Just picked up a troy built tiller with this engine. Thanks for going thru all the details on the engine. I'm not sure I'll do all that work you did but it's good to know if I have to . Regards, Tom, Ontario, Canada
Really glad to find this video. I have two old (mid '70's) TroyBilt Horse tillers with the same Techumsa engines. One is dead, the other is extremely tired. I'd like to use this video to try to rebuild one good engine out of the two. I think it would be a great way to learn how to rebuild engines. Also glad that you have a normal speed version of this rebuild. I was disappointed initially that you fast-forwarded through the most important part. Thanks!
I’m going to give it a go. Rototiller worked well last year but this year I’m having trouble. Replaced the carburetor. It barely keeps running. Noticed oil coming out of one of the bolts holding on the head
I have one of these old Troy Bilt tillers with a Tecumseh 6hp engine that wouldn't start - I replaced it with a Harbor Freight 212 Predator and it was fairly simple direct fit and the Predator is working just fine. I will try to rebuild the Tecumseh someday but not just ready to do it at this time.
very good video. my 1986 troy-bilt tiller has the same engine and was running fine a couple days ago and i shut it down to tighten the drive belt. since then it has decided not to start. after checking things out i saw the compression was really low. (60 psi) so i decided it needed rings. well after thinking about it i decided i better check valve clearances first before tearing into the engine to replace the rings. i have yet to do that but i had an old 3 horse tiller with a similar problem a few years ago and it turned out to be tight valves. i have yet to check them but i am hoping that is the issue because it is so much easier fixing that than installing piston rings. you stated it did not look like there was a way to adjust the valve clearance. well you have to remove the valve and grind a bit off the stem to get the necessary clearance. i found that out with that small tiller i fixed. i made a special tool to remove the valve springs and still have it. i am just hoping that is my problem.
Thank You. Great Video. I'm still having trouble finding (major) parts). I bought this new from Troybuilt in the late 70's. Model HH60 105106 F. Excellent Machine
Dude I have to say, that was a great video. It was real, and you didn't hide your mistakes so we can learn along with you. I say keep finding old engines and bring them back to life! Thanks for sharing.
Just picked up the same tiller - doing a little pre-work research and came upon this video. Excellent job! Kudos on your patience for not giving up on it. Giving me the confidence to conduct my pre-run work similar to how you did - should save me from wasting time. Thanks for your efforts.
I'm about to put my 70s Troy Bilt Horse tiller back into commission after 20-something years sitting in the garage, and it has this exact engine on it. So the timing is perfect!
12:15 The thing causing all the smoke when you start it is a bad fuel to air ratio. I found that the throttle has to be almost closed and the choke open completely for it to start and not have a rough start.
dude that's awesome. Thanks a lot man. I just got myself a atco mower with this engine. its a big restore challenge as the mower is very old. wish me luck.
Great job on that engine , I was 1 years old when that motor came out. LoL love them old engines like that and them Metal square tanks. Good job on the rebuild 👍
Enjoyed the video. I especially like how you show some of the "bumps" along the way on this project. And the explanation as to why was refreshing to see. Great job, and all the best on your continued project!
That's a lot of endplay on that crank, but it might run OK like that. When it exceeds the side play on the rod's crankpin, that's where it can get ugly. A little "backyard machining" of the face on that end cover using emory cloth on a piece of glass might help.
I have an older tecumseh hh 60 on my tiller, would love to do what you did, it runs but not as it should.Can you help me. NJ gardener wanna be. Thank you!
I’m no mechanic and I can’t afford to have the work done on this 6 HP Tecumseh HH60 engine. I watched your video but it really moves too fast for me to catch all the little nuances of tear down , rebuild and reassembly. Can you recommend something that walks one through a step by step procedure? Im pretty sure my problem is the connecting Rod. But right now even though I’ve removed the bolt from the flywheel it won’t come off. Im stuck here. Thanks. Nick
With the amount of carbon build up in that engine, I'd say it's far more likely that the damage to the top of the piston and combustion chamber was due to chunks of that carbon coming loose. I've completely rebuilt one of these HH60's and have another that I need to finish the rebuild on(oddly enough, this one had a governor failure and piston skirt damage too...ran like a top anyway). A couple of hours ago, I finished replacing a HH60 with a $120 212cc Predator motor. I would have shimmed the crank on that to get the endplay into tolerance....should have been a shim in there already IIRC. Also, I didn't see you check end gap on the rings before installing them on the piston. Always check that because they might be file to fit instead of drop in. I like old engines, but the Predator starts way better than any tecumseh I've ever had the displeasure of using, makes far less noise, has electronic ignition, and is more fuel efficient. Tecumseh has been out of business for a while now, and parts are getting harder to find. Just not much point fighting the tecumseh back into prime condition(which isn't all that much to write home about IMO) instead of replacing it.
i have replaces piston rings on several engines including automobiles and motorcycles and i have never filed the rings. i know hot rod builders do but i am not making a hot rod and it is not necessary imo on a standard engine. it is borderline blueprinting which is unnecessary on an engine that is not intended for maximum performance.
