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

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.

I have no idea how long a snow thrower engine with an aluminum bore will last.  I do have experience with a 31 year old BMW motorcycle engine(1000cc) with 160,000 miles on it.  It was the first year for aluminum cylinders with nicasil coated bore. Mine still have heavy cross hatching in the bore and show little to no wear.  It is said they go about 300,000 miles and then you replace them.  A non-coated bore is a whole new story.

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 

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.

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.  

Personaly I believe for small engines with a aluminim bore engine should be fine. They do not put out big hp like car engines. The more hp the engine has the more stress on the bore. Small engines is a go, a car engine no go.

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

I appreciate the comments.  Good stuff.  Thanks.