Anybody change the engine out on a 30" Timemaster?

wenglish

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I have a 3 year old Timemaster with the Briggs and Stratton 190cc 8.75 torque engine.
A few weeks ago the threads in the head stripped out holding the muffler on.

Rather than try and repair this I was thinking of replacing it with a Kawasaki FJ180V.
I have the Kawasaki on a similar Exmark Commercial 30 and it runs like a champ.

Has anyone ever done this swap?
 

Rivets

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If the mounting bolt pattern and the crankshaft is the same size you might be able to swap them, but I doubt they will. Why don't you just put in a couple of helicoils. Alot cheaper and easier, even if you have a shop do it for you.
 

wenglish

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I thought about that but the tap drill size to put a helicoil in is 1/4" and the internal threads for the muffler bolts are gone.
They were a 6mm (.236" dia) so i would have to go up a size, probably to a 5/16" and I'm not sure there is enough wall thickness to tap that.

Beside that I have had nothing but bad luck with Briggs engines.
Had a Craftsman lawn tractor that blew out piston rings after about 4 hours of use, currently have another that is blowing oil from somewhere and is very hard to start.

So I'm not pleased with Briggs quality anymore.

My Exmark and the commercial Toro Turfmaster are (I believe) using the same frame so I think the mounting holes should be identical.
 

Rivets

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I don't think you know what a helicoil is. When you install them you will still use a 1/4" bolt and my experience is that you should have plenty of room when install by an experienced mechanic.
 

wenglish

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I know exactly what a helicoil is.
I would have to drill out the hole to 17/64 to run the helicoil tap into, then put the 1/4-20 helicoil in.

The problem is when the muffler bolts stripped out a 1/4-20 bolt just falls into the hole so I don't think a 17/64 drill will remove enough material to enable the helicoil to work.
Therefore I would have to go up to the next size probably a 5/16-18 which use a Q drill (.332" dia) and there isn't enough wall thickness to allow this.

I could just drill out the hole and re-tap it for a 5/16-18 bolt if I wanted to go that route.
But my guess would be those would eventually strip out as well.
 

Rivets

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I guess I have been extremely lucky, as I'll bet I have installed over 100 helicoils in briggs, tecumseh, kolher engiines over the years and have only been bitten once. Sorry to have bothered you, hope your crankshaft sizes a bolt patterns are the same.
 
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