Look like a engine off of a Troy bolt pony tiller I believe they did a Kholer powered version. And a Tecumseh version. I don’t think the exhaust is correct for it’s vintage but hey it works
My experience over the past 40 years with Tecumseh engines found they are best used for...increasing B&S engine sales,doorstops.rowboat anchors,weighing down large stacks of paper,and giving you an excuse to take it to the scrapyard to look for angle iron,round or square tubing for other projects.I do admire your stick to it ive ness.
This is the second video I have watched for rebuilding a Tecumseh. In neither video did anyone check ring gap before installing the piston. At least noone showed checking ring gap. Is it not necessary? Thanks for a great video.
First time on the channel, enjoyed watching and learned something new, great to see you get it all done and full respect for going through the small mistakes you encountered during filming, others probably wouldn’t have been so honest 👍 I have been having a few issues with a Landmaster 85 Garden rotorvator and hope to get her running again. Many thanks for your video 😁
you all probably dont care but does any of you know a trick to log back into an Instagram account..? I was dumb lost the login password. I would love any tricks you can give me
@Deshawn Thaddeus i really appreciate your reply. I got to the site thru google and I'm trying it out now. Looks like it's gonna take quite some time so I will reply here later with my results.
Almost sure that is a 6 hp from a Troy-Bilt Horse model rototiller. Looks exactly like mine including the fuel tank except the air cleaner is a little different. Don''t even know how old mine is, probably 1950s or 1960s, still runs great, has never needed any service on the actual engine other than replacing the flywheel key, and it's seen plenty of use.
I'm building one of these for an old rototiller this summer too same exact engine. Two questions. What was your compression when you had it running good? And what did you to clean all that decades old carbon off the valves?
Great vid! It shows that you don't always have to know 100% what you are doing when you get started (no offense). Sometimes you just have to jump in and solve problems as they present themselves. You got it running great though!
I've learned one thing from owning two Tecumse's. Indians are great at making teepees and wigwams, but when it comes to older engines, you should stick with Kohler or Briggs. Chief Tecumseh started a bit late.
+Nathaniel Gibbs Yes! Turns out the click was from the bad tappet (lifter). Off camera I checked the gap on the exhaust and it was about .014 over spec, the new ones brought it to dead-on, completely took away the little clunk. I still have some end-play but it's not awful. I'm thinking of taking it apart again and having a new thrush washer made to take up the slack, that way I can go back to running a full gasket instead of RTV on the case.
AimlessMoto ground carbon off of valve and top of piston. All cleaned up, no blow by. But when I got the engine back together and tried to start it, it would run but I was getting backfire and grey smoke. Any suggestions/fix? New spark plug and carb was just cleaned.
Hmm... backfire suggests the timing could be off, slightly too far advanced. Grey smoke is oil, but that will happen on any engine after a rebuild for the first 30-40 seconds. You could be a little rich on the carb too. My suggestion is to start clean. Pop the flywheel off, check the points are at .020 gap at the little mark on the ignition cam (the one under the timing plate). The small black plastic part of the points that rides on the cam should be between the two small hash marks on the cam.... then set the points at exactly .020". I would also suggest making sure they're clean by using a piece of 1000 grit paper on the points. After that, be sure the bottom (fuel) screw on the carb is only out 1.5 turns from bottomed out (don't bottom it out hard or you risk breaking it), and the air screw (on the side) is out only 1 turn from bottomed out (again be careful not to snap the tip off bottoming it out). Then give it another go. You could check the valves too, make sure the engine is at TDC, then check that the gap is .012-.015 on the exhaust and .008-.010 on the intake. Any more than that and you'll have to replace the tappets, possibly the valves. Nathaniel Gibbs
I want to just run my rototiller and get the garden in, not spend a week rebuilding the old engine on it every time I need to use it. Waiting for obsolete parts from antique parts suppliers. I'm willing to pay $100 every 5 years to just have a tiller that is there, reliable and strong and ready to go when I need it.
hey nice job with that Tecumseh motor , but my question is , what is that tool on your drill that you use to rota-tor that motor around and where can i get one myself .
Haha, it's actually a rubber/aluminum RC Plane Prop-starter adapter. You can find them online, I got mine for free with an old plane, and it's trash, so I used it... you can find them on Amazon, I believe they're under $20. You need the type you can chuck into a drill. Otherwise, just use a socket on an old extension and cut off the end so you can use it in a drill.
