Loger It would appear to be a Briggs Quantum Engine , solid running unit . As for preventative measures , ensure to maintain proper belt tension engagement spec;s Usually 3/16 to 1/4 inch at the handle bar . This will ensure belt is not engaged prematurely , which will wear belt out . Inspect and clean out the belt drive area from grass and debris regularly . Grease or oil all wear points twice seasonally and maintain blade sharpness as required as usual . The gear box should be sealed unit normally . My last mower had a Quantum and could not kill the beast , however the metal base wore out after 10 hard years , even though I had a spare unit c/w wheels I eventually bought a New Toro and passed on the old mower to my Son lolo .

Thanks for the reply! The MTD was given to me because it acted as
if it was out of fuel (knowing it had fuel).
I learned the crab’s “needle seat” would swell due to the Ethanol fuel
and starve the engine of fuel.

Hopefully you can see the
difference in my poor attachments. Self-propelled
was new to me on my small yard. Now I enjoy the MTD or my Large rear wheel Murray (during My :30 Minute
Cut).

The monster starts so easy
that I feel it has compression release (Yes or No??). I did start it with my drill initially as an
experiment after letting it sit a year. Now it’s “Old School” pulling from the engine
while pushing off with my leg. The MTD is a Gas Hog compared
to the Non Self Propelled Murray.

My
next experiment will be trying to start a Sears 2000, Mod # 358 795660 Hedge
Trimmers, 22”, 21CC Bushwacker attached. I’ll start with the basics. Check Compression, Fuel lines, Carb work and Fire. I wish one of my 3 Echo String trimmer
Engines would fit...

Loger, the hedge - its easy. Ive restored a few of them and sold them. I still have the first one (Homelite bandit) to tidy up after major trim with my Stihl hs75. My gripe with this one is that they dont cut very large branches so doing plain bushes around the house take a while. My Stihl - and im sure echo and other brands also, take larger branches and cut them like butter. I use mine for the branches that are up against the brick that the stihl will keep hitting (tip not stationary like sears\homelite) and im afraid chip the bricks.

Mower’s Gas: Back to
my MTD being a Gas Hog! My 2 gallons a
season with Stabil treaded fuel l is down to .5 Gal left today (since the MTD
is in the mix of use vs for leaves only).
I have cut our small 70’ X 120’ lot with 2,000 SQ /Ft home (side to rear
drive with 2 Car rear Car-Ports on a tank).
That is a challenge due to not having a good Pattern/Plan. I changed the “Black colored Plug (with no
build-up) and filter and saw no increase.

What is the approx sq footage expected on the Self Propelled
MTD per tank. My Non Self Propelled
Murray has no problem on this yard on one tank of gas. I will measure both tanks’ capacities’. Both starts 1st lull and runs good except for the fuel usage.

It’s a Pain not to finish a 30 minute job on a tank of
fuel. My tanks on both are filled to the
top seam of the plastic tank vs neck.

Loger the Black Plug is evidence that your burning more fuel than normal . My 5.5 HP Quantum gave me 2 hrs of run time before refilling . However my mower was not self propelled , therefore I suppose you could expect some horse power drain and additional fuel consumption. Having said that , 30 minutes per tank is EXTREMELY HEAVEY fuel consumption !

Excuse any
over lapped info!! What is the normal life of a spark plug and air filter
monitored and cleaned yearly?

3 yrs is the longest I have ever ran a spark plug within a mower , since I mow approx. 3 hrs weekly for approx. 50 + hrs annually (150 hr Max Plug Life). 5 Yrs for the Paper Air Filters with regular cleaning , I clean both Air Filters and Plugs Annually . Fuel filters usually get changed when warranted 2-3 yrs normally . I would suggest you recheck your carb , since you altered it possibly ?

Cool TX weather last Sat allowed a welding repair I promised
to “weld only” on this winter. I did
all the cutting, drilling and fabricating due to having the time on a nice cool
day before the work was scheduled. The
mistake was a promised 1 hr vs 4 and a tired body from the needed work.

He happened to see my friend’s gate (his neighbor) where we
modifier the hinge to be bolted vs welded with ¼” plate shims. The adjustable eliminated welding due to the
seasonal chances causing gates to drag.
The swivel wheels were to help eliminate the drag had been removed. They could have been adjusted w/o welding but
he just removed them.

I felt I would share this to show I am still Kicking and
trying to get use to Win7 after 10+ years on XP. This has not been a fun experience either. Chrome appears to be my real help on these
machines now.

I think I am seeing aging challenges sooner than I expected.
I retired in 03 and had lots of fun volunteering
at Habitat, Meals-On-Wheels, Church’s building repairs and helping the elderly with needed repairs. Now it’s a force to leave home one day a week
(but I walk 2 mi 5 mornings and work 2-3 hrs 2-3 days a week. I never dreamed I could stop fishing or
challenging computers and mechanical projects and be satisfied. I could be simply tired and should call next
time. LOL!

Nice Job with zerk fitting on the hinges ! I had not heard from you since my last post on the Thirsty Quantum Briggs . Good to hear your still doing your thing , keep out of that Hot Texas Sun Bro !