Tecumseh Engines going out of buisness

Anonymous-0 · Jun 21, 2009

I have herd Tecumseh engine company is going out of the engine and transmission busness and diffrent lines have been sold to other companys. Did Tecumseh engine make poor products such as transmissions and engines? What been your experance with the engines and transmissions? I know as far as transmissions go I have had no problems and engine wise on push mowers and snow blowers they have been good.

whizkidkyus · Jun 21, 2009

Most small engine mechanics that I know won't even touch them .Around here you you have to pretty have to take them to a factory certified dealer / mechanic that has been factory trained.

Thanks'
Whizkidkyus

Anonymous-0 · Jun 21, 2009

My dad and I have both had Tecumseh engines that threw the connecting rods. The rod metal is the bearing metal. Both these broke the rod cap. His made a hole in the block, mine just bent the rod in a cast iron block. The Briggs that replaced mine mows the yard on 1/8th tank of gas where the Tecumseh took the whole tank (didn't change the tank, just the engine).

Gerald J.

RacerX · Jun 21, 2009

Not is, DID. Tecumseh ceased operations in Dec, 08. The parts business has been sold to an outfit in WI, they plan to provide parts only, no complete engines.
Were the engines that bad? No, not really. Everybody seems to have a horror story about a Tecumseh engine, but generally those were the cheapest engines, mounted on the cheapest equipment. There's no doubt that Tecumseh did build a cheaper engine than Briggs, and they did have the lion's share of that market.
But Tecumseh could build good engines too. What about all those snowblower engines they built? Most 2 stage snowblowers were Tecumseh powered. I'm always hearing from some guy who has a 30 year old Ariens snowblower, and is bragging about how it always starts, or that it still has the original engine. You can't say those engines weren't any good.
Now I guess it will be up to Briggs to power everything. Them or some Chinese POS. The Chinese engines (like that come on the new Cub Cadet snowblowers) are really scary. Some are good, some not, and some aren't so bad except you can't buy parts for them, which makes them worthless in my book.

Pitch · Jun 21, 2009

I always hated Tecumseh engines on any equipment used in warm weather. Never seemed to hold up very long. Tecumseh engine on a snowblower is great though the best coldweather small engine built.

MarkB_MI · Jun 21, 2009

Well, every item of power equipment sold by Sears for many years was powered by Tecumseh. Many other manufacturers used them as well. Tecumseh always had a reputation for hard starting, but they still sold millions of engines over the years, mostly to people who didn't know or care what brand of engine was under the Sears or Toro nameplate.

Dave 2N · Jun 21, 2009

I have a Troy-Built tiller that I bought in 1984.
Hard-starting but stull going. Biggest complaint was carb. problems.

Anonymous-0 · Jun 21, 2009

Ive seen many with thrown rods plus the rewinds were pure trouble.An old friend called them Discomforts.The owner of the co that built my bandsaw mill say they tried to use Teccumseh engines but the problems were too much.They use Honda engines now.My Honda is 6 years old with no problems.I want reliable tools that wont drive me nuts with breakdowns.The China knockoffs of Honda engines worry me because their bum performance will rub off.

oldironman · Jun 21, 2009

Tecumseh engines arn't worth the powder to blow them to h#ll in my book.

kopeck · Jun 21, 2009

We have a late 70s Troy-Bilt Horse with a 7HP Tecumseh one it, still going it's been used a ton.

Here's the thing with small engines. In my book they're all a bit finicky at times and when something goes wrong it tends to go wrong in a big way.

I personally like Kohlers, B&S is OK I guess but the one we use the most has carb problems, always has and probably always will so I guess they're my least favorite.

K

UncleTom · Jun 21, 2009

Look at what engines that are on sears stuff today. A lot of Chinese. I don't want to buy Chinese anything but how do you help it with so much of it on the shelf's now days .

Gun guru · Jun 21, 2009

For what my opinion is worth.
Techumseh motors are not that good, other then the Tech. snow king engines made for snow throwers.

Kohler is best with Honda, then B-S then techumseh.

cadet trooper · Jun 21, 2009

Don"t forget Lawn-Boy used them on their 4-cycle mulch /mower I"ve had mine 15 years works good every year my MTD trim mower has the same indentical has been just as reliable. I just can"t jump on the bad band wagon.Used to be Deere"s prime GT engine years ago good or bad.

Anonymous-0 · Jun 21, 2009

Must be they went out before the bailout / bankrupt, and terminate legacy thing got up to full speed.

lucas boy · Jun 21, 2009

husqvarna bought the gear division ,transmissions and such. tecumseh itself went out of buisiness several months ago..

john in la · Jun 21, 2009

[i:654c4848f0]Kohler is best with Honda, then B-S then techumseh.[/i:654c4848f0]

You think Kohler is better than Honda??????

I would put Honda at the top of the list myself.

Anonymous-0 · Jun 21, 2009

Kawasaki and Kohler are the best small gas engins followed by B&S and Honda. Tecumseh and the Chinese engines maky up the lower end from a quality and cost perspective.

Wisconsin was perhaps one of the highest quality small engines years ago - not sure how the Robin Subaru engins are doing. They don't seem to be all that common today.

