Thread: Tecumseh problem

Hi all,

I have a MTD rideon 38" mower fitted with a 13.5 HP Tecumseh engine, the engine has been vibrating worse than usual and investigation has revealed most of the magnets normally fastened underneath the flywheel had parted company with the flywheel, they are used for generating the current to charge the battery and powering the lights.

Do I remove these magnets all together and then try to remember to put the battery on charge when not in use, or do I fit a small alternator from say, a small Jap car onto the top of the Tecumseh engine?

By the way, the Tecumseh engine is no longer made and parts are no longer available.

The job would be easy to do 'IF' the alternator shaft is more or less direct coupled to the top of the engine, looking down at the crank it runs clockwise.

The main question is therefore, can alternator's run anticlockwise and work?
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There are five magnets, one of which is broken in the middle and another that has bits chipped out of it. Only one is still stuck with glue inside the flywheel.

If I place them evenly around the inside of the flywheel, the space between the magnets is about 12mm apart, if I push the magnets together however, there is enough room left to fit another magnet and I don't know if there was six or the five to begin with.

I could try and epoxy them back in place, but I like the idea of using a car alternator to supply that little bit more electrical power, as I am needing the mower to tow a 50 litre tank with a 12 volt pump, it's for spraying blackberries and other rubbish around my place.
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