Ok good, I thought so. Yea I have those parts if you want to have your engine governed again. So you need the piece that bolts inside the cylinder cover that has that plastic gear that rides against the cam, the governor lever bracket, the linkage that goes from the bracket to the linkage control thats bolted above the carb. What else let me know? I may not have the bracket linkage because I sold the carb a while back, but I have the bracket and everything else for the governor. Let me know if I forgot something. If you want those parts I'll throw them on ebay and send you the item number, so you can find it right away. Let me know if you need any more parts. I still have a lot of parts left from a couple 71" H70 engines I parted out. Most of the parts for that engine sold and pretty fast so a lot of people are keeping those older Horizontal Tecumseh engines going, they are popular engines. Specifically the snowking, they were some of the best snowblower engines ever builť, compared to some of the chines crap there selling now, yikes. Let me know, thanks.
The H80 is a pretty rare engine. I dont see to many of those or there parts. What were they used on? My H70's were from Ariens sno throw 10000 series, then when they moved onto the 924,000 series they used the HM80-100 models Tec engines.
HH80's aren't SUPER rare... but you're right, it's my mistake, they are based on the HH100 block. The HM80 is a "medium" block motor which is closer to an HH60/HH70 size block. HH80's were common on Wheel Horse tractors... a LOT of the older ones I've seen, even the 80's/90's black motors will just say "H80" on them, HH= Horizontal Heavy Duty Iron Block, H = Horizontal, iron sleeve.
***** OH, thank you! But I actually quick-steeled the hole for the governor arm solid. It's going into a go-kart, so I'm simply using a throttle stop to prevent over-rev.
Really good video! I just got a Troy bolt horse with this motor. Valves look like your, has knock like yours, mine had blow by on head gasket. Trying to figure if it's worth putting money into it or just buying a new engine. How much did you spend? Any suggestions? Thanks!
I was really impressed with how fussy you were in restoring your engine. I have the very same machine. I know without a doubt that it's identical to mine. I have broke my connecting rod and I can't get one. Can you please help me. I love this machine and would dearly love to restore it with its original engine. The engine is in pretty good shape. I purchased it from the original purchaser last year who took very good care of it. He purchased this Troy Bilt Horse 6HP in August of 1976. I would be honored if you help me get the connecting rod and maybe a few more engine parts. I tried everything and can't find one. I hope to hear from you. Thanking you in advance.
So many of those old parts are hard or impossible to get anymore. And breaker points, mounted underneath the flywheel? where it is a real hassle for you to have to get in there periodically and service them....Not to mention that flat head engine designs makes less power and torque than modern designs. All those old engines were kind of made to be disposable. I started getting into the old Troy Bilt Horse models, ended up with 4 of them, and every one of them had a lack of power problem (the original tired engines were too wimpy too pull the big Horse Tillers without bogging down when I'd run the tines down deep, no matter how much I tinkered with them). There was several 7hp tecumseh and (1) 8hp cast iron kohler industrial. I'd rebuild the carbs and service the breaker points. I used to work many years ago as a pro small engine mechanic, and on those very same engines... They were ALL too tired from low compression to pull strong enough on those big old Horse Models tillers. Instead of trying to bore and re-ring them and grind valves and seats I simply replaced the old units with Harbor Freight Predator Engines (212cc horizontal shaft engines that have the shaft and mounting bolt patterns identical to the original old engines!!). These "Honda Clone" (Chinese copies of Honda engines that have parts interchangeable with Honda' engines) can be bought new for $99.-$119. from Harbor Freight. I have found them to be really powerful, good running, and durable engines that pull my Troy Bilt Horse Tillers strongly without bogging down!! Be sure to fit new (industrial grade v-belt drive belts from NAPA auto parts) when re-powering, as these Predators have enough juice to just shred the old marginal belts.
Awesome, I just picked up a Troy tiller with the same motor . I will likely repower it on the cheap and rebuild the tecumseh ....where did you source the parts from?
Ebay, just search for HH60 rebuild kit... it's the only place around that carries the piston, rings, connecting rod, and all the gaskets. They're getting hard to find. www.ebay.com/itm/6HP-Engine-Rebuild-Kit-fits-TECUMSEH-HH60-and-VH60-/141022281207?hash=item20d5953df7:m:mVebbA16FLl0qakbCk2QRYg
Why did you fast forward between 9:08 to 10:36? That was what I was really interested in. Can you make the video you took then, narrate it and post? That would be helpful.
+mhrobotguy I have a full video of the rebuild, It will be up later this week. I'll comment you back with the link. I didn't want to post a 1/2 hour video. I'll also put a link in the video and description. Thanks!
I would never run non-detergent SAE 30 in an engine. Run HD 30 which contains all the required detergent additives to keep engine internals clean. Additionally, the HD 30 very likely is a parafinnic base oil which is superior in engine use vs napthenic base oils commonly found in ND 30 products.
Considering the motor is freshly honed and has new rings, piston, and other internals, and everything was 100% clean when re-assembled, running non-detergent, high zinc, dino-oil is a really good way to break in the engine. It allows for seating of the rings, and ensures good wear-in for the bushings. After I put about 5-10 hours on this motor, I will definitely run a more modern oil. I probably will not go with Synthetic, but something with much less zinc.
