Toro Personal Pace Model 20334 Valve Won't Seat / No Compression

lawntender

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  • / Toro Personal Pace Model 20334 Valve Won't Seat / No Compression
I couldn't get my Toro Personal Pace to start. Had weak spark so put on new coil. Has real good spark now. Compression tested and have 0 compression. Pulled off head and the top valve as you look head on at the mower has the bottom part of the valve seat has worked itself out about maybe 1/32" to 1/16" out. I know how to do the outside trouble shooting stuff ok, but once I pull the head I'm lost about what to do. Any advice would be appreciated. I really like this mower and wanna save it if I can. I bought a new 22" recycler with the Honda, but I really want to also want to fix the personal pace. The valve that won't seat is real sooty and top of piston is pretty carboned up. Bottom valve is a little gray but seems to seat good and work ok.
 

lawntender

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  • / Toro Personal Pace Model 20334 Valve Won't Seat / No Compression
One other thing. When I loosened the head bolts I cracked each one a little bit in kind of like a star pattern like you do when putting on a tire rim. Hopefully I loosened them evenly enough so didn't warp head. I think I was pretty careful.
 

tom3

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  • / Toro Personal Pace Model 20334 Valve Won't Seat / No Compression
There is a section in an old Briggs manual about replacing the valve seats. I've done this a couple times on old engines and it does work. Basically pull the valve, put the seat back in as it should be, get the valve back in with spring tension to hold the seat in place. I take a pointed punch and go around the top of the seat area and displace metal to lock that seat in place. 8 or 10 punches will do it. The engines I did this to died of other things before the seat let go again.
 

lawntender

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  • / Toro Personal Pace Model 20334 Valve Won't Seat / No Compression
There is a section in an old Briggs manual about replacing the valve seats. I've done this a couple times on old engines and it does work. Basically pull the valve, put the seat back in as it should be, get the valve back in with spring tension to hold the seat in place. I take a pointed punch and go around the top of the seat area and displace metal to lock that seat in place. 8 or 10 punches will do it. The engines I did this to died of other things before the seat let go again.

Here is where I am standing on my Personal Pace project. I set up a bench in our basement (no garage at our home) out of an old bar the previous owner had left so I can work at about a little lower than chest height. I took the motor off the mower and removed carb and all the exterior stuff. I removed the muffler and removed the valve cover and took off the spring retainer clips and removed both the intake and exhaust valves. I ordered new valves and seats because the intake valve seat was in rough shape and I figured I'd put new valves in too as the intake valve still had a bevel on the bottom, but I could feel a ridge also so I'm just going to replace both valves and seats. I took the crankcase cover off and I removed the piston and I'm going to put in rings too as long as I'm in this deep. The mower has a lot of hours on it from previous owner and myself. Cylinder is nice and smooth. Motor is all tore apart now and I ordered the Briggs L series manual (built after 1981) to make sure I get it back together ok. I order valve spring compresser, lapping grit 220 and 120 (clover) a lapping suction cup tool and some new gaskets.

One question I have is can I pop the old seats out with a screwdriver or do I need a tool and can I use a socket and tap them in when I install the new seats. I put all the bolts I took out back in their holes so I make sure they go back in right spots. I feel a lot more comfortable now than when I first posted as I've watched a lot of you tube videos on tearing down Briggs motors. I plan on narling (if that;s correct term) around the valve seats after I put them in to hold them. Also ordered ring compressor. Also what about the valve guides, should they be replaced. Do the old valve guides have to be cut out with a special tool to replace them?
 
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