|
|
(From: Andrew Bowers (falcon_@geocities.com).)
I just did something cool!
My friend Dan gave me a 3.5 HP Briggs & Stratton horizontal shaft engine, which burned oil like crazy. I took it completely apart, (Dan had started to, but he hadn't taken the actual block apart, he had just taken the carburetor, muffler, and flywheel cover off) and found a _deep_ gouge in the cylinder wall. The rings were fine, except there was a chunk missing from the oil ring. Here comes the "miracle" part. Most people would have just chucked the engine, or kept it around for parts. I grabbed my thing of JB Weld ("the world's finest cold weld"), mixed some up, and filled in the gouge. The next day, I sanded the patch smooth, and put the engine back together. Started on the first try. Still burns oil (due to the missing segment on the oil ring; the auto parts store I went to didn't have piston rings, can you believe that?), but runs pretty good. (Well, the injectors in the carburetor keep getting clogged, and it won't start, so we're going to get a new, PLASTIC gas tank).