Suffolk Engine Rebuild

The engine on the super winch was again playing up and making it hard to get a controlled launch. as I had a free Saturday I decided it would be a good idea to rebuild the engine and see if I could find what was wrong with it and clean everything up at the same time. Whilst doing this I thought it might be a nice idea to note down how I did it and anyone else with such an engine or similar old Briggs engine might find this guide useful.

The Suffolk series of lawn mower engines are all side valve or 'flat head' engines because the valves sit next to the piston instead of over it like in car engines these days. The 75cc engines have a cast iron cylinder and crank case with an aluminium oil sump. They did also produce a 100cc engine with a cast aluminium block, these are much lighter and produce a bit more power. The engines are simple and reliable and will go on forever with regular oil changes and a bit of a clean, although abused engines still seem to put up a good fight and here at Grecet we have never been let down by a mechanical failure from the engine. Any dab hand at working on their car or bike should find this task relatively easy and stress free, just take your time and don't try and rush. If you attempt to rebuild one of these engines from this guide and do get stuff just drop me an email and I will gladly try and help you. On another note if you have a problem with one of the engines I may be able to help you sort it as there is very little to go wrong with them.

Before attempting to rebuild any engine whether its a lawn mower engine or a big car engine, always make sure you have the required tools available so you will not damage any of the parts during the job the tools and equipment I required were as follows:

Full imperial socket set (the engine is an old British one)
Screw driver set
Needle nose and normal pliers
Hub puller
Small punch
Copper/hide mallet
Feller gauges
Wire wool
Plenty of rags and tissue paper
Penetrating oil such as Plus Gas
Light engine oil in

Before we start make sure you have a good clear work space and a small tub and spare work surface to lay out parts as you take them off the engine. This will stop you from loosing parts and make it easier to remember which order parts go back together as you can lay them down in the order you take them from the engine.

WARNING: You will be working with an engine here and there is a possibility of spilling petrol, make sure you have rags at hand to wipe up any spills quickly as it is very flammable and could cause a fire if any sources of ignition are present. The oil in the engine is likely to be old and is hazardous to your health so make sure that you wear either disposable gloves or a good barrier cream when working on the engine otherwise you risk dermatitis, especially if you have sensitive skin. One last note think about the environment a bit and dispose of used engine oil at the proper location normally facilitated at your local tidy tip.

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