Activity

Guide

Small Engine
Disassembly and Reassembly
Briggs And Stratton
4 Cycle
 Table Of Contents
Section Title Page Number

ENGINE DISASSEMBLY ......................................................................................................3

GETTING READY ................................................................................................. 3
REMOVING EXTERNAL PARTS.............................................................................. 5
REMOVING INTERNAL PARTS ................................................................................. 12

INSPECTING OF THE PARTS .............................................................................................16

CLEANING THE PARTS ........................................................................................ 16
CRANKCASE ....................................................................................................... 17
VALVES............................................................................................................... 17
VALVE GUIDES ..................................................................................................... 18
CAMSHAFT .......................................................................................................... 19
CRANKSHAFT ...................................................................................................... 19
PISTON & CONNECTING ROD ............................................................................... 22

CONCLUSIONS ABOUT ENGINE CONDITION ......................................................................23

REASSEMBLY ..................................................................................................................24
PREPARING THE CRANKCASE ................................................................................ 24
INSTALLING THE PISTON ..................................................................................... 28
INSTALLING THE CAMSHAFT ............................................................................... 33
INSTALLING CRANKCASE COVER ........................................................................ 33
INSTALLING THE VALVES ...................................................................................... 35
CYLINDER HEAD................................................................................................... 36
FINAL ASSEMBLY ................................................................................................. 37

TESTING THE ENGINE ......................................................................................................38

Small Engine Disassembly and Reassembly Briggs And Stratton 4 Cycle

Page 2 of 38
Ask the instructor for the:

Small Engine Rebuilding (Briggs

& Stratton) Video Tape

Watch the "Disassemble" section

of the tape.

The video will give you a general

idea of the procedure even if
your engine is not a Briggs &
Stratton.

Get the repair manual for

your engine.

You will be required to look

up specifications in the repair
manual.

ENGINE DISASSEMBLY

CAUTION !!
Never use excess force when working on the engine. Hammering
on parts will cause damage.

Clamping unprotected engine parts in the vise will damage the

metal surfaces. Always use wooden blocks on each side of the part.

Small Engine Disassembly and Reassembly Briggs And Stratton 4 Cycle

Page 3 of 38
GETTING READY

Remove the fuel from the gas tank. Carefully drain all gasoline into
the red gas container marked "Waste Fuel".

Use two wooden boards to support the engine above an oil drain pan.

Remove the oil plug from the bottom of the engine and drain the oil
into the pan.

Small Engine Disassembly and Reassembly Briggs And Stratton 4 Cycle

Page 4 of 38
 Pour the oil into the large
oil drum.

Get some containers to put your

parts in. All the parts you
remove must go into containers.

(Muffin trays and egg cartons are

handy for organizing small parts.)

REMOVING EXTERNAL PARTS

Remove the fuel line from the

gas tank and drain any
remaining fuel from the tank.

Small Engine Disassembly and Reassembly Briggs And Stratton 4 Cycle

Page 5 of 38
Remove the gas tank and pull start housing.

Remove the air filter.

Remove the muffler.

Small Engine Disassembly and Reassembly Briggs And Stratton 4 Cycle

Page 6 of 38
In the next step you will be removing the carburetor and
governor linkages.

Do not proceed until you have taken a digital photograph of the

engine to help locate the parts during reassembly.

Remove the carburetor.

Remove the carburetor

and governor linkages.

Small Engine Disassembly and Reassembly Briggs And Stratton 4 Cycle

Page 7 of 38
Remove the carburetor gasket
or rubber O-Ring.

Remove the bolts holding the

magneto coil to the engine.

Disconnect the kill switch wire

from the magneto coil.

Small Engine Disassembly and Reassembly Briggs And Stratton 4 Cycle

Page 8 of 38
Remove the flywheel brake if one is fitted.

Remove any screen or other fittings from the flywheel.

Ask the instructor to help you

determine if the nut holding
the flywheel is left or right
hand thread.

Use an impact gun and socket or special flywheel tools to remove

the nut holding the flywheel.

Small Engine Disassembly and Reassembly Briggs And Stratton 4 Cycle

Page 9 of 38
Use a flywheel puller (special tool) to pull the flywheel off.

Ask your instructor for help if you are not sure how to use it.

Remove the small shaft key

from the crankshaft.

Use a spark plug socket and ratchet to remove the spark plug.

Small Engine Disassembly and Reassembly Briggs And Stratton 4 Cycle

Page 10 of 38
Remove the bolts holding
the cylinder head in place.

Remove the cylinder head.

Remove the cylinder head gasket.

Remove the valve

spring chamber cover.

Small Engine Disassembly and Reassembly Briggs And Stratton 4 Cycle

Page 11 of 38
 Use fine sandpaper to remove any burrs or rust from the crankshaft.