I really like this vid except when you blow by rebuilding it. I have an HH60 that I'm in the process of rebuilding and really would've liked to see all of it in real-time.
i found a push mower on the side of the road i asked the people if they were throwing it out and they said yes so i took it home it had a full tank of gas but had low oil put some oil in the motor and pulled the cord and it started running
8:55 why bother? its like painting a turd for the few seconds it goes down the toilet. these are cheap engines that are easily replaced by the bottom line harbor freight special.
@@AimlessMoto I really don't like Tecumsehs. The manual choke drives me mad. Sometimes it will only start with full choke, other times it won't start with full choke and no choke but will start with half choke. Sometimes it won't start with full choke or half choke but will start with no choke. Every time spend 5 mins fiddling with it to get it to start. The engine has so much blow by it it makes the oil so dirty that it needs two oil changes a year for only 8 hours a year of runtime a year. I've got Honda and Predator engines that runs for 50+ hours and the oil barely shows any signs of being dirty but the Tecumseh engine oil is black after 4 hours of runtime even with full synthetic.
+cnrmoose It's not a how-to... I will post up a video of the re-assembly and link it to this video... It would literally make this video an hour long if I put that in.
+AimlessMoto That would be good, I can ff through the parts I'm not interested in, I got an HH60 in my '80 Troy Bilt Horse and the governor is broke in the engine, I just regulate the throttle by hand, but would like to know how to rebuild it.
I didn't install the governor! What I did instead was hook a spring to the carburetor, and the other end of the spring goes to a lever on a plate mounted to the head... on the plate there is a little clip that a throttle cable can go into. I just ensure it won't over-rev or reach valve-float by bending the tab on the back of the throttle plate to touch the carburetor... this way it's impossible to over-rev it, but I still have a linkage for a throttle cable... and no governor to blow-up again. cnrmoose
Was funny how you had so little respect for a motor (turd) that is older than you are , but were able to breathe life back into it anyway ? guess it wasnt such a turd after all ?
Just picked up a troy built tiller with this engine. Thanks for going thru all the details on the engine. I'm not sure I'll do all that work you did but it's good to know if I have to . Regards, Tom, Ontario, Canada
Really glad to find this video. I have two old (mid '70's) TroyBilt Horse tillers with the same Techumsa engines. One is dead, the other is extremely tired. I'd like to use this video to try to rebuild one good engine out of the two. I think it would be a great way to learn how to rebuild engines. Also glad that you have a normal speed version of this rebuild. I was disappointed initially that you fast-forwarded through the most important part. Thanks!
I’m going to give it a go.
Rototiller worked well last year but this year I’m having trouble.
Replaced the carburetor.
It barely keeps running. Noticed oil coming out of one of the bolts holding on the head
I have one of these old Troy Bilt tillers with a Tecumseh 6hp engine that wouldn't start - I replaced it with a Harbor Freight 212 Predator and it was fairly simple direct fit and the Predator is working just fine. I will try to rebuild the Tecumseh someday but not just ready to do it at this time.
I understand why you called it a turd but these were nice engines. Mine served many hard years on a troy bilt tiller.
I just rebuilt mine. Wish me luck.
It was a turd when I got it... it's been dead reliable since the rebuild!
@@AimlessMoto Gotcha thanks. Good to hear.
very good video.
my 1986 troy-bilt tiller has the same engine and was running fine a couple days ago and i shut it down to tighten the drive belt. since then it has decided not to start. after checking things out i saw the compression was really low. (60 psi) so i decided it needed rings. well after thinking about it i decided i better check valve clearances first before tearing into the engine to replace the rings. i have yet to do that but i had an old 3 horse tiller with a similar problem a few years ago and it turned out to be tight valves. i have yet to check them but i am hoping that is the issue because it is so much easier fixing that than installing piston rings.
you stated it did not look like there was a way to adjust the valve clearance. well you have to remove the valve and grind a bit off the stem to get the necessary clearance. i found that out with that small tiller i fixed. i made a special tool to remove the valve springs and still have it. i am just hoping that is my problem.
Thank You. Great Video. I'm still having trouble finding (major) parts). I bought this new from Troybuilt in the late 70's. Model HH60 105106 F. Excellent Machine
Dude I have to say, that was a great video. It was real, and you didn't hide your mistakes so we can learn along with you. I say keep finding old engines and bring them back to life! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks man!
Just picked up the same tiller - doing a little pre-work research and came upon this video. Excellent job! Kudos on your patience for not giving up on it. Giving me the confidence to conduct my pre-run work similar to how you did - should save me from wasting time. Thanks for your efforts.
Nice to see the old unit working again.
Great video! Liked watching you go through the different problems and got it to work!
I'm about to put my 70s Troy Bilt Horse tiller back into commission after 20-something years sitting in the garage, and it has this exact engine on it. So the timing is perfect!
How did you do on taking off the crank belt pulley, mine was tuff rusted on solid.
