Exhibit 5

           [letterhead of Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone, P.L.C.]

                                 April 29, 2008

Tecumseh Products Company
100 East Patterson Street
Tecumseh, Michigan 49286

Ladies and Gentlemen:

     We are writing with respect to the registration statement on Form S-3 (the
"Registration Statement") being filed today by Tecumseh Products Company, a
Michigan corporation (the "Company"), with the Securities and Exchange
Commission for the purpose of registering under the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended (the "Act"), 1,890,944 shares of the Class A Common Stock ("Class A
Shares") and 500,000 shares of the Class B Common Stock ("Class B Shares") of
the Company. Of these, 1,390,944 Class A Shares (the "Warrant Shares") are
issuable upon exercise of a Warrant to Purchase Class A Common Stock issued by
the Company on April 9, 2007 (the "Warrant"), and the remainder of the Class A
Shares and all of the Class B Shares (collectively, the "Outstanding Shares")
are currently issued and outstanding. The Registration Statement also registers
the Class A Rights and Class B Rights (collectively, the "Rights") associated
with the Class A Shares and the Class B Shares, respectively, which have been
issued (in the case of Rights associated with the Outstanding Shares) or are to
be issued (in the case of Rights associated with the Warrant Shares) under the
Company's Class A Rights Agreement dated April 22, 1992, as amended, and its
Amended and Restated Class B Rights Agreement dated April 22, 1992, as amended,
respectively (collectively, the "Rights Agreements"). In connection with the
Registration Statement, we, as your counsel, have examined such certificates,
instruments, and documents and reviewed such questions of law as we have
considered necessary or appropriate for the purposes of this opinion.

     On the basis of such examination and review, we advise you that in our
opinion:

     1. The Outstanding Shares, the Warrant Shares, and associated Rights have
been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action on the part of the
Company

     2. The Outstanding Shares now are, and, when the Registration Statement has
become effective and the Outstanding Shares have been sold pursuant to the
Registration Statement, the Outstanding Shares will be, validly issued, fully
paid, and nonassessable.

     3. When the Warrant Shares have been issued and paid for in accordance with
the terms of the Warrant, the Warrant Shares will be, and when thereafter the
Warrant Shares have been sold pursuant to the effective Registration Statement,
the Warrant Shares will continue to be, validly issued, fully paid, and
nonassessable.

     4. The Rights associated with the Outstanding Shares have been validly
issued.

     5. When issued in accordance with the terms of the applicable Rights
Agreement, the Rights associated with the Warrant Shares will be validly issued.

     We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the
Registration Statement and to the reference to us under the caption "Legal
Matters" in the Prospectus that forms a part of the Registration Statement. In
giving this consent, we do not thereby admit that we are within the category of
persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Act or the rules and
regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

                                 Very truly yours,


                                 /s/ Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone, P.L.C.