to rebuild or not

[cwk]

I have a 16hp briggs and stratton twin L head motor that was given to me for my max2 it runs but smokes and burns alot of oil should I rebuild it or hunt another motor?

[Jeff t-boss]

If it's a cast iron bore, and there isn't too much ridge, you are definately better off rebuilding. New Vanguards aren't cheap. If the cylinders aren't worn too bad, you can probably get by with a cylinder honing and a set of rings. Of course you will put in a new oil pump too. And all gaskets. Go to the briggs site and price out rebuild kits.

[spits]

While the above advice is sound there are other things that you might want to look at. I always start with the carb. If the butterfly shaft is loose in the carb body, whatever you do to the engine you still need to replace the carb. If the carb is in that shape and the engine is smoking, what are the valve guides like? What are the valves themselves like? Is the crank shaft journals within the tolerances? If the cylinders are out of round that means you will have to bore the engine and put new pistons in. How are the rod ends.? Are they within spec...... and so it goes. I have learned thru experiance that a good used engine or a short block are a lot cheaper and perform better. I have also put in a set of rings and had a decent running engine but only for the short term. Just a bit of hard earned knowledge to pass along.