Good thing you have got patient
To work on that motor all over and over again
That was good the effort ; you got running.
12:15 The thing causing all the smoke when you start it is a bad fuel to air ratio. I found that the throttle has to be almost closed and the choke open completely for it to start and not have a rough start.
Sei un bravo meccanico, bravo. From Italy
I bought a junior troy belt without a carburetor, and when I put a new carburetor and it won't start, what does it take to make it work? Thank you
dude that's awesome. Thanks a lot man. I just got myself a atco mower with this engine. its a big restore challenge as the mower is very old. wish me luck.
Great job on that engine , I was 1 years old when that motor came out. LoL love them old engines like that and them Metal square tanks. Good job on the rebuild 👍
Thanks 👍
You did a real good job with that motor ,that is awsome
Have an old craftsman 220 volt gas generator and need to learn how to rebuild to run
Thank you. Very Nice video So how is the part to be installed on the drill to turn the engine by hand
I need the Exact engine for an old tiller.
Enjoyed the video. I especially like how you show some of the "bumps" along the way on this project. And the explanation as to why was refreshing to see. Great job, and all the best on your continued project!
James David thanks! The wagon go kart will not be happening... BUT it will end up in something.
Nice Video! But since I don't know much about mechanic I would've like to see the engine being reassembled!
That's a lot of endplay on that crank, but it might run OK like that. When it exceeds the side play on the rod's crankpin, that's where it can get ugly.
A little "backyard machining" of the face on that end cover using emory cloth on a piece of glass might help.
scdevon i ended up running no gasket and throwing a shim behind the cover. End play is now .010".
I have an older tecumseh hh 60 on my tiller, would love to do what you did, it runs but not as it should.Can you help me. NJ gardener wanna be. Thank you!
I’m no mechanic and I can’t afford to have the work done on this 6 HP Tecumseh HH60 engine. I watched your video but it really moves too fast for me to catch all the little nuances of tear down , rebuild and reassembly. Can you recommend something that walks one through a step by step procedure? Im pretty sure my problem is the connecting Rod. But right now even though I’ve removed the bolt from the flywheel it won’t come off. Im stuck here. Thanks. Nick
great job .... you have a very good way of explaining things .... I hope you keep going with the videos ... you are really, really good on camera
Thanks, Rick! That means a lot to me!
With the amount of carbon build up in that engine, I'd say it's far more likely that the damage to the top of the piston and combustion chamber was due to chunks of that carbon coming loose. I've completely rebuilt one of these HH60's and have another that I need to finish the rebuild on(oddly enough, this one had a governor failure and piston skirt damage too...ran like a top anyway). A couple of hours ago, I finished replacing a HH60 with a $120 212cc Predator motor. I would have shimmed the crank on that to get the endplay into tolerance....should have been a shim in there already IIRC. Also, I didn't see you check end gap on the rings before installing them on the piston. Always check that because they might be file to fit instead of drop in.
I like old engines, but the Predator starts way better than any tecumseh I've ever had the displeasure of using, makes far less noise, has electronic ignition, and is more fuel efficient. Tecumseh has been out of business for a while now, and parts are getting harder to find. Just not much point fighting the tecumseh back into prime condition(which isn't all that much to write home about IMO) instead of replacing it.
Was that Predator a direct install? I'm having some problems with my '79 6hp Tecumseh and am thinking of doing a engine swap. Thanks
i have replaces piston rings on several engines including automobiles and motorcycles and i have never filed the rings. i know hot rod builders do but i am not making a hot rod and it is not necessary imo on a standard engine. it is borderline blueprinting which is unnecessary on an engine that is not intended for maximum performance.
Tecumseh parts are out there
Look like a engine off of a Troy bolt pony tiller I believe they did a Kholer powered version. And a Tecumseh version. I don’t think the exhaust is correct for it’s vintage but hey it works
Yup. I have one on my tiller. Found this video because I was looking for info on the engine. :-) @aimlessMoto, great work!
My experience over the past 40 years with Tecumseh engines found they are best used for...increasing B&S engine sales,doorstops.rowboat anchors,weighing down large stacks of paper,and giving you an excuse to take it to the scrapyard to look for angle iron,round or square tubing for other projects.I do admire your stick to it ive ness.
Can you please show me a picture of the car raider I’m looking for one I can’t find one
This is the second video I have watched for rebuilding a Tecumseh. In neither video did anyone check ring gap before installing the piston. At least noone showed checking ring gap. Is it not necessary? Thanks for a great video.
You do have to check the ring-gap. .006-.008"
Where can you find the parts for those engines
I found a complete HH60 rebuild kit on ebay when I originally built this.
Great video, but what's your plans for using this engine?
Was going to be a wagon rat-rod go-kart, but I've re-thought it a bunch. I'm thinking of still using it on a go-kart of some sort.
