Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

I came across a thread here from about a year ago covering pretty much the same problem that I have, and hope maybe someone will have some new insights. One of the two oil filler caps disappeared from my engine, a Tecumseh oh195sp spec 73503c, leading to major oil loss and seizing of the engine. When the engine stopped, I heard a very loud knock. The starter cord was completely locked up when I tried to restart. After rocking the blower back and forth a bit, something gave way, and now the cord pulls freely, and it sounds like maybe the piston is moving, but with no compression and very little resistance. I don't know if I made things worse with the rocking, but that's where I am now. The blower is a little over two years old and in perfect shape otherwise, so I hate the thought of just walking away from it. Main problem, of course, is the dual shaft set-up. I haven't disassembled the unit much yet, but it looks like the main shaft drives the impeller only, while the smaller shaft (which turns in opposition) powers the drive wheels. Although there are some great deals on tecumseh engines out there (Small Engine Warehouse, for example) everything seems to be single shaft. There does seem to be a short block available from Pat's Small Engines, but I haven't yet determined for sure if it's the right one. I also don't know if their short block will include cylinder and piston, or if it's likely that I'll need that. I'm also a little leery of diving into an engine rebuild, something I haven't done since rebuilding a 1964 MGB engine thirty-some years ago. So, assuming that the short block is the right one, which seems likely to be simpler; rebuilding with the short block, or getting an almost identical but single-shaft Snow King for about the same money (200-250) and re-engineering the machine to work from the one shaft? Finally, for my own curiosity, Can these plugs actually unscrew themselves over time and just fall out? This is a plastic threaded plug, about 3/4 inch diameter. I had the thing serviced by a local guy about a year ago, and either he left the plug off, or it worked its way out on its own. I might be able to get him to contribute to fixing the thing if it's pretty certain that it was due to his mistake. Don't really know the guy, but I figure it's worth a try. Many thanks for any suggestions