicle where it is likely wore out. it came out of another snowblower and the oil out of the other snowblower really didn't need to be changed but i did anyways.


----------



## crazzywolfie (Jun 2, 2014)

Kind of played with this today and have a feeling I may need to look at the carb again. It was hard to get it to stay running but once I did it was OK. Performed about how I expected for a under powered machine. May have to mess with it when I got some more free time


----------



## crazzywolfie (Jun 2, 2014)

did some more work on this thing today. took about 30 minutes to get the rim off but once i started seeming movement i moved it back and forth on the shaft with some lube til it came off. the inner side of the rim took a bit of a beating but the outer rim was spared. still not sure what i am going to do with it. considering just putting tube in the tire for now just to get it to hold air. i don't think we are getting any major amount of snow so i got some time to make up my mind or worse case scenario it does at least slide on and off the axle a lot better without all the rust or black crap that is on theaxle. it would be nice to get some better tires for it but realistically new tires this size would cost more than the machine is worth. heck even finding rims for 7/8" axle is tricky so really don't have much choice but to re-use what i got. stuck a rim on it temporarily to make moving it around easier. .


----------

