Tecumseh Ring Gear

[Skywatcher]

Greetings All and Happy New Year

Does anyone know if the ring gear on a Tecumseh snow engine is available as a separate part? Parts-Tree shows only the complete flywheel. Here's what evidently happened, the starter mounting hardware came loose so the starter pinion started skipping on the ring gear damaging the teeth. Eventually the teeth on the pinion started breaking off. Any help most appreciated.

Engine info;
Make: Tecumseh
Model: LH358SA
Type: 159502Z
DOM: 04231CH0265

The engine is mounted on an MTD White Outdoor Products snow blower

Model: 31AE5MLP590
S/N: 1H204B50264
10.5 hp / 30" 2 stage

Thanks and all the best,

Sky

[KE4AVB]

Sky,

It looks your out of luck of this one. Every ipl that I looked at that referenced that flywheel PN doesn't show an separate ring available. You could try Fleabay for an used flywheel but just be carefully of sight unseen condition.

[38racing]

and probably no chance that flywheel is same as any of their vertical rider engines.

[38racing]

Based on parts lookup I have one of those on an engine with a blown rod and some other missing stuff. Guessing the weight would make it a pricey shipment even from Ontario to the west? Looks nothing on ebay under $200 for a Canadian.

[Arkie]

Based on parts lookup I have one of those on an engine with a blown rod and some other missing stuff. Guessing the weight would make it a pricey shipment even from Ontario to the west? Looks nothing on ebay under $200 for a Canadian.

Just wondering:

To reduce shipping weight!
Is the flywheel starter ring detachable on these type flywheels so as just the ring ONLY could be shipped and re-attached? Like drilling out rivets or ???

[Skywatcher]

Hi KE4 & 38

Thanks for your replies. Decided to have a go at cleaning up the teeth on the ring gear with a die grinder, can't get price or availability on new pinion until Jan 3rd as supplier has been closed between Christmas and New Years. Also, learned a little more about the machine. Customer indicated the unit would never start on the pull start which is why electric start was always used. When pulling engine over, could not feel compression, but could hear it escaping through muffler. Checked valve clearances; intake .005", exhaust .003" (tech manual says .008" – .012" for both valves). Gave engine a quick valve job and reset valve clearances, intake .010", exhaust to .012". Can now feel a bump of compression when pulling over and engine starts with recoil starter.

Gave unit a test run yesterday clearing 8" of fresh snow from 150 feet of driveway. The machine performed flawlessly so will look into new pinion on Tuesday. 38, if new pinion doesn't appear to want to mesh properly with ring gear, I'll PM you and we'll see what it would take to get that old flywheel over here. Thanks and happy New Year to all,

Sky

[38racing]

Being in our cold Canada I assume you have discovered how much better a blower will start with pull start when it has synthetic oil in it.

[Skywatcher]

Hi Again

Arkie, good thought on the shipping. I believe this ring gear is a shrink fit like automotive ring gears. Warm the gear up with a torch, drop it on and let it shrink onto the flywheel. The trick would be to get the good one off without damaging or stretching it. The John Deere manuals specify to never re-use a ring gear once it's been installed and removed from a flywheel.

38, Yes, this is the one application where I do promote the use of synthetic oil in an air cooled splash lube engine. Although the oil will be changed long before it's worn out, the ease of starting and engine protection the synthetic oil gives far out weigh the cost of it. Using synthetic oil in a walk behind lawn mower is just wasting money in my books. Forecast low tonight for here is –29ºC (–20ºF or 244ºK)

All the best,

Sky

[Arkie]

Thanks for the Tecumseh flywheel answer.
I've done a few of the auto flywheel rings that used the heat method. Now that is a eye opener, jaw dropper sad feeling when you see a flywheel ring on your own auto with just couple of damaged teeth (dreading the repair job that is needed) and the starter seems to always hang in that ONE place right when it's raining and you are going to have to crawl under the vec and unjam the starter BEFORE you can manually turn the engine little bit by hand to get a re-start and ever time you kill the engine you say a little prayer before going for the next re-start.

John Deere might be concerned about heat from a torch discoloring their Green/Yeller paint when chaining their flywheels rings is why they don't recommend changing just the ring and they can then get more green from our billfold for a complete assembly. If you have ever been to a J.D. parts place $$$, this is self explanatory.

I started to not comment about the J.D. Yeller/Green but could not hold back. Their paint sure is purty.

[KE4AVB]

Boy that brings some old memories. I haven't never done a ring gear replacement but did see it done once back in the late 70's before I got out high school.

As for temps we're not getting that cold but even the sudden drop from 70F to the lower 20's F still seems rather cold but I know it is not. Part of it is the the lost of 20 lbs of insulation.

And I think that yeller paint has gold in it but that orange and white Stihl plastics is just as pricey. I was wanting to replacement rear cover on a Stihl FS55 trimmer and they were wanting $60 at one dealer, ended up welding it.