Riding Lawnmower

[Vic]

I have an older MTD riding mower. It is in need of a new engine. It has a 12 hp Briggs on it. Has anyone done a basic overhaul on one of these. If so did it pay to do it. To buy a new engine is just too expensive. The mower itself is in good shape but I don't know if it is worth the price of a new engine. I am trying to save buying a new one.

I have found an 8 year-old 25 horse Yardmachine with a 48" deck for $400. Does anyone know anything about this type mower.

Vic

[Tractorman]

I do not know what is wrong with yours but I did put new rings in one of mine. If your is worn or smoking this might fix it. The rings for mine was only about $15 and it took me a few hours was not really that hard worked great.

[Zuiko]

I saw part of a thing on DIY a while ago, I think it was on weekend mechanic. Anyways, I dont remember much, but they kept saying it was a 1 star, out of 5, difficulty. They suggested getting the kids involved with it, so it cant be too hard. You can look on their site and see if they still have that info on there. I havent done much engine work, although we are buying a few older tractors, we just got a Farmall H, and my dad wants more, so I will probably get used to it. If you dont find what your looking for on DIY's site, I'm sure you will be able to find a good book on small engines. I would guess Haynes/Chilton makes books for them. Briggs is pretty common too. Good Luck

Edit: PS if your not sure about taking it apart, like you will break something, worst case, you need a new engine, or if you decide to go with that other one, a new tractor. All you would have lost would be a little time, and you would probably learn a lot.

[Beeman]

I have no idea what is wrong with your engine. If it doesn't have a hole in the side from a rod being thrown through it I would say fix what you've got. I wouldn't think it would be worth the price of a brand new engine. But if it is broke beyond repair find a used engine. Many different size engines will bolt right in and there are plenty of rusted out mowers with good or rebuildable engines.
Rebuilding that engine to good working order is not that big of a job and will provide good experience for future projects. Buy a book and have fun.