I think mine is only rough to start in the cold.. Started on the 2nd pull lastnight, and it hadnt been ran since mid february.
I think I have put the necessary 5 hours on the new engine already so it time for the first oil change. It really starts easy and for an old guy, that is a good thing.
That's funny, because Briggs engineers told me that they specifically bought Tecumseh because they started better than the their own b&s motors. They probably copied that tech, since they owned it and improved upon it. My cutting buddy's dad retired as an engineer from Briggs only a couple of years ago. Tecumseh's really shine in starting in cold weather, typically, and Briggs start for crap in the cold. At least they used to....
If the temps were around 50 or lower when I wanted to split wood, I would either have to put the splitter in direct sunlight or in the heated garage to warm it up prior to starting. Once it got warmed up, it started really easy.
Bad stuff for little engines. Just a little too big of a boom. Habitual use makes short work of small engines.
I've found over the years if you idle down a Briggs engine for a couple minutes before shut down they are much easier to start cold the next use.
Sucks to have the engine go. Mine locked up his past year, I was going to repair it but I found a brad new engine for $75 with free shipping from California. It was a really simple swap, 4 bolts and drop in the new motor.
