What the heck has happened to Ariens ??? Isn't it an American company ??

The LMC engines are a Honda clone. Their weak point is the push rod retaining plates. Eventually the oil gets to the plastic guides they use and it breaks off. That creates more side to side slop ans eventually the push rod pops out. Most times it doesn't bend it and the repair is quick and the part is about $12. They use the same engine on a lot of small generators that I repair so I tend to keep a couple of the plates on hand. Other than that they tend to hold up pretty well