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Replacement Engine for Toro Powerlite Snowblower Tecumseh AH520 - $40 (Highland area St Paul)
Hartford near Pascal
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Long story with this item and I am not noted for being economical with my words in my Craigslist descriptions but try to read everything so you know what you are purchasing and there are no surprises or disappointments.
This motor was in my Toro S200 38120 snow thrower. It was a good machine but was starting to rust and, at 20" wide, was too big to maneuver through the narrow sidewalk of my new old house.
I acquired a CCR Powerlite with a bad engine for free from one of my new neighbors and put this engine in it. It's an easy swap.
I have been using it with no problems for years, just normal maintenance. The only issue was the S-200 had a choke knob on the panel with a wire rod going to the choke lever on the carburetor and the Powerlite had a longer lever that protruded through the lower shroud. I had to take the lower shroud off to operate the choke. Something you should know if you intend to put this in one of those later models. A different neighbor recently gave me her old Craftsman snowthrower that had rusted out but the engine was good AND it had electric start! As I get older I am ready to give up pull starting snow throwers on snowy winter mornings so I am going to put that engine in my Powerlite that has this engine in it now that was originally in my s-200 so that frees this one up to sell. I'd keep it but I am trying to de-clutter and not only does this engine NOT have electric start, this engine cannot be converted to electric start. That's important for potential buyers to note. This engine has no teeth on the flywheel and no cut-out on the backplate to accommodate an electric starter.
This engine runs well and throws snow pretty far. I have a video available to email of the engine in operation after our February 18 snow fall here in St. Paul. It was 7.6 inches at the airport which I am not too far from. It was a fairly high water content snowfall so it was pretty heavy. It took me a couple days to get out there so the video was filmed on the 21st. I had the phone in one hand and the snowblower in the other so it is not the greatest video, but enough there to give you an idea of its capabilities. I took the plastic shrouds off and rigged up a gas tank and a pull start with the paint brush handle. The engine looks different in the video because it has the black Power Lite recoil starter on it which incorporates the engine mount. Your purchase will include the original gold S200 recoil starter as seen in the photographs.IMPORTANT NOTE:I am keeping the black recoil starter, the muffler and the engine pulley. You're old ones will work if you are putting this in an S-200. The engine output shaft is tapped to put a screw on the end as in the later models or can always be used with a pulley with set screws. Again, you will be getting everything seen in the photographs NOT in the video. The video incorporated components necessary for demonstration purposes only that are not included in the sale.This is a Tecumseh AH520 rated at 2 horsepower. It has the same dimensions as an AH600 or HSK600 and will bolt directly onto machines with those engines but is rated at less horsepower and often, how the choke lever is actuated is different as noted previously.This is a 2 stroke engine and requires mixing oil and gas. As it came from the factory I believed they specified 32 to 1. I have always used non-oxygenated gasoline and full synthetic 2- cycle oil in it. This engine has been well maintained. When I removed the muffler , I could see the original crosshatch finish hone on the cylinder wall! I tried to get a picture of that. This engine is equipped with a diaphragm carburetor and is an early model with both a high speed and an idle mixture screw. Later ones are fixed at the factory and plugged to meet emission requirements and don't allow tweaking. I was happy with the performance of the carburetor but it has a problem that should be addressed or will need to be worked around. I always put just enough gasoline in the tank to get the job done because sometimes, when I went to use it for the next snowfall, the gas tank would be empty and sometimes I could see gasoline pooled in the brass horn of the carburetor. It wasn't every time but when it happened it took more pulls on the starter than normal to clear it out. Once it was running it ran fine. Putting an in-line shutoff was always on my list but I never got to it and have been living with it. The best solution is to address the needle and seat. Replace or maybe just clean.
Engine has 75 PSI of compression when cold. These engines have an automatic compression relief valve to make the pull starting easier so actual compression my be higher.
A couple final notes just so you're forewarned. When I put the original recoil starter shroud back on, it worked fine but made a weird ratcheting sound as it wound back up. The last 6 inches were slow in retracting. I tried to get a photo but it would retract by the time I could get the camera shot. The plastic shroud holds the starter handle about 6 inches away from the actual engine mounted recoil starter so you may never notice but I thought I should mention it.
The other thing is, I moved this from a snowthrower with a 20 inch wide clearing width to one with a 16" clearing path so I got more power per linear inch. The video is of the engine clearing a 16 inch wide path. It may not throw snow as far when it is asked to throw an extra 4 inches on a pass.
You may find a local snowblower priced less where the owner has thrown up their hands and given up and just want to get rid of it, but you have to be careful with 2 cycle engines because often the problem was the owner never mixed oil and gas. Then you're just buying it for parts but don't realize it until you get home and try to start it.
These aluminum horizontals are a workhorse. Toro single stage are the best snow Thrower ever made in my opinion. Can match any big 2 stage for clearing snow while taking up half the room in your garage.
Please ask any questions you may have.
Cash only.
Pick up near Cretin Derham Hall High School in St. Paul.