Does my ZG327 really need a new engine?

[tcwild]

Bought used last summer with 900hrs, but it was in decent shape and ran great all season. Suddenly last week it started losing power under load, noticeably when engaging the blades, when getting to any length grass, and when attempting to move up hill, it would get sluggish to the point of stalling out. I replaced fuel filters and checked lines but I don't know much about small engine repair, so I took it into a dealer for service, they told me that a compression test on the engine showed 0 PSI on the right side (140 on the left) and that meant I needed a full engine/muffler/wiring harness replacement to the tune of $5000, which is more than I paid for the thing last year.

Just looking for some more knowledgable opinions on what I should do here. Worth it to find someone to do a rebuild cheaper? Scrap it and finance something new? I simply can't afford to buy a new one or pay that much in repairs right now.

 

[skeets]

I needed a full engine/muffler/wiring harness replacement ,,,,,,

This confuses me, why new muffler and wiring harness, and a rebuild aint gona cost 5K,, me thinkest , thou should get a second opinion

 

[tcwild]

The wiring harness was partially repaired at the beginning of the season, this may just be an additional fix, but to clarify, the labor for replacing all three was quoted at $1k, most of the cost was $3k for the replacement engine.

 

[lilguy]

Get a second opinion. Why is there Zero compression in one cylinder? Had a Onan twin rebuilt years ago for less than new. It did cause me to go diesel next purchase and they have lasted 30 years compared to 5.

 

[MikeyA]

If you have good compression on 1 cylinder and 0 on other, I would dig just a little deeper for the culprit...I would find someone who is willing to chase the problem a little further before throwing up the white flag on a new engine.

 

[William1]

A stuck lifter, bent valve, stuck ring or many other things can cause 0 compression. First, do a leak down test, that will tell you if it is rings or valves. If it is vales, remove the valve cover, spark plugs out and the engine turned over, watching the valve train. That will tell you if it is a bent valve, pushrod/lifter issue. A few hours of labor to fix. Rings, depends what it is. Most of the time, it is a stuck ring that required the piston to be removed, the ring land cleaned, the bore deglazed, new rings. Again, not even a days labor.
If the piston is damaged, rod bent or barrel heavily gouged, it is often cheaper to do a new engine. You'll of paid for diagnostic time on the old engine (four hours or so) four or five hours to swap engines and cost of a new engine. No good shop will just see 0 compression and say it needs a new engine.
Almost all these issues are a result of failing to run it regularly and not changing the oil often enough.
I run a Sears garden tractor, 1,000 hours on it and it still purrs like a kitten. The only failure I have had is the oil seal under the flywheel leaking, a one hour job. My 1981 Murray push mower from 1980 starts every spring on the first pull. Maintenance.