# Tecumseh engines



## Mr_Detail (Nov 19, 2014)

Hello all;
I am looking to purchase a used two-stage snow blower and I wonder if anyone has any opinion(s) on the Tecumseh engines. As an example, I saw a restored John Deere 32" path sweep with a 10 hp Tecumseh engine. I have read that certain maybe newer Tecumseh engines have a lot of repair troubles. Not sure if this is true or not.


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## pwm (Jun 12, 2014)

I gave my "old girl" to my son this summer when I treated myself to a new machine. The old blower is almost 40 years old, and he will be the third generation owner of it. I inherited it when my father died. It has the 10hp Tech MH100 on it and it's never failed to run like a champ. I expect it will keep on working for many years to come.


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

Mr_Detail said:


> Hello all;
> I am looking to purchase a used two-stage snow blower and I wonder if anyone has any opinion(s) on the Tecumseh engines. As an example, I saw a restored John Deere 32" path sweep with a 10 hp Tecumseh engine. I have read that certain maybe newer Tecumseh engines have a lot of repair troubles. Not sure if this is true or not.


Welcome to the forum.
I believe Tecumseh stopped making engines maybe 10 years ago. I have had many of them myself and have *never* had a problem with any of them. I've owned 5, 6, 7, 8 and 10 H.P. Tecumseh engines. I still have two of them. No problems. Now, you will hear from a couple guys in here that are not going to have anything good to say about them. Just letting you know.


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## Mr_Detail (Nov 19, 2014)

Thank you gentlemen.
The model No. for this particular engine is HMSK100 - 159432W and it looks
like the blower itself may be from back in the mid '90's. The owner restored it to pristine condition.


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## pwm (Jun 12, 2014)

My mistake. Mine was an HM100. I transposed the letters. The newer engines have been greatly improved, but the old Techs will still get the job done.


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## Normex (Feb 21, 2014)

A good test among others for a good restoration on the blower is to remove one auger shear bolt and see if it turns freely, if it does not then you should or he make sure the auger shaft is greased or oiled properly if not then your shear bolts are moot to protect your auger casing innards.
*Remember,* make this test with the engine off or even better remove spark plug wire as well. Good Luck and if you may report your findings here.


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## Mr_Detail (Nov 19, 2014)

Thank you Normex for this excellent advice.
Now for this snow blower neophyte, can someone post a snapshot/photo of what the auger shear bolt looks like and its location? Are there more than one "auger shear bolt"?


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## sscotsman (Dec 8, 2010)

Tecumseh stopped making snowblower engines in 2008.

I am using a 1971 Ariens with its original 1971 Tecumseh..
44 years old, and runs fine! 










Tecumseh engines were used on probably 90% of snowblowers for 50 years.
They are very good engines..most are very long-lived and reliable.

Scot


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## sscotsman (Dec 8, 2010)

Mr_Detail said:


> Thank you Normex for this excellent advice.
> Now for this snow blower neophyte, can someone post a snapshot/photo of what the auger shear bolt looks like and its location? Are there more than one "auger shear bolt"?







depending on the size of the snowblower, there will be one or two shear bolts per side. (the terms "shear bolt" and "shear pin" are interchangeable and mean the same thing..)

Scot


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## Mr_Detail (Nov 19, 2014)

Thank you for the link Scot. Youtube is an amazing thing.


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## Mr_Detail (Nov 19, 2014)

Another side bar question associated with the same Tecumseh powered snow blower.
Just found out that this baby weighs 330 lbs. In your opinion is this too heavy of a blower for my wife to manipulate if necessary? I am not big, strong guy myself but 330 lbs. sounds much heavier than other 2 stage blowers I have seen today.


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## pwm (Jun 12, 2014)

Well that could be an issue. My old machine gave me quite a workout when turning it at the end of each sweep of the driveway. That's the reason they developed EZ-Turn levers which disconnect the wheels. Ariens has the AutoTurn feature which addresses the same problem. Those big old blowers are heavy beasts.


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## Normex (Feb 21, 2014)

To match the snow blower size, one normally takes the size of your driveway.
And also if the snow blower has a solid axle which makes it harder to turn.


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## Mr_Detail (Nov 19, 2014)

Mr. Normex,
The driveway is about 150 feet long by 15 feet wide with a 30 ft by 30 ft. pad at the bottom. How can you tell if any given snow blower has a solid axle or the alternative?


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## Normex (Feb 21, 2014)

For that size driveway you could get a smaller width based on the following simple calculations.

That laneway size gives you around 3,200 sq. ft. total.

A 32" removes 2.66 sq/ft per foot but a 24" wide removes 2 sq/ft per foot.
Now when you translate this in the number of passes to do 150 ft long by 15 ft wide a 32" will do it in 5.64 passes. 24" wide will require 7.5 passes.