Yes Tecumseh built a few heavy duty engins that were very good but the majority of what they built wasn't so good. A homeowner who only puts a few hours on the engine and stores it inside may never have a problem. The carb on the Sears was most troubling and would seize up if the mower got wet. You could free it up but it would never run just right again.

The Chinese engins are basically a copy of the Honda with lower quality parts. Time will tell on how good the they are.

Ray · Jun 21, 2009

We have a JD 425 mower with a v twin kawasaki
egine that has been nothing but trouble.Electrical at first then fiber timing gears,then a leaking head gasket and it now is in the shop for a broken camshaft with only 700 easy hours.

j meyer · Jun 21, 2009

the original camshaft was made of plastic, and every 425 has to get that replaced. What your saying your 425 has for issues are common on all 425's

Mike (WA) · Jun 21, 2009

The problem with Tecumseh on Troy-bilt was that the engine is usually running at a pretty steep angle when tilling, and if you don't watch the oil level, you can have oil starvation problems. I had one in the '70's, traded it to my dad for some work he did- he didn't watch the oil level, and eventually fried it. I bought a Troy with Kohler, its been fine, but then took in a BCS tiller last winter- used it this spring for the garden, and the Troy is going on Craig's list.

Bought a Miller welder/generator at an auction with a Tecumseh- checked the oil, it looked OK. It was electric start with no battery, so couldn't check compression. Which turned out to be zero. Took it apart, and someone had apparently thrown a rod- piston and rod were missing, crank looked OK. Underside of head all chewed up. The guy had gone to the trouble of taking the offending parts out, then put it back together (with gasket) and put in used oil to the proper level. Don't you just love auctions?

IH2444 · Jun 21, 2009

Plactic camshaft? Not even the worst Tecumseh I have dealt with had a plastic camshaft.

e · Jun 21, 2009

Never really been a fan of their products. They run and make power, but that's about it. Thinking back, we rebuilt an awful lot of Tecumseh engines in high school. There were a few Briggs, but never a Kohler or a Honda. The Tecumseh's would come in just billowing smoke. What gems.

The only downside to this is it opens the door for more Chinese junk to fill the need for bottom of the barrel engines.

JDB · Jun 21, 2009

The cub Cadet 2086 appear to have the same engine as the Deere 425. Is it? Mine has around 450 hours hope I don"t have the same problem.

JOCCO · Jun 21, 2009

Can't resist, nothing but trouble, low end junk. Surprised they lasted long as they did. To me if equipment is worth owning i want a good engine on it.

Anonymous-0 · Jun 21, 2009

I don't buy anything unless it has a Honda on it. The rest is a waste of time.

Anonymous-0 · Jun 21, 2009

Well Id take a old Tecumseh ANY day over the crap Kohler I have now. 1600 house and the crank gear that runs the cam split, its pressed on with no keyway. They also dont use any bearings it the motor. Cam and crank run right on the alumimn housing. a 27HP motor that is just a throw away engine. I always took care to keep the oil changed in it, why even bother now? The new short block cost me $1100.00

Never again well I buy another piece of equipment with a Kohler, I think I'll go back to Kawai.

LenND · Jun 21, 2009

Honda better be good they cost at least twice as much. I bought an eight horse Tecumseh powered generator about ten years ago (4000 watt) and have had no trouble. A --2000 watt-- Honda at that time cost over $900--they aren't that much better in my book.

Anonymous-0 · Jun 21, 2009

The Honda generator will run forever on a tank of gas and start every time. If you only use it once a year, I'm sure inferior motors are fine. But when you make your living with tools, a cheap cost initially doesn't pay out in the long run.

You get what you pay for.

RodinNS · Jun 21, 2009

I found Tecumse was OK. I've had trouble with their transaxles. Don't bother with the engines much but have one and use some others on the fire department. They start so-so but seem to run OK for all the use they get.

Of all I've seen of Briggs, Tecumse, Kohler, Honda and Honda knockoffs, the genuine Honda has been by far the best. They start on the first rip and never give any trouble other than an oil change and plug cleaning.
No doubt why the chinese copied so many of them.... which don't seem to work quite as well, but still better than a Briggs.

Rod

cornfarmer · Jun 21, 2009

The only thing worse than a Tecumseh is a B&S-just drop the & and all you have is BS. I have never owned an import engine, including Honda, so I can't speak for them. Onan always made the longest running engines, but people no longer wanted to pay the premium price. Eventually, they were being sold only for commercial welders and powering reefer units on semi-trailers, along with some generators. I still have at least 2 Onan engines used regularly. Kohler makes a good engine, I have several and have no complaints. Briggs, even the best ones, are marginal. I have several, just because there was no choice on the equipment I wanted. A few years ago I bought a new Simplicity lawn tractor to replace the one I had. I bought it over the phone, not realizing that the better engines were optional, and it has a Briggs. Engine is just junk with about 250 hours. I wont sell it, don't want to stick anyone else with it, so it sits in the corner of the shed. Replaced it with a Kohler powered Toro-problem solved. A quick look around the shed shows 2 Onan's, 6 Kohlers', 5 B&S, and 3 Tecumseh engine powered machines.

rbel · Jun 22, 2009

I have two two cyl B&S units that have been going strong for over 15 years. We have used B&S units on our FD brush rigs since the 70's. If you buy the commercial units with cast Iron sleves and properly maintain them they are real work horses.

Tecumseh Engines going out of buisness

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