First time on the channel, enjoyed watching and learned something new, great to see you get it all done and full respect for going through the small mistakes you encountered during filming, others probably wouldn’t have been so honest 👍 I have been having a few issues with a Landmaster 85 Garden rotorvator and hope to get her running again.
Many thanks for your video 😁
you all probably dont care but does any of you know a trick to log back into an Instagram account..?
I was dumb lost the login password. I would love any tricks you can give me
@Cairo Cory instablaster :)
@Deshawn Thaddeus i really appreciate your reply. I got to the site thru google and I'm trying it out now.
Looks like it's gonna take quite some time so I will reply here later with my results.
@Deshawn Thaddeus It worked and I finally got access to my account again. I am so happy!
Thanks so much you saved my ass !
@Cairo Cory no problem =)
Is that a Goldberg glider up in the rafters? I built a yellow/purple one in the 90's in that same scheme.....eeery!
It's a Sig Something Extra. :)
Almost sure that is a 6 hp from a Troy-Bilt Horse model rototiller. Looks exactly like mine including the fuel tank except the air cleaner is a little different. Don''t even know how old mine is, probably 1950s or 1960s, still runs great, has never needed any service on the actual engine other than replacing the flywheel key, and it's seen plenty of use.
I'm building one of these for an old rototiller this summer too same exact engine. Two questions. What was your compression when you had it running good? And what did you to clean all that decades old carbon off the valves?
Stephen Givens Jr. Compression is at 120, mineral spirits and brass brushes were used.
What do you use to spin the engine with your drill?
Mark Weaver its a RC plane engine starter cone. BUT you could easilly do the same thing with a socket on a 1/4 inch extension.
Thank You
Great vid! It shows that you don't always have to know 100% what you are doing when you get started (no offense). Sometimes you just have to jump in and solve problems as they present themselves. You got it running great though!
... That was the point of this video. Thanks for the comment.
very nice brother!
Where did yu find the parts? I have blown the ignition system on a Tec HH60.
Everything was found on ebay.
I've learned one thing from owning two Tecumse's. Indians are great at making teepees and wigwams, but when it comes to older engines, you should stick with Kohler or Briggs. Chief Tecumseh started a bit late.
Bravo! Excellent job.
where did you find the parts?
Ebay, just search HH60 rebuild.
Nice job, you are a patient and knowledgeable man. I hope you chugged a beer or two after you got her purring.
You didn't show the ign timing process.
Ooof... you're right! That's kind of a big deal when putting these back together. I'm sure there's another video out there that can help you.
nice, I've got a 60s HH70 on a 3000 watt Generac generator
Did it stop clicking when you put all those new parts in?
+Nathaniel Gibbs Yes! Turns out the click was from the bad tappet (lifter). Off camera I checked the gap on the exhaust and it was about .014 over spec, the new ones brought it to dead-on, completely took away the little clunk. I still have some end-play but it's not awful. I'm thinking of taking it apart again and having a new thrush washer made to take up the slack, that way I can go back to running a full gasket instead of RTV on the case.
AimlessMoto ground carbon off of valve and top of piston. All cleaned up, no blow by. But when I got the engine back together and tried to start it, it would run but I was getting backfire and grey smoke. Any suggestions/fix? New spark plug and carb was just cleaned.
Should I try to get new Tappet? Didn't look bad after grind. Had compression.
Hmm... backfire suggests the timing could be off, slightly too far advanced. Grey smoke is oil, but that will happen on any engine after a rebuild for the first 30-40 seconds. You could be a little rich on the carb too. My suggestion is to start clean. Pop the flywheel off, check the points are at .020 gap at the little mark on the ignition cam (the one under the timing plate). The small black plastic part of the points that rides on the cam should be between the two small hash marks on the cam.... then set the points at exactly .020". I would also suggest making sure they're clean by using a piece of 1000 grit paper on the points. After that, be sure the bottom (fuel) screw on the carb is only out 1.5 turns from bottomed out (don't bottom it out hard or you risk breaking it), and the air screw (on the side) is out only 1 turn from bottomed out (again be careful not to snap the tip off bottoming it out). Then give it another go. You could check the valves too, make sure the engine is at TDC, then check that the gap is .012-.015 on the exhaust and .008-.010 on the intake. Any more than that and you'll have to replace the tappets, possibly the valves. Nathaniel Gibbs
+AimlessMoto Thanks!
Did you home the cylinder for the new rings?
Yup!
I want to just run my rototiller and get the garden in, not spend a week rebuilding the old engine on it every time I need to use it. Waiting for obsolete parts from antique parts suppliers. I'm willing to pay $100 every 5 years to just have a tiller that is there, reliable and strong and ready to go when I need it.
hey nice job with that Tecumseh motor , but my question is , what is that tool on your drill that you use to rota-tor that motor around and where can i get one myself .
