On Thu, 18 May 2006 07:42:17 -0700, Eric R Snow
wrote:

Last night I heard the death rattle from my beloved Ryobi 4 stroke
trimmer. After hundreds of hours of abuse it seems that a valve head
came off. The spark plug was smashed but intact, the piston not holed,
and the crank and connecting rod are all in good shape. Since it was
always run with the air cleaner on it seems that the only thing that
could cause the horrible rattle and compression loss is a valve coming
apart. The valve stems still go up and down so that makes it seem like
the only thing that could be rattling around inside the cylinder
smashing things is the valve head.
Looking on the web last night for a replacement I find that Ryobi no
longer sells a 4 stroke engine. But wait! Didn't MTD buy Ryobi? and
Troy Bilt? Yes! And now Troy Bilt makes a 4 stroke trimmer that looks
almost exactly like the Ryobi. And the parts that matter appear
exactly the same. So the split shaft that allows me to change from the
line trimmer head to the carbide blade head without turning off the
engine (Don't try this at home kids!) means I only need to buy the
string trimmer model and my old stuff will work with the new engine.
Cool. I'll post reports about the Troyobi when I buy it.

That trimmer was made by MTD. MTD owned the Ryobi outdoor power
equipment name from 2000-2004. Then Ryobi decided that they wanted it
back. Thus MTD was forced to move that product line to another name
and so you get the Troybilt.

Now onto the parts problem. It's actually very simple. MTD still
supplies parts for the trimmers they made back then. If you'll go to
the web site below you'll find that they even have a parts breakdown
for your trimmer so you can get the part numbers you need and order
the parts from them or your nearest MTD distributor.

http://mtd.arinet.com/scripts/Empart...n%20&LoginPWD=

If that link doesn't work then go to MTD's home page, click on
"parts and accessories", and then "launch illustrated search engine".

http://www.mtdproducts.com/webapp/wc...rate/index.jsp