Check the underneath of lawn mower for grass built up.
Originally from when Briggs & Stratton started business in 1919, the engine's were built in Milwaukee Wisconsin to 1985 and well into the 1990's. Recently great production is very little from were Briggs & Stratton was originally started. These day's there is great activity of Briggs & Stratton parts from China/Japan and Briggs & Stratton engine blocks being casted in Mexico. Truley a great devistation to a once GREAT engine. Which is why alot of people like myself will no longer recommend a Briggs & Stratton engine. Today your best bet is Kohler (still U.S. produced), Kawasaki or Honda.
If you have a different brand spark plug, Champion will have a cross reference. You just need the number from the plug. If you do not have that, you will need the model number from the engine. Briggs and Stratton built a LOT of engines with customizations that may use several different spark plugs. 342 cc is simply not enough information.
Based on the Briggs and Stratton Engine Code, the Ford LT8 was built in 1988. The engine code on one of the LT8 riders that I am working on is 87120830 (Model 191707 Type 2519-01). The LT8 model is 09GN2101, 02, or 04. Jim Klaus Carlsbad Small Engine Carlsbad, NM
They are still made by AYP, but if you mean when did Briggs & Stratton take over the company and begin factory shut downs; that would be 1996 into 1997.
mower carbs built since around the mid nineties are non adjustable, except for idle speed,
just bought a craftsman snow blower yesterday. 3 manufacturers, MTD, Briggs and Stratton and Husqvarna. was told MTD 357cc was chinese can`t even find a torque # for it, Briggs and Stratton 305cc and 342cc made in USA, they had no Husqvarna so i don`t know about motors. was told Briggs and Stratton were not only making the motors but the whole machine, on the Pro series i bought which has the Briggs motor, if you look on the chassis it says built in the USA. This information i was told at a Sears store. hope its correct.
If it is a Briggs and Stratton engine, it sounds like you might have to adjust the valves. There is a built in compression release that lets it crank over easier. If the valves are too loose it will not release the pressure.
AYP (American Yard Products) and Murray Murray is no longer in business, they were taken over by Briggs and Stratton. Briggs and Stratton also build John Deere and Simplicity and a few other makes of snowblowers. The lower priced Craftsman (in Canada ) snow blowers are built by MTD, the higher priced models are built by Husqvarna in their AYP factories in the USA.
i had a modular home built and they installed Briggs toliets,watersavers
(formerly known as Navin Field and Briggs Stadium)was ordered to be built in 1911
Factories could be built away from rivers using this alternative source of power.