REMOVING INTERNAL PARTS

Remove the bolts holding the crankcase cover.

Use a soft mallet to tap the crankcase cover off the

crankcase. Do not remove any of the internal parts yet.

Complete the ** Operating Theory For A 4 Cycle Gas Powered

Small Engine ** INFORMATION BOOK.

Small Engine Disassembly and Reassembly Briggs And Stratton 4 Cycle

Page 12 of 38
Ask the instructor to quiz you on the names of the engine parts.

Be prepared to use your partially disassembled engine to explain

the four stroke cycle to the instructor.
Sign up to have your work checked, then proceed. Instructor's
Initial

Use the valve spring compressor

to compress the valve springs.

Remove the retainers holding

the valve springs to the valves.

Remove the valve springs

and valves.

Remove oil pump or oil slinger parts if your engine has them.

Remove the governor mechanism if your engine has one.

Small Engine Disassembly and Reassembly Briggs And Stratton 4 Cycle

Page 13 of 38
Rotate the crankshaft until the valve timing marks on the camshaft gear
and the crankshaft gear are inline.

Remove the camshaft.

Remove the valve lifters.

Use a hammer and punch to

put small locating marks on the
connecting rod and connecting
rod bearing cap.

Small Engine Disassembly and Reassembly Briggs And Stratton 4 Cycle

Page 14 of 38
Remove the two bolts holding
the connecting rod bearing cap
and remove it.

Push the piston and connecting

rod out of the cylinder.

Place the connecting rod bearing

cap back on the connecting rod.

Be sure that the cap is in its

original position. Be sure
the marks or tabs line up.

Small Engine Disassembly and Reassembly Briggs And Stratton 4 Cycle

Page 15 of 38
 Carefully remove the crankshaft from the crankcase.

Sign up to have your work checked, then proceed. Instructor's

Initial

INSPECTING OF THE PARTS

Watch the video program called "Inspection" on the Small

Engine Rebuilding (Briggs Stratton) Video Tape

Select the Microsoft Word button at the bottom of this screen.

Use Word during the next steps to record your findings as you
inspect the engine.

CLEANING THE PARTS

Wash all engine parts in the

parts cleaner.

Do not allow parts cleaner to

contact the magneto coil or
other electrical parts.

Small Engine Disassembly and Reassembly Briggs And Stratton 4 Cycle

Page 16 of 38
 Blow the crankcase dry
using compressed air.

Be sure to blow compressed

air into all the bolt holes.

Take care not to lose any parts

in the parts washer.

CRANKCASE

Check the outside of the

crankcase for any signs of
damage and record your findings.

VALVES

Use the wire wheel to remove

carbon deposits from the
stem and face of the valves.

Ask for the instructor's help if

you are not sure how to do this.

Small Engine Disassembly and Reassembly Briggs And Stratton 4 Cycle

Page 17 of 38
VALVES

Check the faces of the valves and the valve seats for signs of pitting
or burning.

Record your findings.

VALVE GUIDES

Record the specification for valve guide wear from the manual.

Slide a short piece of rubber onto the valve stem.

The rubber must be long enough to hold the valve off the seat when it
is placed in the valve guide.

Small Engine Disassembly and Reassembly Briggs And Stratton 4 Cycle

Page 18 of 38
 Blow the valve guides out with compressed air, insert the valve. Use
the dial indicator gauge to measure the amount of movement when you
move the head of the valve back and forth.

Record your measurements. Exhaust _____ Intake ______

CAMSHAFT

Inspect the camshaft bearing, surfaces and lobes for signs of wear
and or roughness.

Record your findings.

Small Engine Disassembly and Reassembly Briggs And Stratton 4 Cycle

Page 19 of 38
CRANKSHAFT

Inspect the crankshaft bearing journals for score marks or roughness.

Use a digital vernier to measure the diameter of the journals.

Record the values as shown.

Journal 1: ______ Journal 2: _______ Journal 3: _______

Look up the crankshaft bearing journal specifications from the

shop manual and record the values.

How do your readings compare to the specifications?

Write a paragraph describing the condition of the crankshaft and

state whether or not it should reinstalled in the engine.

Small Engine Disassembly and Reassembly Briggs And Stratton 4 Cycle

Page 20 of 38
Note the position of the
connecting rod bearing cap.

Remove the connecting rod

bearing cap from the
connecting rod.

Use the shop manual to look up the torque specification for the
bolts holding the connecting rod bearing cap.

Record the value.

Ask the instructor for a piece of Plastigage.

You will use the Plastigage to measure the clearance between

the crankshaft journal and connecting rod.

