Briggs & Stratton Briggs Stratton Vanguard V - Twin Vertical Ohv Engine with Electric Start 23 Hp, 1" X 3 5/32" Shaft, ModelNo. 386777 - 0036 - E1 - Page 6 - Answered Questions & Fixed issues

i gess you busted the crack shaft push rod so the piston is not now moving up and down the bore
take off the cylinder head and turn the motor by hand till its at the top of the bore, then rock the flywheel to and frow if its turns a long way before the piston moves down the bore strip the engine down so you can repair it,,,if thats pos!

take the starter off and give the bendix a realy good clean up and then splash some oil on it,,,they get very dry and sticky at times,,,you can test the starter uasing some jump leads stand on it though, dont hold it in your hands as it will spin out of your grip
hook the black lead to the caseing and tuch the red lead on the starter battery stud,,,it should spin up and strow the bendix out as soon as you take the lead off the bendix should slid back in if it dont oil it till dose also check the starter relay it could be sticking on holding the starter in

hi this should have a gaged gap to be honest i cant remember what it is, but is definitely should not be touching...hope that helps sorta..

You can check out this page:
http://www.briggsandstratton.com/maint_repair/routine_maintenance/changing_oil/oil_capacity_chart.pdf

hope this helps!

Very likely, the piston rings are badly worn or stuck. There may even be a small hole in a piston. In any case, you will need a major tear-down to repair this one. This is usually caused by lax oil-changes. It might be better to purchase a replacement engine than try to fix everything that could be wrong with the present unit if you take into account parts and labor. Hope this helps!

Did you ever get an answer? Mine is doing the same. I think the starter is toast. I bought a new battery, but spins just as slow. Thanks Ken

You can use 10w30 weight year round. I highly recommend you use synthetic oil in this air cooled engine and change the oil/filter every 50 hours. I think you will find it holds 1.5 quarts with filter change. Do not overfill.

Carburetor cleaner will ruin the rings and do that.

yep its a briggs and normaly there very good ploders
if your john deere spluters and back fires it needs a good looking at check the valves first,,,a hand full of bolts and the heads off and if your carfull you can still use the same head gasket again,,,also check the carb there very finiky and need to be kept clean the air filter is a joke,,,but clean it anyhow and they like new plugs,,,every ten years or so? iv worked on 100s of brigss and stratons/vanguard. there good engines but there ploders not sprinters there ok in a tractor but no good in a tank there to darn slow

Yes if it is what im thinking it is its a fuel cut solinoid

anytime you deal with small engine parts you MUST be armed with the engine model number, code and type. on late briggs these are on one of the valve covers.

yes had a B&S v-twin do the same thing. the one plug dirty and one plug wet is a red flag. remove both plugs and put a screwdriver in to touch top of piston. turn engine with your hand and see if screwdriver moves. i'm guessing one of them won't, and that means one of the connecting rods has exploded, the crank is ruined, and someone sold you a lemon.

The Sprag clutch need to be oiled.

Remove cover, remove the top part of the sprag clutch you will see some small balls ensure they are not rusty oil the shaft and put back together.

Hope this tip helps.

r/
David

Starting fluid is REALLY bad on this engine.

Try WD 40 before ever using starting fluid.

Time to change the plugs. and look at the choke for proper adjustment,

Next start using a fuel inhibitor along with some gas treatment with your fuel, this should clear this little V Twin up.

This motor has a history of bending push rods, make sure you change your oil every 30 hours.

Hope some of the tips help.

R.
David

You are not getting the flywheel nut/clutch starter tight enough.

No it doesn't have a decompression system. Sounds like a valve is stuck open. Need model number for more details.

(1)You high speed carburetor jet is too lean (2) a dirty carburetor that needs cleaning (3) dirty air filter.

Most likely it has a dirty carburetor. Need model number for more details.

Weak voltage to starter or starter relay.

NEED TO KNOW WHAT KIND OF ENGINE. DOES IT HAVE A PUMP? IS IT GRAVITY FEED? IS THE CARB AND GAS TANK ONE PIECE? IT SOUNDS LIKE FLOAT IS STUCK OR FLOAT BOWL GASKET BAD. COULD BE ALOT OF THINGS. NEED ENGINE MODEL OR NAME ON COVER.