Haha, it's actually a rubber/aluminum RC Plane Prop-starter adapter. You can find them online, I got mine for free with an old plane, and it's trash, so I used it... you can find them on Amazon, I believe they're under $20. You need the type you can chuck into a drill. Otherwise, just use a socket on an old extension and cut off the end so you can use it in a drill.
Ive got the governor components for that engine there from a 71 h70 but they should be the same.
+-Doug - Yup, H50-H80 are all the same block. H70 parts will bolt right into an H60... everything but the crank, connecting rod and piston.
Ok good, I thought so. Yea I have those parts if you want to have your engine governed again. So you need the piece that bolts inside the cylinder cover that has that plastic gear that rides against the cam, the governor lever bracket, the linkage that goes from the bracket to the linkage control thats bolted above the carb. What else let me know? I may not have the bracket linkage because I sold the carb a while back, but I have the bracket and everything else for the governor. Let me know if I forgot something. If you want those parts I'll throw them on ebay and send you the item number, so you can find it right away. Let me know if you need any more parts. I still have a lot of parts left from a couple 71" H70 engines I parted out. Most of the parts for that engine sold and pretty fast so a lot of people are keeping those older Horizontal Tecumseh engines going, they are popular engines. Specifically the snowking, they were some of the best snowblower engines ever builť, compared to some of the chines crap there selling now, yikes. Let me know, thanks.
The H80 is a pretty rare engine. I dont see to many of those or there parts. What were they used on? My H70's were from Ariens sno throw 10000 series, then when they moved onto the 924,000 series they used the HM80-100 models Tec engines.
HH80's aren't SUPER rare... but you're right, it's my mistake, they are based on the HH100 block. The HM80 is a "medium" block motor which is closer to an HH60/HH70 size block. HH80's were common on Wheel Horse tractors... a LOT of the older ones I've seen, even the 80's/90's black motors will just say "H80" on them, HH= Horizontal Heavy Duty Iron Block, H = Horizontal, iron sleeve.
***** OH, thank you! But I actually quick-steeled the hole for the governor arm solid. It's going into a go-kart, so I'm simply using a throttle stop to prevent over-rev.
Impressive!
Where did you get those parts ?
Some of the best info in a neatly done vid. Well done. 👍🏼
Really good video! I just got a Troy bolt horse with this motor. Valves look like your, has knock like yours, mine had blow by on head gasket. Trying to figure if it's worth putting money into it or just buying a new engine. How much did you spend? Any suggestions? Thanks!
Great video. I just got a late 70s H50 for free
You don’t need a governor…famous last words!
Old Tecumseh engine's always smoke on starting
I was really impressed with how fussy you were in restoring your engine. I have the very same machine. I know without a doubt that it's identical to mine. I have broke my connecting rod and I can't get one. Can you please help me. I love this machine and would dearly love to restore it with its original engine. The engine is in pretty good shape. I purchased it from the original purchaser last year who took very good care of it. He purchased this Troy Bilt Horse 6HP in August of 1976. I would be honored if you help me get the connecting rod and maybe a few more engine parts. I tried everything and can't find one. I hope to hear from you. Thanking you in advance.
If that’s an h6 I need exactly that carburetor
They're all over Amazon/ebay.
Good stuff man. I'd hire you
HH = heavy housing= cast iron block
So many of those old parts are hard or impossible to get anymore. And breaker points, mounted underneath the flywheel? where it is a real hassle for you to have to get in there periodically and service them....Not to mention that flat head engine designs makes less power and torque than modern designs. All those old engines were kind of made to be disposable.
I started getting into the old Troy Bilt Horse models, ended up with 4 of them, and every one of them had a lack of power problem (the original tired engines were too wimpy too pull the big Horse Tillers without bogging down when I'd run the tines down deep, no matter how much I tinkered with them). There was several 7hp tecumseh and (1) 8hp cast iron kohler industrial.
I'd rebuild the carbs and service the breaker points. I used to work many years ago as a pro small engine mechanic, and on those very same engines... They were ALL too tired from low compression to pull strong enough on those big old Horse Models tillers. Instead of trying to bore and re-ring them and grind valves and seats I simply replaced the old units with Harbor Freight Predator Engines (212cc horizontal shaft engines that have the shaft and mounting bolt patterns identical to the original old engines!!). These "Honda Clone" (Chinese copies of Honda engines that have parts interchangeable with Honda' engines) can be bought new for $99.-$119. from Harbor Freight. I have found them to be really powerful, good running, and durable engines that pull my Troy Bilt Horse Tillers strongly without bogging down!!
Be sure to fit new (industrial grade v-belt drive belts from NAPA auto parts) when re-powering, as these Predators have enough juice to just shred the old marginal belts.
Great vid and Silver Street rules!!! LOL
Rich Speers wtf is Silver Street?
Nice work!
is it 2t or 4 t?
marilyn manson3 4 stroke
4 stroke. Typically 2 strokes don't have oil in the crank case, they are only lubricated by the oil mixed into the fuel.