Break off a piece of plastigauge,

the length should be the same
as the width of the crankshaft
journal.

Position the connecting rod on

the crankshaft journal as
shown in the picture.

Put a piece of plastigauge on

the journal.

Small Engine Disassembly and Reassembly Briggs And Stratton 4 Cycle

Page 21 of 38
 Be careful not to rotate the
crankshaft while you install
the bearing cap.

Use a torque wrench to

tighten the conntecting rod
bolts to specifications.

This will squeeze the plastigage

between the connecting rod
and crankshaft.

PISTON & CONNECTING ROD

Remove the bearing cap.

Use the envelope from the

Plastigage to measure the width
of the Plastigage strip on the
crankshaft.

The thinner the Plastigage strip

the wider the clearance
between the connecting rod and
crankshaft.

Acceptable clearance is .001" to

.002"

Record the value for your engine.

CAUTION !!
In the next step you will be removing the piston rings. They break very
easily, do not stretch them any farther than required to remove them.

Small Engine Disassembly and Reassembly Briggs And Stratton 4 Cycle

Page 22 of 38
Use a piston ring expander to
remove the rings from the piston.

Do not overstretch the rings!

Be sure to note the order and

direction of the rings so they can
be installed exactly the same.

Remove any carbon which has built up in the piston ring grooves.

Check that the oil holes in the lower ring groove are clear.

With the connecting rod in one

hand and the piston in the other,
pull up and down on the piston.

If you feel any play, the piston

or piston pin is worn and must
be replaced.

Record your findings.

Check the piston and skirt for

any sign of scoring, cracking or
damage.

Record your findings.

Small Engine Disassembly and Reassembly Briggs And Stratton 4 Cycle

Page 23 of 38
 CONCLUSIONS ABOUT ENGINE CONDITION

Create a short report.

List your measurements and observations.

Describe the generall condition of the engine.

Sign up to have your work checked, then proceed. Instructor's
Initial

REASSEMBLY

Watch the video program called "Assembly" on the Small Engine

Rebuilding (Briggs & Stratton) Video Tape

CAUTION !!
Be sure to coat all engine parts with clean oil before assembly.

Parts not oiled will be damaged during initial start up.

Small Engine Disassembly and Reassembly Briggs And Stratton 4 Cycle

Page 24 of 38
PREPARING THE CRANKCASE

If no problems have been found with the valves, you will use
lapping compound to lap the valves onto the seats.

The lapping compound and tool can be found in the botton of the
Sioux Valve grinding machine.

Put a small amount of

lapping compound on the
face of the valve.

Do not allow any of the lapping

compound to get on the stem
of the valve!

Small Engine Disassembly and Reassembly Briggs And Stratton 4 Cycle

Page 25 of 38
Place the valve into the valve guide. Do not allow lapping compound
to get into the valve guide!

Use the lapping tool to spin the valve so the lapping

compound refinishes the valve face and seat.

Clean the crankcase and

valves in the parts washer.

Blow the crankcase dry

using compressed air.

Be sure to blow out the

valve guides.

Small Engine Disassembly and Reassembly Briggs And Stratton 4 Cycle

Page 26 of 38
Check the rubber lip of each crankshaft oil seal for signs of wear,
if required replace it.

Be sure to put lots of oil on the rubber lip of the oil seals where
they contact the rotating crankshaft.

Oil all of the crankshaft

bearing journals.

Small Engine Disassembly and Reassembly Briggs And Stratton 4 Cycle

Page 27 of 38
 Install the crankshaft in
the crankcase.

INSTALLING THE PISTON

Wipe the cylinder walls with a

clean cloth, then oil them
thoroughly.

Unpack the new piston rings (if provided) and determine which
ring belongs in which groove.

Also note which side of the ring is to face up.

Small Engine Disassembly and Reassembly Briggs And Stratton 4 Cycle

Page 28 of 38
Put each of the upper piston
rings into its groove and use a
feeler gauge to measure the
side clearance of the ring.

Record the ring side clearance:

Record the specification for ring side clearance from the manual.

Is the ring side clearance within specifications?

Position each of the compression

rings near the bottom of the
cylinder and use the feeler gauge
to measure the gap between the
ends of the ring.

Record the End Gap for

each ring.

A gap which is too large

indicates a worn cylinder or
ring. A gap which is too small
will not allow for expansion and
will cause the piston to sieze in
the cylinder.

Compare your readings to the

specifications in the manual.

Small Engine Disassembly and Reassembly Briggs And Stratton 4 Cycle

Page 29 of 38
The first ring to go on the piston is the oil ring. If your engine uses
a three part oil ring, follow the directions below.

Use the piston ring installation

tool to install the compression
rings.

Position the rings so the gaps

of the rings are staggered.