To elaborate further especially for someone that would have difficulty with turning or handling a 32" wide snow blower especially if it has a solid axle which means that both wheels pulls equally and you feel the added force required to turn it as opposed to a differential type which only one wheel pulls and the other is freewheeling which is a lot easier to turn around, I would recommend a lighter unit that could be less wider. The only true measure for you and your wife would be to try and turn one snow blower with the engine off and see how comfortable you feel doing so. My choice would be a 28" with differential wheel action.
Good Luck and please forget the Mr. as we are all equals here


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## sscotsman (Dec 8, 2010)

Normex said:


> To elaborate further especially for someone that would have difficulty with turning or handling a 32" wide snow blower especially if it has a solid axle which means that both wheels pulls equally and you feel the added force required to turn it as opposed to a differential type which only one wheel pulls and the other is freewheeling which is a lot easier to turn around


Its not technically correct that on a machine with a true differential "only one wheel pulls and the other is freewheeling" A true differential means both wheels are actually powered, but they can turn independently from each other. 

Here are some of the ways snowblower wheels are powered:. (and this is not related to friction disk vs. gear drive vs. hydro transmission type..im only referring to the way the wheels turn in relation to each other)

1. locked axle. both wheels turn under power and are rigidly connected to each other, wheels will not turn independently of each other. This is the most difficult to turn.
some machines might have this as the *only* option.

2. Some machines with the locked axle can also have a pin for unlocking one wheel..when one wheel is unlocked, only one wheel is truly powered, and the other wheel "freewheels" and receives no power. This makes turning easier, but with a loss of traction. Some machines have a pin on the axle you have to remove, other machines have a trigger on the handlebar that "unlocks" the one wheel for turning, then you let go when going straight again, and the axle "locks" in place again.

3. A true differential. Found on many 1960's, 70's and 80's Ariens machines, (and other brands too probably) Not sure how long it was used. This is a true automotive-style differential, both wheels are powered, but they can turn indpendantly from each other, while still powered, making turning very easy. (I have this system on my '71 Ariens and I think it's great..I seldom have slipping wheels..it works great!) These machines also have the option to lock the axle if desired. it can be "locked" or "unocked" with the knob on the side of one wheel. I never run mine in the "locked" position, I leave it in the "differential" position at all times.

4. Modern "auto turn" systems, like on current Ariens machines. I personally know nothing about these!  Others can probably explain how they work.

Scot


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## Koenig041 (Dec 18, 2013)

We have a 1994 Murray Brute 5hp 22 cut with a tecumseh engine. No turn assit but is a smaller machine and easy to muscle around. Our 1979 Toro 1132 uses a rod attached to a collar to lock the wheel to the axle, one per wheel. This is a very heavy machine and the collar lockouts are very helpful. Our 2003 Troybilt storm 1030 with tecumseh engine, uses a lever type system that slowly brakes the wheel to allow it to turn. Very helpful. 

Normex gave you the math. It all depends on how may laps you want to do. I think you would do well with the 28 inch and turning mechanism. 

For what its worth my wife has no plans on using, operating and or maneuvering a snow blower. Golf clap for getting yours to partake in the action. So get the machine that will be the simplest for her to operate and maneuver to keep her in the mix.


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## Normex (Feb 21, 2014)

sscotsman said:


> 3. A true differential. Found on many 1960's, 70's and 80's Ariens machines, (and other brands too probably) Not sure how long it was used. This is a true automotive-style differential, both wheels are powered, but they can turn indpendantly from each other, while still powered, making turning very easy. (I have this system on my '71 Ariens and I think it's great..I seldom have slipping wheels..it works great!) These machines also have the option to lock the axle if desired. it can be "locked" or "unocked" with the knob on the side of one wheel. I never run mine in the "locked" position, I leave it in the "differential" position at all times.
> 
> 4. Modern "auto turn" systems, like on current Ariens machines. I personally know nothing about these!  Others can probably explain how they work.
> 
> Scot


 My bad Scot on the differential explanation, my 2008 ST1130DLE is like your '71 Ariens and like you I'm clueless with the auto-turns.


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## SumDumJerk (Oct 21, 2014)

My 06 Craftsman has a 9hp Tecumseh...Its the only thing other than the LEDs I installed that isn't cheesy about it, I bought the stripped model....Its a 1 pull wonder and I can hit the sidewalk across the street if its a wet snow.

Only once in its 8 years have I had issues with it starting.....had to use the electric starter and it ran choppy but did the job.....drained the bad gas from the tank added fresh gas and the next day it started right up and cleared another foot from the drive.

I've torn the engines flywheel off replaced it with one that has magnets, added a stator, had the carburetor linkage, primer button, choke assembly, spark plug coil all removed and put back together again in just an hour....so simple even I can do it.

Tecumseh made a good solid, easy, dependable motor.....
Purge it of fuel every spring, keep the oil changed and never shovel snow again.


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

SumDumJerk said:


> My 06 Craftsman has a 9hp Tecumseh...Its the only thing other than the LEDs I installed that isn't cheesy about it, I bought the stripped model....Its a 1 pull wonder and I can hit the sidewalk across the street if its a wet snow.
> 
> Only once in its 8 years have I had issues with it starting.....had to use the electric starter and it ran choppy but did the job.....drained the bad gas from the tank added fresh gas and the next day it started right up and cleared another foot from the drive.
> 
> ...


