I have an older John Deere 726 with a 7 hp Tecumseh engine. It has really been given a work out in the last month and I think the engine is getting a little tired. When I use it I usually run it for 1 - 2 hours. Lately I can only operate it a the slowest speed and have to release the drive in heavier loads to keep it from stalling. I checked the compression when it was cold and only got a reading of 35psi when I cranked it over by pulling hard a number of times.
I also noticed that it smokes somewhat when it is heavily loaded and some oil is on the frame from the breather tube.
Any ideas on how I might get the rest of the winter out of the engine?
Would you rebuild an engine like this?
Would you put a new or used engine on an older machine?
Thanks for any feedback.
Mike