# Who makes engines for Troy Bilt?



## jwfigler

Hey all, 

Looks like I'm going to be looking at a blower for a friend, looks like it's maybe three years old, two stage, Storm 3090. 

It sounds like it might need a motor and I'm trying to find out who makes the engines to see if it would be cost-effective to by a motor if indeed it has internal issues. 

Thanks in advance for any help-


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## Hkellogg

jwfigler said:


> Hey all,
> 
> Looks like I'm going to be looking at a blower for a friend, looks like it's maybe three years old, two stage, Storm 3090.
> 
> It sounds like it might need a motor and I'm trying to find out who makes the engines to see if it would be cost-effective to by a motor if indeed it has internal issues.
> 
> Thanks in advance for any help-


repower with a predator from harbor freight


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## detdrbuzzard

is this the one
http://www.troybilt.com/equipment/troybilt/storm--3090-xp-snow-thrower


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## brickcity

three years old and it needs a new engine. that blows.probably has two year warranty.


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## Shryp

Troy Bilt is an MTD brand and the are using engines made in China. They are branded as Powermore and are basically Honda clones just like everything else out there these days.


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## jwfigler

detdrbuzzard said:


> is this the one
> http://www.troybilt.com/equipment/troybilt/storm--3090-xp-snow-thrower


Indeed that's a Storm 3090 and that's what this thing is...however, it's all red. 

Haven't looked at it yet, but it quit while running and the owner found that the oil fill/check cap was missing. But, there was no oil on the machine...so might be something else. Just trying to get more information ahead of time. And yes, if possible, I'd just pop in a Harbor Freight engine if it fit. 

Does anyone have experience with rebuilding these little motors? Are parts easy to get, cheap enough, etc? And do they use car-type two-piece connecting rod bearings? Somehow I seem to think these little motors use ball bearings for there main and rod bearings. 

Thanks for the quick responses.


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## Kiss4aFrog

They will use a flat bearing inserts just like a car on the connecting rod. Some will use ball bearings for the "main" bearings in the crankcase.


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## Kielbasa

Only a 12" diameter auger on a 30" wide and only 21" high bucket with only a 12" diameter impeller fan? That would not be acceptable for me.


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## detdrbuzzard

i think the harbor freight 212 motor might be too small, maybe get the 11hp motor


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## Colored Eggs

jwfigler said:


> Indeed that's a Storm 3090 and that's what this thing is...however, it's all red.
> 
> Haven't looked at it yet, but it quit while running and the owner found that the oil fill/check cap was missing. But, there was no oil on the machine...so might be something else. Just trying to get more information ahead of time. And yes, if possible, I'd just pop in a Harbor Freight engine if it fit.
> 
> Does anyone have experience with rebuilding these little motors? Are parts easy to get, cheap enough, etc? And do they use car-type two-piece connecting rod bearings? Somehow I seem to think these little motors use ball bearings for there main and rod bearings.
> 
> Thanks for the quick responses.


Most likely Its a Chinese clone or off beat engine. Finding parts can be quite the challange as usually they are made in china and they don't come with a detailed parts list. I was looking for a single airfilter cover for my predator engine and the only way I could find the part was to find a blown up engine.


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## Kiss4aFrog

detdrbuzzard said:


> i think the harbor freight 212 motor might be too small, maybe get the 11hp motor


It would be marginal but with a jet kit it just might be equal. Fifteen bucks and some shipping and it's a fairly simple install.
Jet kit for Honda Clone engines
.


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## jwfigler

Well...here's an update:

I got the blower looked at, it's a 2008 (per the EPA info) and it has a Briggs motor, 305cc and all the usual stuff, 120v electric start, etc. In the base of the engine there are two plastic oil fills just like your typical four-stroke Briggs mower engine and one of them either vibrated loose or wasn't reinstalled. 

As you can expect...catastrophic engine failure...the block was actually cracked so I'm thinking it's not going to be a good candidate for a rebuild. I'm sure with parts and and dicking around it would be quite expensive to overhaul and a total pain too. 

I called a local power equipment dealer and they can get a short block, which I assume comes just like a car short, engine complete no head or electronics. But it's around $500! 

Do you guys know if any one re-manufactures these little motors? Like SBT does for personal watercraft? 

I don't really know if the Harbor Freight option would work here. My friend I'm pretty sure will need the electric start and such due to health issues so I think I'm stuck with Briggs repower. 

Wish I could do a rebuild...

Anyway, thanks for the all the help guys and fast responses too! 

Jason 

P.S. If I get around to it I'll try to post up some pics of it...it was crazy to see the cracked engine case!


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## Shryp

The 11 and 13 HP Harbor Freight engines do have a 12 v starter if you can find a way to get a battery mounted to his blower. Alternatively if convenient he could jump start it off a car battery.