Not to worry. When some the of the evening crowd guys get home from work and see this, they'll be here to tell you how awful and crappy Tecumseh engines are. Chinese are so much better because "OHV, sips gas, starts simply by staring at it, yada, yada, yada, never have seen a blown chinese engine yet."... What they can't seem to grasp is that there are thousands of those old Tecs still running strong and they're 40 yrs old, some of them.


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## UNDERTAKER (Dec 30, 2013)

just don't get me started on those tecumsapart engines.


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## Koenig041 (Dec 18, 2013)

I'm with you Micah68. Time will tell with these new knockoff (honda clones) designs. They perform well now. Time will let us know how they hold up. But at 100 bucks, for a motor. If you have to replace it once every three or 4 years. Not including labor. Not a bad trade off. It'll keep the foreign workers in jobs.


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

POWERSHIFT93 said:


> just don't get me started on those tecumsapart engines.


Problems Todd?

By the way... Did you know Tecumseh is the Indiain word for "Throws a rod."


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## jtclays (Sep 24, 2010)

Mr. Detail, Does it look like this only says 1032:
If it does, they are very capable machines and yes they are heavy. If it has a big wingnut on the left wheel, it has a true differential on the drive axle. Tighten the wing nut is full differential mode, loosen wing nut, one wheel drive (if properly maintained and operating). If checking the shear pins as others suggest, keep in mind, stock JD "shear bolts" of this era were in fact pins with heads on them, a hole through the opposite side that had either a cotter pin or simple overlapped wire ring to secure them.
They are very easy to work on, no metric bolts, no cables (except throttle). If the guy really did a true restore ask him to pull the belt cover and show you the brake assembly. It's only 2 bolts and takes literally 30 seconds. See if the black bracket that holds a rubber wedge, that drops into the auger drive pulley is in good shape. The design of it has the bracket resting on top of the auger engagement idler and when engaged, the idler assembly pushes the brake up and away from the auger drive pulley. Over the years that friction can and will wear a slot in the brake bracket. It's a NLA part so worth a look. As far as Tecumseh engines my buddy owns a rental place and his take on them is everything wears out eventually. Any engine that does work and is not given oil changes timely will wear out sooner. He claims the vast majority of Tec engine rod failures he has seen are low, old, wrong or no oil. He also says a lot of people get in the habit of tilting snow blowers way back and trying to eat at EOD stuff causing the oil to slosh to one side. Buying used is a crap shoot, because you have no idea how the item was cared for. See what the guy seems like in person, if it was his originally, his dad's?
Look around his garage and see what order he keeps things in. There are those of us around still that like to keep stuff running even though it's "old."


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## 43128 (Feb 14, 2014)

Im just gonna say I havnt had the best luick with tecumsehs. that is all. if I try to express your opinions sscotsman will lock the thread.


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## 43128 (Feb 14, 2014)

bleh, if i try to express my opinions sscotsman will lock the thread


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## 94EG8 (Feb 13, 2014)

I worked on Hundreds of Tecumsehs on snowblowers. They're a crudely built engine with a penchant for throwing connecting rods. The ones built in the later years of production suffer from broken teeth on the gear for the electric starter, these tend to end up stuck to the magnets on the inside of the flywheel where they will occasionally get jammed between the flywheel and stater ripping the mounting bosses for the stator out of the block and draining all the oil. As a rule they run rough, some of them, especially older ones are smoother. But the ones from 5 to years old tend to vibrate, rattle, and shake. The carbs are simple to rebuild, but tend to need attention quite often. I mean they will normally start well in the cold, but so will just about everything else now, just everything else does it with less attention and is quieter, smoother, and makes more power with less displacement. I just don't get the love for Tecumseh.


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## UNDERTAKER (Dec 30, 2013)

micah68kj said:


> Problems Todd?
> 
> By the way... Did you know Tecumseh is the Indiain word for "Throws a rod."


 they always were and are GUTLESS WONDERS here in the FROZEN TUNDRA.


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## lebenfitti (Oct 1, 2014)

My '66 10M6D has the original 6hp Tecumseh, which still starts in 1-2 pulls and throws heavy snow all day. I also have a '91 3hp 2 stroke which I simply cannot kill no matter how hard I have pushed it in the last 20 years. It also starts within 2 pulls. Never owned a Briggs engine that didn't give me a full cardio work out every time I try to pull start it. I only have one BS now in my generator and it has been a widow-maker to start since day one. Tecumseh all the way! I hope LCT will carry the torch adequately.


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

Just setting the record straight. I am not a huge fan'of Tesumseh engines myself. I have always favored Kohler engines over anything. *BUT* I just gave my personal experiences with Tecumseh Snow King engines.... I've had a whole bunch of them and not one of them has run rough, started hard, lacked power or has thrown a rod. This is just *MY* personal experience with them. It does seem strange that people have so many problems with them.


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