Briggs Leaking Oil

[bertsmobile1]

And the thickness of the sim is determined by closing up the motor, measuring the end float then placing the approppriate sized shim ( or shims ) on the crank then buttoning up the engine a second time.
I have been setting end floats on cranks that are perpendicular to the case joint since I was 12
Shim or no shim the gasket changes the end play .

 

[Scrubcadet10]

I did think it was odd briggs,from what I could see only sells a .012" shim.
It would be wise to use the original gasket

 

[Mr-Mom]

Thanks for the heads-up. I'll get a genuine gasket and look for the shims and make sure they are reassembled correctly.

 

[Scrubcadet10]

Should be only 1 shim on the crankshaft, just slides over the shaft and sits flush against the gear. Sometimes the camshaft will have a shim too.

 

[Mr-Mom]

I had some time this after noon, so I wend ahead and pulled the engine off the mower chassis. As warned - one of the three bolts broke. It was odd, the bolt was not seized but it would only turn a tiny bit. It was the one on the right side that you can see the tip of coming through the motor, and I could see that it was turning. I gave it lots of PB blaster and tried working it lose. I got it up to about 1/4 of a turn and then the head busted off. Fortunately, I was able to drill the bolt out pretty easily and a 3/8 bolt and nut will work fine as a substitute.

As for the gasket, it came apart when I split the cases, so it is hard to say if if was actually damaged and causing the leak. As the photos show, there is plenty of fresh oil right a the place where I see the worst evidence of a leak. I'll have a new gasket in a couple of days and I'll button it up and see how it does.

 

[StarTech]

Ever heard of using UV dye to find the leaks before you tear things apart?

 

[Mr-Mom]

Nope. Please tell more....

 

[Scrubcadet10]

You put dye in the oil and with a UV flashlight you use it to trace the leak. works great for cars and trucks too, i rarely use it for small engines though.

 

[Mr-Mom]

I'll remember that. It could be useful someday. As for this issue, the place where I think the leak originated from was not visible as it was right under the cylinder. I'll know the truth when I get the gasket, put the thing back together and run it. If it still leaks, I might just try the dye route!

 

[tom3]

Really a clean looking engine inside, shows good maintenance.