Rings replacement
 

How much time, and labor is involved in replacing the rings in a CC 1862. I am mechanically inclined, but I've never done this before, was wondering how deep in it I'd be? Getting a lot of blow-by into the air cleaner and on top of the engine, was told it's the rings.
Thanks.

18 mag?

My breather flapper valve fell apart once upon a time, and it burned a lot of oil as a result. So much so that it burned my eye balls hours later. I replaced the rubber valve with one of the metal reed style valves, and that issue went away. I would start there before going any further, it's easy to inspect the breather by popping the cover.

The M18 is very expensive to rebuild, likely needs more than rings. There are really no inexpensive options other than repower with a used Magnum or Command engine.

Thanks guys, I'll check out that breather. It is a magnum.

The 1862 should have a Magnum 18 (M-18) in it. With that in mind, you first need to pull the engine from the tractor. Once it is on the bench, you need to remove all the shrouds. Then you need to remove the intake and exhaust components. Then you need to remove the heads. Then you need to remove both jugs. Inspect your jugs for wear & tear, and tolerances. Once your examination is done, decisions need to be made on the course of action you are going to pursue. Time??? Depends on how thorough and meticulous you are, and the desire to make the correct repairs. Minimum to get to the exam part, 4-6 hrs.

I would NOT order any parts until you exactly know what is needed.

Looking like rings, at least. R. Bedell is it worth the expense of a rebuild or should I look for another engine? This is a mower I found for my niece last year and didn't seem to have any of these issues, so now I'm feeling bad at this thing is going to cost more money!

The best thing to do was suggested above by R Bedell. Tear it apart and see the extent of the damage. Just a re-ring won't be expensive, as long as the cylinders aren't scored. Only way to tell is to tear it down.

I don't see any scoring in the cylinders, actually you can still see the crosshatch honing. There are two small areas that look like the ring might not be scraping in the one cylinder. The one intake valve looks like there's some burnt sludge around the inside. On that same side the head gasket, near the top, looks like it might have been leaking some too. Seems like a lot going on for a motor with 632 hours on it.

Ahh, so you tore it down already? Post pics if you can. Check valve clearance with appropriate procedure, and rule that out as the culprit. If the intake valve is hanging open, it would cause combustion to leak back into the intake and could cause the issue you speak of with the cruddy looking valve. If it is ingesting oil, it could do the same thing. Easy enough to check the valves so you know exactly what you're dealing with.

Pray, Looking like the intake valve is hanging open.