Awesome, I just picked up a Troy tiller with the same motor . I will likely repower it on the cheap and rebuild the tecumseh ....where did you source the parts from?
Ebay, just search for HH60 rebuild kit... it's the only place around that carries the piston, rings, connecting rod, and all the gaskets. They're getting hard to find. www.ebay.com/itm/6HP-Engine-Rebuild-Kit-fits-TECUMSEH-HH60-and-VH60-/141022281207?hash=item20d5953df7:m:mVebbA16FLl0qakbCk2QRYg
I'm pretty sure the Foley company was bought out by the company that sells them on e-bay.
the smoke can sometimes be the motor warming up
Why did you fast forward between 9:08 to 10:36? That was what I was really interested in. Can you make the video you took then, narrate it and post? That would be helpful.
+mhrobotguy I have a full video of the rebuild, It will be up later this week. I'll comment you back with the link. I didn't want to post a 1/2 hour video. I'll also put a link in the video and description. Thanks!
+mhrobotguy ua-cam.com/video/gcTYHnm4BHE/v-deo.html
I would never run non-detergent SAE 30 in an engine. Run HD 30 which contains all the required detergent additives to keep engine internals clean. Additionally, the HD 30 very likely is a parafinnic base oil which is superior in engine use vs napthenic base oils commonly found in ND 30 products.
Considering the motor is freshly honed and has new rings, piston, and other internals, and everything was 100% clean when re-assembled, running non-detergent, high zinc, dino-oil is a really good way to break in the engine. It allows for seating of the rings, and ensures good wear-in for the bushings. After I put about 5-10 hours on this motor, I will definitely run a more modern oil. I probably will not go with Synthetic, but something with much less zinc.
Thanks for posting - thumbs up!
Nice video
so helpful ty!
I really like this vid except when you blow by rebuilding it. I have an HH60 that I'm in the process of rebuilding and really would've liked to see all of it in real-time.
Yeah, got a lotta hate for that. Lesson learned.
Working on the same motor. No spark😒
nice video
Thanks for the comment!
Nice I love you
i found a push mower on the side of the road i asked the people if they were throwing it out and they said yes so i took it home it had a full tank of gas but had low oil put some oil in the motor and pulled the cord and it started running
Donovan Bryant lucky!
God designed that engine.
The HH60 was probably Tecumseh's best engine. Mine is original on my '73 Troy Bilt and it runs like new. 75-80 psi on a compression test.
Power wagon!
Good for you that you know how to rebuild an engine. But I don't think you helped out any novice let's having any problems
8:55 why bother? its like painting a turd for the few seconds it goes down the toilet. these are cheap engines that are easily replaced by the bottom line harbor freight special.
A Tecumseh will out-last a predator by decades. That, and I like fixing stuff.
@@AimlessMoto I really don't like Tecumsehs. The manual choke drives me mad. Sometimes it will only start with full choke, other times it won't start with full choke and no choke but will start with half choke. Sometimes it won't start with full choke or half choke but will start with no choke. Every time spend 5 mins fiddling with it to get it to start. The engine has so much blow by it it makes the oil so dirty that it needs two oil changes a year for only 8 hours a year of runtime a year. I've got Honda and Predator engines that runs for 50+ hours and the oil barely shows any signs of being dirty but the Tecumseh engine oil is black after 4 hours of runtime even with full synthetic.
Good video till you started the reassembly.
You're not going to Hone the cylinder
Didn't need to. I could still see a ton of factory cross-hatch in it. No scoring or marks otherwise.
Far too difficult to watch....
I was all set to like this video, then you fast forward through the putting the crank and piston and everything back together, c'mon man
+cnrmoose It's not a how-to... I will post up a video of the re-assembly and link it to this video... It would literally make this video an hour long if I put that in.
+AimlessMoto That would be good, I can ff through the parts I'm not interested in, I got an HH60 in my '80 Troy Bilt Horse and the governor is broke in the engine, I just regulate the throttle by hand, but would like to know how to rebuild it.
I didn't install the governor! What I did instead was hook a spring to the carburetor, and the other end of the spring goes to a lever on a plate mounted to the head... on the plate there is a little clip that a throttle cable can go into. I just ensure it won't over-rev or reach valve-float by bending the tab on the back of the throttle plate to touch the carburetor... this way it's impossible to over-rev it, but I still have a linkage for a throttle cable... and no governor to blow-up again. cnrmoose
+cnrmoose ua-cam.com/video/gcTYHnm4BHE/v-deo.html
U sped up the one part i wanted to see the reduild..guess i need to find a dumber video
kill switched it
?
why did killswitch
If I were you I wouldn’t put another governor in it I hate governors
Isaac Peck I blocked the hole in the block where it went. Not going back.
Was funny how you had so little respect for a motor (turd) that is older than you are , but were able to breathe life back into it anyway ? guess it wasnt such a turd after all ?
Dave Manley Anything broken is a turd... its my job to polish it.
Nice work!