Abby’s Guide > Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) > Discussions > How good are aluminum bore engines?
Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions |
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coasteray
El Toro! 1028 LXE Tecumseh 358cc 10hp
Location: NE Washington State
Joined: Mar 3, 2008
Points: 142
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How good are aluminum bore engines?
Original Message Feb 17, 2011 2:46 am |
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It would be good to hear some thoughts about the quality of the aluminum bore engine these days. I've read about "nickelsil" coating, plating, etc. See this link for some interesting reading:
http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1721394&page=1
I'll admit I'm not very informed about these items, but could one assume that the Briggs engines from the past 5 or more years with the aluminum bore feature this type of technology? It also really gets confusing when Briggs keeps coming out with new engine names: Intek, Snow, Snow Max, Polar Force (Ariens blowers), Professional (Simplicity blowers), and any more I don't know about? Some with cast iron bore, some with aluminum.
In addition, I've read about the pistons having plating/coating instead of the bore. True? Anyway, I'd like to see some good stuff from lots of you. Thanks.
This message was modified Feb 17, 2011 by coasteray
El Toro! 1028 LXE - Tecumseh 358cc 10hp Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!
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mml4
Snow is good, Deep snow is better!
Joined: Dec 31, 2003
Points: 544
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Re: How good are aluminum bore engines?
Reply #2 Feb 17, 2011 8:31 am |
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I have two Tecumseh powered vertical shaft engines -one in a lawnmower and one in a leaf shredder that date back to the mid 1970,s. Both are aluminum bore and are still giving me good service till this day. That being said I still would prefer a cast iron bore if it were available. I guess it's the tyranny of tradition. Marc
SnapperV210P,Toro22177,TroyBilt42010Snowthrower,Craftsman Shredder,American Turbo Pressure Washer HondaGX200,Stihl011Saw,EchoPas260Trimmer Edger,EchoPB602Blower,EchoHCR150Hedge Clipper
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edgenet
If you enjoy doing it, It's not work
Location: Toronto
Joined: Nov 27, 2010
Points: 84
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Re: How good are aluminum bore engines?
Reply #3 Feb 17, 2011 9:09 am |
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Change the oil every 40 hours of use or 1-once a year and any engine should last and last and last. Many people are afraid of any new change. Thank god some items are not made like they used to be. Change is good or we would still be staring at the sky wondering is we can fly.
This message was modified Feb 26, 2011 by edgenet
If you are getting paid for what you are doing No matter how much you Enjoy it, It's a Job
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borat
Joined: Nov 10, 2007
Points: 2692
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Re: How good are aluminum bore engines?
Reply #4 Feb 17, 2011 9:34 am |
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From what I've read, aluminum bore engines are very well suited for snow blower applications.
The mechanical advantage is that it's more effective at transferring heat from the piston to the cylinder. That, combined with operating in generally cooler conditions, should ensure a relatively competitive engine life.
I have the 305cc Intek Snow engine in my machine and I'm impressed with it's power and smooth operation. After breaking in the engine with conventional 5W30 oil, I switched to Mobil 1 Synthetic 5W30. For some reason, it consumed excessive amounts of that particular oil and after 70 hours of use, the spark plug was a gummed up mess. I have since switched to Castrol 5W30 high mileage conventional oil. After approx. 5 hours of use, the spark plug is looking pretty good so far and oil consumption appears to be less as well. I need more time on the machine using to confirm if the synthetic oil was incompatible with my engine or, if the engine just likes to consume oil. Either way, it's a strong engine, starts first pull and is relatively quiet and smooth.
As previoulsly mentioned, with regular oil changes and the occasional valve adjustment, in most cases, t will likely last or outlast the life of the machine it's on.
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FullThrottle
Joined: Feb 11, 2011
Points: 17
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Re: How good are aluminum bore engines?
Reply #6 Feb 17, 2011 4:57 pm |
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Plated aluminum cylinders work good. But they have to be the hardest surface in there. So the rings they use have to be softer. Same on the pistons, the coatings they use are for thermo or slickness not hardness. Sleds are pushing 170 hp on plated cylinders and 400 hp on mods. Strength is not a problem. Plated cylinder have been around over 40 years
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