You could also look around on here and see if anything matches up:
http://www.smallenginewarehouse.com/


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## GustoGuy

Shryp said:


> The 11 and 13 HP Harbor Freight engines do have a 12 v starter if you can find a way to get a battery mounted to his blower. Alternatively if convenient he could jump start it off a car battery.
> 
> You could also look around on here and see if anything matches up:
> Welcome - Small Engine Warehouse


The 420cc HF Predator has a 12 volt electric start on it. You can use a small motorcycle battery or a battery off a snowmobile to start it. I would make a carrier for the battery and mount it to the back of the snowblower


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## 94EG8

jwfigler said:


> In the base of the engine there are two plastic oil fills just like your typical four-stroke Briggs mower engine and one of them either vibrated loose or wasn't reinstalled.


That's very common, a lot of guys lost those B&S engines that way. Always over-tighten them with a screwdriver or they will back out. 



jwfigler said:


> I called a local power equipment dealer and they can get a short block, which I assume comes just like a car short, engine complete no head or electronics. But it's around $500!


With Briggs & Stratton it's often cheaper to buy a complete engine than a shortblock. You might want to price the complete engine and see.


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## Kiss4aFrog

Shryp said:


> The 11 and 13 HP Harbor Freight engines do have a 12 v starter


Does anyone know the part number of the starter on the 13hp HF engine ??

The 13hp does come with electric start. The 11hp engine does not. At least it doesn't when I pull it up from their website. I think that fifty bucks for the extra two horses and an electric start is worth the money.

Depending on your blower, it might be a good idea to mount a lawn & garden or motorcycle battery on the top of the bucket. The way they add some weight as a counterbalance for a cab or just to scrape better.









11hp: 11 HP (346cc) OHV Horizontal Shaft Gas Engine
13hp: 13 HP (420cc) OHV Horizontal Shaft Gas Engine


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## Kiss4aFrog

+1 with 94EG8. I like to rebuild but when they price a short or bare block at more than a complete engine from China it's hard not to just scrap it and go with the China engine.


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## jwfigler

Shryp said:


> The 11 and 13 HP Harbor Freight engines do have a 12 v starter if you can find a way to get a battery mounted to his blower. Alternatively if convenient he could jump start it off a car battery.
> 
> You could also look around on here and see if anything matches up:
> Welcome - Small Engine Warehouse


I'd already called my local mower shop and learned a little about Briggs motor info from him (the model, type, code stuff). He called me back quoting over $400 for a short-block and I think like $800 for a long block. And uh, I didn't order one for obvious reasons. 

But I took to the web and searched eBay and indeed found a motor at Small Engine Warehouse, looks like it's correct for less than $400 shipped and complete from gas tank to starter. Looks like I might just get this one.



94EG8 said:


> That's very common, a lot of guys lost those B&S engines that way. Always over-tighten them with a screwdriver or they will back out.


No kidding? Wow...that's a total **** design. And actually those two little plastic things seem like drains...the engine has a tall filler neck with a dipstick so why they'd have three points where you could add oil to the motor seems pretty poorly thought out and unnecessary. If I end up putting a motor in this thing I'll safety wire them closed to avoid future problems. 



94EG8 said:


> With Briggs & Stratton it's often cheaper to buy a complete engine than a shortblock. You might want to price the complete engine and see.


Yeah, see above, thanks for the advice, I called a dealer and I was floored at the cost. Seems like there would be an outfit somewhere that re-manufactures these things? But I am pretty naive as to all things Briggs and they might just have way too many engines and they are just too cheap to make to justify re-maning them.

Thanks again for all the fast responses and help guys! Much appreciated. I'll update the thread if I end up replacing the motor or doing anything more with this. Otherwise, I think I've learned all I need to know about this darned thing. 

What a total bummer the motor blew up on account of lack of oil. What a waste.


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## jwfigler

One last single post here...does anyone know if you can get metal replacements for those little plastic oil drain/fill plugs for this type of Briggs motor? It looks like the super common single cylinder engine drain. 

See the attached pic..there are the two yellow plugs at either side of the engine at the bottom. I'm pretty certain this is the exact engine for this thing. It looks the same and I found it via a search using the Model #. 

Thanks again...


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## Kiss4aFrog

You might also try to clean them up as good as possible and then use some thread locker on them.

I had never thought of them backing out but now that I have that in my mind I'm thinking of running a wire from one to the other to lock them in place too.


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## Blaine B.

Any idea what motor the Troy Bilt Storm 2410 two stage blower has?

The specifications list it as a "Troy Bilt motor."


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## Grunt

It appears to be a Powermore engine manufactured for MTD in China.

Who Makes Briggs & Stratton, MTD, Craftsman, Ariens, and Husqvarna Snow Blower Engines - MovingSnow.com


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## Blaine B.

Surprise surprise.


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## GustoGuy

A 420cc HF Predator would be a beast on that machine. The original engine is 357cc the new HF Predator 420cc would be over a HP more powerful than the oringinal. The 212cc would most likely be too small for a 30 inch blower. I have 3 HF 212cc the biggest machine is 26 inch and it handles it well. 30 inches with deep heavy snow would most likely be overwhelming to the smaller engine. You would most likely have to take less than a full bucket full bite on the snow


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