[Mackie]

bbpits,
A few things need to be cleared up about your 18 Vanguard:
Your pic shows a horizontal shaft Vanguard engine, but the model number (305775) is not correct. An 18 Vanguard would be a 350 or 356 if a later model and 775 designates a vertical shaft engine, plain bearing pressure lubrication, electric starter only 12 or 24 volt gear drive. Based on the pic, which is a horizontal shaft engine with electric starter and alternator, your engine is likely a 350447.

 

[Mackie]

What are you using for a frame for a loader?
Your pic shows a horizontal shaft twin Vanguard with a starter motor, a regulator/rectifier and a relay. Older engines need battery power from the key switch for ignition. Newer engines such as the Vanguard make their own spark by cranking over. To shut them down, the primary side of the ignition coils needs to be grounded. The stud on the side of the blower housing, where the white wire is connected, does this and the white wire is connected into the relay. The relay is there so a standard battery power ignition switch can still be utilized. The regulator/rectifier shown is the usual for a 16 AMP charging system. The red wire from the R/R that is connected to the purple wire is the charging system output to the battery directly or thru the keyswitch. The red wire coming from the relay goes to the battery ignition terminal on the keyswitch. The black wire coming out of a hole in the cooling baffle and near the R/R is connected into the relay and is for the fuel shutoff solenoid in the carb. You do need a starter solenoid to operate this starter motor. Check out the pic of my 18 Vanguard repower in a 4018 that originally had been Onan P 218 powered.

 

[Mackie]

Hi bbpitts,
The blower housing for a vertical shaft Vanguard has a different part number from a horizontal shaft Vanguard. Some Briggs engines have the model information acid etched on the engine, not sure if they all do. I don't see it on my 2004 vintage horizontal shaft 18 Vanguard. The data plate on your engine is for a vertical shaft 16 HP Vanguard, but you purchased a horizontal shaft 18 Vanguard supposedly. I would contact Small Engine Warehouse, explain the situation and request that they correctly identify the engine that you purchased and provide another blower housing with the correct data plate for the engine that you purchased. There is still a question as to if your engine is a 16 or 18 HP Vanguard.
There is a clamp and bracket available to mount a starter solenoid onto the starter motor, but regardless of where it is mounted, you will need a starter solenoid.

https://www.briggsandstratton.com/c...m/content/dam/briggsandstratton/na/en_us/Files/FAQs/2016_RepowerEngineSpecs.pdf

 

[Mackie]

A 16 vertical Vanguard would have an engine oil cooler, but a horizontal 16 or 18 would not. Post a pic of the other side of the engine showing the blower housing area near the oil filter and housing.

 

[Mackie]

The Briggs part number on the carb would better identify the engine as an 18.
Your engine likely is a 356447-3079-G1. you can look up the parts manual for this engine on the Briggs website to get the carb part number for comparison to your engine carb.

 

[Mackie]

All horizontal shaft Vanguards have cast aluminum valve covers and I have never seen any that had the model numbers stamped into them.
The newer series of vertical shaft Vanguards are spinoffs of the commercial series engines and have stamped sheetmetal valve covers with the numbers stamped into the starter motor side valve cover.
On your bill of sale from SEW should be the numbers of the engine, they may be the wrong numbers or the correct numbers.
When I do a repower, I give the customer the numbers of the engine desired and have them order and receive it. This way the warranty is in their name as I am not a dealer and not authorized to retail engines.