My FIL just collected a free mower. It has a Briggs 19.5 hp single cylinder vertical crankshaft engine. Previous owner had left oil filler cap off and enough oil blew out without noticing until engine quit. Evidently there was no great noise when this happened. I tried to jump start it and it budges just enough to see it moves and then quits. I would guess that the piston is stuck, but won't know until I tear it down. First I will try squirting fluid in the cylinder to maybe help free it up. I will put a wrench on the crankshaft nut to try to break it free after some soaking time.
If engine is damaged beyond repair, how difficult would it be to put another Briggs engine in it. How special is this engine?
There seems to be a fair number of Briggs engines on Craigslist near this horsepower range.