Put lots of oil on the piston,

piston rings and piston pin.

You will use a piston ring

compressor to install the
piston into the cylinder.

Pressing the lever on the

compressor unlocks it
for adjustment.

You will need a 1/4" ratchet

and extension to adjust the
compressor.

Small Engine Disassembly and Reassembly Briggs And Stratton 4 Cycle

Page 30 of 38
Install the piston ring compressor on the piston.

Make sure that the dimpled end of the compressor is pointing toward
the connecting rod.

Use a ratchet and extension to

tighten the compressor onto
the piston.

Position the crankshaft so the

connecting rod journal is at
the bottom of its travel.

Small Engine Disassembly and Reassembly Briggs And Stratton 4 Cycle

Page 31 of 38
Slide the piston and connecting rod into the cylinder. The compressor
should be resting on the engine.

Some pistons may have locating marks, the manual should tell
you which side of the engine the mark should be facing.

Be sure the ring compressor

is tight on the piston.

Use a hammer handle to tap

the piston into the cylinder.

Guide the connecting rod

onto the crankshaft journal as
the piston moves downward.

Take care not to damage

the journal of the crankshaft.

Oil the connecting rod

bearing cap and place it on
the connecting rod.

Make sure the marks you made

earlier line up with each other!

Install the bolts and tighten

them finger tight for now.

Small Engine Disassembly and Reassembly Briggs And Stratton 4 Cycle

Page 32 of 38
 Find the torque setting for the connecting rod nuts in the
manual. Record the value.

Use the inch pound torque wrench to tighten the nuts.

(Ask the instructor if you are not sure how to use the torque wrench.)

After the nuts are tight try to turn the crankshaft.

You should be able to turn the crankshaft if everything has

been assembled correctly.
Sign up to have your work checked, then proceed. Instructor's
Initial

INSTALLING THE CAMSHAFT

Lubricate the valve lifters and install them.

Lubricate all parts of the camshaft and install it.

Remember that for correct valve timing the marks on the

camshaft gear and crankshaft gear must line up.

Stop here until the instructor has checked your work. Instructor's
Initial

Small Engine Disassembly and Reassembly Briggs And Stratton 4 Cycle

Page 33 of 38
INSTALLING CRANKCASE COVER

Install any other oil pumps, governors etc.... as shown in your manual.

Install a new crankcase

cover gasket.

Oil the bearing surfaces in

the crankcase cover.

Install the crankcase cover.

Install and tighten the

crankcase bolts.

Small Engine Disassembly and Reassembly Briggs And Stratton 4 Cycle

Page 34 of 38
 Position a dial indicator on the end of the crankshaft. Move
the crankshaft back and forth.

Use a dial indicator to check the crankshaft end

play. Record it.

Look up the specification for end play and compare to

your measurement.

INSTALLING THE VALVES

Lubricate the valve guides.

Small Engine Disassembly and Reassembly Briggs And Stratton 4 Cycle

Page 35 of 38
 Lubricate the stems of the
valves, then insert them in
the valve guides.

Use the valve spring

compressor to compress the
valve springs and install the
springs and retainers.

CYLINDER HEAD

Look up and record the torque setting for the cylinder head bolts.

Record the value.

Install a new head gasket.

Small Engine Disassembly and Reassembly Briggs And Stratton 4 Cycle

Page 36 of 38
 Install the cylinder head and
torque the bolts to specifications.

Follow the tightening sequence

shown in the manual.

FINAL ASSEMBLY

[Need a redirector for understanding ignition.]

Install the ignition parts.

Look up and record the ignition breaker point

gap. (point type ignitions only)

Set the ignition breaker point gap to

specifications. (point type ignitions only)
Sign up to have your work checked, then proceed. Instructor's
Initial

Install the flywheel key into the crankshaft.

Install the flywheel along with any washer and other parts.

Start the nut by hand, then use the impact gun to tighten the nut
holding the flywheel.

Small Engine Disassembly and Reassembly Briggs And Stratton 4 Cycle

Page 37 of 38
 If the air gap between the ignition coil and the magnet is adjustable
you should adjust it to specifications.

Install the rest of the parts on the outside of the engine. Be

very careful to install the carburetor linkages correctly.

Install the spark plug.

CAUTION !!
Do not attempt to start the engine without the instructor's approval.

Fill the crankcase to the correct level with oil.

Fill the fuel tank 1/4 full with gas.

TESTING THE ENGINE

Design and build some type of mounting for the engine so it is

secure when you test run it.
Stop here until the instructor has checked your work. Instructor's
Initial

Connect an exhaust hose to the engine and start it up.

Small Engine Disassembly and Reassembly Briggs And Stratton 4 Cycle

Page 38 of 38